I wanted my students to reflect on the past 100 hundred years because we have seen so many marked changes in the varied roles people play. Certain women have paved the way for many notable changes in their roles at home and at work. These particular women refused to limit their own potential with any imposed social or familial limitations.

As we head into the new millennium, we should take the time to reflect on the twentieth century. Who are the women who have made significant contributions? How have they impacted and influenced the past and our future?

We can celebrate the future potential of both men and women as we pause to appreciate where we have been and were we are headed.

Visual Problem:
Students will create an image that shows the juxtaposition of traditional roles of woman and those woman who have expanded and impacted those roles.

Materials:
18" x 24" newsprint
number 2 school pencil
18" x 24" white vellum
pen and India ink
a variety of drawing and painting media for part two mixed media

Start Up Activity:
Create a still life that reflects the traditional roles of woman historically. Objects can include an ironing board, iron, pots, pans, cooking utensils, clothes line, men's white shirts, wash basket, quilts, crochet doilies, canning jars, mops and other cleaning utensils. Design a still life that has a generous amount of negative space.

Ask students:
Who were the most influential women in the
20th century? What contributions did women make that changed society's perceptions and broadened the roles of women?

Create an ongoing list of the women who they feel are significant. Have students go home to ask parents, guardians, and grandparents who they would feel would besignificant. Add their suggestions to the list. After a long list is generated, add a brief passage describing of why each one is noteworthy. Ask students: "What was the positive affect that this individual had on society?"

Students are asked to differentiate between celebrities and people who have truly influenced and made an impact. Have students reflect on this list and ask them to pick one or several that they feel are particularly "gutsy" and made an impact on the future of woman's roles.

The list generated included:

Margaret Mead Sally Ride
Agatha Christie
Alice Waliher
Janet Reno Sylvia Plath
Amelia Earhart Maya Angelou
Elizabeth Dole Mother Theresa
Gloria Steinem Billie Holiday
Indira Gandhi Rosalind Franklin
Betty Friedan Bessie Smith
Golda Meir Frida Khalo
Gertrude Stein Georgia O'Keeffe
Helen Keller Margaret Thatcher
Rosa Parks Lillian Herman
Annie Sullivan
Margaret Sanger
Eva Perone Sandra Day O'Connor
Barbara Bush Christa McAuliffe
Marie Curie Rachel Carson
Marilyn Fraye Madeline Albright
Christie Todd Whitman Eleanor Roosevelt
Hillary Clinton Simone de Beauvoir
Clara Barton Dorothea Lang
Rachel Carson

A few names from this list were illuminated after a group discussion that distinguished the difference between a celebrity and a person who has offered a significant contribution.

Process:
Each student should fold a 28" X 24" sheet of newsprint paper twice, creating four rectangles. Using pencil, students will sketch the still life in each rectangle, spending approximately twenty minutes on each section. Students should draw from four different perspectives, focusing on spatial relationships while developing a strong composition. Alert students to the negative space, which could be used as an element in developing their final image.

Students select one of these preliminary drawings and create a large line drawing (18" X 24") on white vellum, while viewing the still life directly. This drawing must be checked to be sure it is in proportion, as it is four times larger than the newsprint sketch. To get the correct proportion, students may use the pink erasure on a no. 2 pencil to draw a few general marks as preliminary guidelines, adjusting as necessary. Students then draw lightly in pencil so that changes can be easily made.

A finished drawing is then developed using pen and black India ink. Share examples of other artists' work showing pen and ink techniques: hatching, cross-hatching to increase value of a given area, and the use of light and heavy marks for textural effects.

It is important for students understand that this large black and white drawing can be used as part of their final image. They could further develop the negative space, or cut the positive space imagery for the development in another way. A new drawing using stereotypic images could also be developed if the student desires to keep the pen and ink image intact. This could be a three-dimensional structure or expressed in a paper relief.

During the pen-and-ink studio working time, individual conferences are held to discuss the direction each student will take. Students are asked: Who did you pick and how do you plan to develop your final image? This time is devoted to focus and aim students in a clear direction.

