USING ART TO REVEAL HUMAN IMPACT

DESIGN FOR CHANGE: USING ART TO REVEAL HUMAN IMPACT

Learning Description

In this lesson, students explore how visual art can raise awareness about the human impact on the environment by creating a digital infographic inspired by a distinct art style. After learning about key human impact issues and four iconic art styles — pop art, photo realism, graffiti art, and cubism — students research an environmental issue of their choice, plan a conservation message, and use Canva or Adobe Express to design a compelling infographic. Students apply principles of design (balance, contrast, emphasis, etc.) and color theory to communicate their message visually. Through research, creativity, and reflection, students discover how art can influence behavior, inspire change, and make science meaningful to their peers and community.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 9-12
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & SCIENCE
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"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can research and explain a human impact issue and its environmental consequences.
  • I can design an infographic using art and design principles to communicate a message about conservation.
  • I can apply the characteristics of a chosen art style to make my infographic engaging and meaningful.
  • I can reflect on how art can help raise awareness and inspire change.

Essential Questions

  • How can we use art and design to influence people’s feelings about their environmental impact?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Environmental Science:

SEV2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to construct explanations of stability and change in Earth’s ecosystems.

d. Construct an argument to support a claim about the value of biodiversity in ecosystem resilience including keystone, invasive, native, endemic, indicator, and endangered species.

SEV4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to analyze human impact on natural resources.

a. Construct and revise a claim based on evidence on the effects of human activities on natural resources.

Arts Standards

VAHSVA.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art.

VAHSVA.CR.2 Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create works of art.

VAHSVA.PR.1 Plan, prepare, and present works of art for exhibition in school, virtual environment, and/or portfolio presentation.

VAHSVA.PR.1.a Exhibit works of art with a written supporting artist statement that communicates purpose and/or intent.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Biology:

B-LS2-1. Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of biotic and abiotic factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

B-LS2-6. Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

B-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem health.

B-LS2-8. Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.

Earth & Space Science:

E-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques,  and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 4:  I can organize work for presentation and documentation to reflect specific content, ideas, skills, and or media.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Deforestation — Removing trees, which destroys habitats and contributes to climate change
  • Pollution — Introduction of harmful substances into air, water, or soil
  • Climate Change — Long-term change in global or regional climate patterns, often caused by human activities
  • Overfishing — Removing fish faster than they can reproduce, reducing biodiversity
  • Habitat destruction — Damaging or destroying the places where plants and animals live
  • Biodiversity loss — Decline in the variety of life in a habitat or on Earth
  • Urbanization — Expansion of cities, often reducing natural areas and increasing pollution
  • Overconsumption — Using more resources than Earth can sustainably provide
  • Eutrophication — Excess nutrients in water causing algal blooms that harm aquatic life
  • Carbon footprint — Total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual or group

Arts Vocabulary

  • Balance — A sense of stability created by equal visual weight
  • Contrast — Use of opposite elements (light/dark, rough/smooth) to create interest
  • Emphasis — Creating a focal point to draw the viewer’s eye
  • Movement — Arranging parts to lead the viewer’s eye through the work
  • Pattern — Repeating visual elements to create interest
  • Proportion — Size relationships between parts of an artwork
  • Rhythm — A sense of movement created by repeating shapes, lines, or colors
  • Unity — The sense that all parts of a design work together as a whole
  • Color Schemes:
    • Warm — Reds, yellows, oranges.
    • Cool — Blues, greens, purples.
    • Neutral — Browns, grays, whites, blacks.
    • Complementary — Colors opposite each other on the color wheel.
    • Analogous — Colors next to each other on the color wheel.
    • Primary — Red, blue, yellow
    • Secondary — Green, orange, purple.

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Show examples of pop art, photo realism, graffiti art, and cubism that relate to environmental issues.
    • Discuss the principles of design (see vocabulary) and ask students to identify where they see certain principles in the artwork. Ask students how the principles help the artist to communicate the message.
  • Students discuss how different art styles communicate the message.
  • Explain to students that they will be creating infographics on a chosen human impact issue; however, their infographics will include elements from one of the four art styles.
  • Briefly introduce the four art styles with definitions and example artists:
    • Pop Art — Bright, bold, comic-book style (Andy Warhol)
    • Photo Realism — Looks like a photograph (Chuck Close)
    • Graffiti Art — Street-art style, expressive, edgy (Banksy)
    • Cubism — Abstract, broken shapes, multiple viewpoints (Pablo Picasso)

Work Session

  • Give students time to explore the four art styles online so that they can choose one style to incorporate into their infographic.
    • Ask students to identify at least three defining characteristics of their chosen art style.
  • Review the human impact issues on the list with students and allow them to share ideas on how they can use their chosen art form to educate others about the issues.
  • Students pick a human impact issue from the provided list or propose an alternative issue to the teacher.
  • Students begin researching their chosen human impact issue.
    • Students should use the Research and Planning worksheet to guide their research on their chosen issue. Even though students are individually creating their infographics, the teacher may choose to allow students who chose the same topic to work together to share research and ideas.
  • Students should use their research to help them choose their overall conservation message for their infographic.
  • Using their research on the Research and Planning sheet, students design their infographic in Canva (or similar platform), applying the following artistic elements to enhance the information they are showcasing:
    • Principles of design (balance, emphasis, etc.);
    • Color schemes;
    • Elements of their chosen art style.

Students should also write a brief “artist’s statement” to accompany their infographic to communicate their purpose/intent for their choices in their infographic. Students should write at least one well-constructed paragraph to explain what their overall conservation message is, the art style and elements they chose to convey it, and why they think those artistic elements help to communicate the importance of the message. Students will present their statement next to their computer screen for the Gallery Walk.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Gallery Walk: Students display their infographics on their devices and artists’ statements (on paper next to the device). Peers leave sticky note feedback (or via a Microsoft/Google Form) to offer one compliment and one suggestion for growth.
  • Students complete the reflection portion of their handout.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Research and planning handout
  • Participation in discussions
  • Feedback during gallery walk

Summative

  • Final infographic and artist’s statement (see rubric)

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Students create a series of infographics targeting different audiences or animate their infographics.

 

Remedial:

  • Provide sentence starters, suggested layouts/templates in Canva, or additional examples.

 

Additional Resources

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Kearsten Jones, Shannon Green, Gretchen Hollingsworth

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  January 2026 @ ArtsNOW

 

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