MICHAEL AN INSTRUMENT OF

NATURE

By: Emily Helbig

Carly Marnik

GENERAL NOTICINGS Purple guitar Silver accents Rhinestones Chronicles

Michael Jackson’s life

Guitar is held by Jackson’s famous glove

SPECIFIC NOTICINGS Jackson’s hits

written on the fretboard of the guitar

No strings Silver paint is

chipping

SPECIFIC NOTICINGS 1. 1960s-1970s:

The Jackson 5 Era

2. Late 80s: The “Bad” Era

3. Early 90s: The “Dangerous” Era

4. Late 90s: The Fatherhood Era

1.

2.

3.

4.

SPECIFIC NOTICINGS Tribute to

“Thriller” Some

rhinestones on glove are missing

Cord accents glove

SENSORY NOTICINGS Hear: People

entering museum, talking, footsteps

Smell: “New car smell”

Temperature: Cold

Lighting: Natural light from windows and skylights

QUESTIONING & INQUIRY Was this artwork created before or after

Michael Jackson’s death? Was the artist trying to depict Michael

Jackson in a positive light? Is there a specific reason why there are

so many rhinestones covering the guitar and the glove?

What purpose does the cord serve in the work of art?

Why is this on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION Cleveland

community public art project

Create 10-ft-tall Fender Stratocaster guitars

Designs represent local and national artists

Display guitars on the streets of Cleveland

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Michael An Instrument of Nature designed by Richard Moodie and Terri Tufts

27,600 rhinestones

Plays Michael Jackson’s songs

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Began his career with the Jackson 5

Hits such as “ABC” and “I’ll Be There”

Launched solo career by age of 13 with song “Got to Be There”

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION Jackson’s

“Thriller” Album had 7 hit singles

Used latest technology in “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” videos

First performed moonwalk in 1983

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Won record breaking 8 Grammy awards in 1984

Became Artist of the Decade due to successes of “Thriller” and “Bad” albums

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Jackson’s film editor was wearing 1 glove as he sorted through film

Jackson expressed interest in the glove and asked to have one

He covered it in sequins and wore it on his tour

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION Jackson’s life

surrounded by controversy

Child abuse allegations

Plastic surgery Neverland Ranch Sudden death

CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS To Michael Jackson as a performer:

Glove as an Everyday Work of ArtAll of his songs have a storyConnections between dancing and music

To the work of art:Different perspectives to the artwork:

similar to the AvalonMultiple forms of representation: pictures,

words, and auditory outputStorytelling is a version of world-making:

the artwork tells the story of Jackson’s life

CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS Intro A A B A A B Improv B until end of

song

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS Our generation

was not exposed to Michael Jackson’s talent

Jackson’s death sparked our interest in his career

Pictures on the guitar made us interested in exploring his life

KEY IDEAS Guitar structure Glove Rhinestones Color Placement in

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Images of Michael Jackson

Music List of hits Motivation of the

artist Controversy

surrounding Michael Jackson

Perspectives

POSSIBLE LINES OF INQUIRY Why did the artist choose to represent

Michael Jackson’s career on a guitar, which is an instrument we do not usually associate with him?

Why does the artist feel it was necessary to use music along with written words to convey a representation of Michael Jackson?

How do the pictures of Michael Jackson on the guitar challenge our preconceived notions of his personal life?

LINES OF INQUIRYAesthetic Pedagogical

How do the design structure, color, rhinestones, music, and images work together to represent Michael Jackson’s musical career?

How does the artist’s use of the guitar and glove structure, written words, images of Michael Jackson, and music challenge our preconceived notions of Michael Jackson?

EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES Visit to the Rock

and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH

Explore Michael Jackson showcases

Learn about other artists during the height of Jackson’s popularity

EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES Case study of

the “Thriller” music video

Focus on technology, costume design, makeup, story development

Learn portions of the famous dance

EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES Students select

their own favorite artists and create a guitar structure to represent them

Use of clay molds, drawings, paintings, or any other artistic media

MIND MAP

Michael An Instrument of Nature

Activities

Museum visit “Thriller”

videoGuitar

Noticings

Rhinestones

Structure

Lighting

Questioning

Death?

Artist?

Cord?

Contextual Information

ControversyJackson

5

Solo Career

Connections

Form

Everyday Work of

Art

Perspectives

REFERENCES http://www.cleveland.com/guitarmania/ http://

www.csmonitor.com/USA/2009/0626/p02s19-usgn.html

http://www.youtube.com/ http://

www.allmichaeljackson.com/biography.html

http://anomalies-unlimited.com/Jackson.html