When the pen and ink drawing is complete, a class period is given to research in the media center. Students understood that they would need to add additional time for this, beyond the one designated class. If students wanted to select more than one influential woman, it was suggested that they think of thematic qualities that would pull a group together. The example given was combining women such as Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, and Christa McAuliffe. It was the students' choice whether they worked with one woman or a combination.

Students are reminded of the project's aim: to have the viewer see both the stereotypic roles depicted in the still life, yet have the influential women dominate the overall visual impact. As the students begin to work on the final image, the teacher becomes the facilitator, motivating diverse solutions.

The students are asked to write a short research paper. One class period is given to research in the media center, and the paper is completed as homework. The paper begins with why they picked the person or persons they chose, specific information on their contribution, and what was the positive affect that this individual had on society. One typed page is the minimum.

As the students developed their final image, the emphasis is on the viewer being drawn to their work. They are asked to make it as striking as possible, develop strong compositions with good craftsmanship in the use of materials. A variety of drawing and painting materials were provided. They were permitted to work two dimensional, three dimensional or in relief.

Student Choices:
composition
influential woman or women
media
overall size and development of their final image

Resources:
Book: Drawing in Ink Drawing for Reproduction by Harry Borgman (Watson-Guptill Publications NY.NY.)
School Media Center
Internet
Magazines:
* People - Special Collector's Edition (1999) : "Unforgettable Woman of the Century";
George, Sept. 1999 "Twenty most fascinating women in politics"

Evaluation:
Ask students to respond in reflective writing to the following questions:
Has your project created a dynamic juxtaposition between the past roles of women in the past and the individuals who have made significant contributions to changing those roles?
Does your composition maintain visual interest that helps the viewer focus on the woman or women you have selected?
What do you hope the viewer will get from your image?

Results and Observations:
Using the newsprint was an excellent way for developing varied compositions and talking about what maintains visual interest on the two-dimensional picture plane. Developing four diverse preliminary line drawings also encouraged students to walk around the room and view the still live from different angles.
Developing the pen and ink still life image offered additional thinking time for the students to decide on the woman or women they wanted to select and conduct further research on those people.
One helpful aspect in developing the final image was to share what students were planning to create. This provided motivation for greater risk-taking and encouraged others to be more inventive with their imagery.

Students used the school's media center, the internet, and current magazines such as People Magazine's Special Collector's Edition (1999), "Unforgettable Women of the Century", and George, Sept. 1999 "Twenty most fascnating women in politics." This issue offered insight into the most political women in our country today.
The students' final images were 18" X 24" or larger. This large scale resulted from the size of the still life pen and ink drawing.
The teacher continues individual conferences on composition, media, and what message the student's image is sending to the viewer in their final image. Attention is paid to detail and craftsmanship.

The more students there are in a specific class, the more challenging it becomes to answer individual questions and check on student progress on a daily basis. I see a big difference between a class of twenty and one of twenty-five functioning in a 46-minute class period. In the end, the rich diversity of the students' final solutions outweighs the stress of overcrowded work space.

Time Frame:
22 Class periods (46 min. periods)
3 classes for the introduction and four compositional sketches of still life on newsprint paper
7 classes for the development of the pen and ink drawing
1 class to research in the media center
10 classes for the development of final image on influential women
1 class for evaluation and critique

Conclusion:
The success of this process comes in the combination of its elements. It begins with a clear structure of the visual problem, the cooperative gathering of information, the observational drawing, the written research, presentation of final creative images, and the reflective writing to understand what the student has gained through this experience.

This opportunity generated a great deal of increased knowledge for both the student and the teacher. Information was shared about fifty significant women and their impact in our society. Engaging images were created which drew the viewer to take a closer look. Images went way beyond a simple still life and gave insight into the important contributions of these women to society.

Throughout the process the students reflected on key questions such as: Should a person's potential be limited based on sex? How do some women feel empowered to take on new opportunities that will inevitably break down the stereotypes? and What can we do to make a contribution to our society today and in the future?

We hope that as we ask our students to reflect on these accomplishments, we will also be opening doors for them to contemplate what they can become. By looking at the impact of women on our society and by posing thought-provoking questions, we engage the minds of the individuals who will make a difference in the future.