Discussion
Show students images of Janet Zweig’s, Your Voices and Jackie Chang’s In Other Words. Both of these works are interesting because they use language to evoke meaning. Discuss the art with students and why they think each artist choose the words that they did. How does the display of their work differ? What do students think the artists wanted them to think about? You can also look at other public art pieces by Janet Zweig on her website. Compare how she uses words in art to convey her artistic message. What impact do her pieces have on the viewer? Compare and contrast her public art installations.
Application
Word play. How can students get each other to consider or reconsider what a word might mean to them? Perhaps they would couple it with a visual image, or maybe they would emphasize different parts of the word. Could they get students to participate in their work somehow? Using vocabulary words, have students create visual displays and works of art that help other students consider the meaning of those words. Students could also choose an important current event and use language as a way to make reference to that event. Have students consider what type of responses they would like to evoke and what they would like other students to think about.