Ai Weiwei Education Program
For a copy of the Education Kit click here: Ai Weiwei Education Kit
The Education Resource Kit accompanying Ai Weiwei: Under Construction has been designed to provide secondary teachers with information and resources to facilitate a study of Ai Weiwei's work with their students. The Kit has been developed primarily for Visual Arts and English teachers. History teachers may also appreciate the perspectives provided by Ai Weiwei for students studying Nineteenth and Twentieth Century China. While Ai Weiwei’s work is certainly accessible for junior students, the content of the Kit has been targeted for teachers working with senior students across these syllabus areas.
The Kit takes a thematic approach to Ai Weiwei’s work. Each chapter focuses on bodies of work where the artist has explored similar ideas, issues or materials. These include: experimentation with readymade art objects; an abiding connection with China’s material cultural heritage; mapping the urban landscape through film and video and an ongoing interest in architectural practice. The Kit also includes contextual information about the history of China and Ai Weiwei and his family. Ai Weiwei’s work is founded on an engagement with China’s history and cultural heritage. A basic understanding of China’s political, social and cultural history is crucial to a full appreciation of his work. Suggested learning activities are provided for each chapter.
This Education Kit has been designed for use in support of a visit to Ai Weiwei: Under Construction at Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation and Campbelltown Arts Centre. It will be useful in preparing students for a visit to the exhibition and as a post-visit resource. The Kit will also exist as an independent resource for the study one of the Twenty-first Century’s leading contemporary artists and thinkers.
Copies of the Kit will be distributed to secondary schools in the region in the near future. The Kit will also soon be available here for download.
For information about arranging a visit for students to see Ai Weiwei: Under Construction at Campbelltown Arts Centre, please contact Georgia Close, Education and Public Programs Officer on 4645 4336 or email georgia.close@campbelltown.nsw.gov.au.
Chang' an Boulevard, 2004, digital video,
10 hours, 13 minutes, edition of 5. Courtesy
the artist and Galerie Urs Meile,
Beijing – Lucerne