What is Art?

On the first day, students were asked "What is Art?" and had to give a short answer on their traced hand. (I believe that the idea came from beckermiddleart.blogspot.com originally). The hands were colored with mixed-media (watercolor, oil pastels, etc.) and were layered on a bulletin board. The results were beautiful!

A Toilet

The question is inevitable in the art room... Why make art? What constitutes art? Does art have to be pretty? Is shock art considered art? Is a chair art? We discussed these questions after looking at various artworks, such as Duchamp's toilet (see below). Is this art? The students wrote about their views on art in their sketchbooks. The variations in the answers were intriguing!