Cindy Sherman Lesson Idea

Cindy Sherman and 
IDENTITY...OR TRANSFORMATION

I believe the work of Cindy Sherman lends so many wonderful examples for a great many lesson ideas that could center around the themes of identity/or transformation.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with her work, she uses photography as a means of capturing herself as a variety of different characters.  Through the use of make-up, scene set up, costumes, lighting, and props Sherman transforms her own identity into anothers and then captures this transformation through portrait photography.

Lesson:   Internal vs. External Identity
Students will... 

• discuss and define the ideas of internal identity, external identity, and transformation
• discuss the connections between these ideas
• discuss media impact upon identity and the transformation of identity
• introduce ARt 21: Cindy Sherman
• create portrait drawings of their internal/external identity 
• use photography to take photos of their internal identity transforming to their external identity
• use photoshop to combine these images into a final transformation portrait