[Photo Source: “Fearless Girl” and “Charging Bull” statue in New York City. Photo by Anthony Quintano via Flickr; Visual Description: The photograph shows both statues in the frame, facing each other roughly 10-15 yards away.]

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• Consider the following

  • How might the​ meaning of the statues change now that you see them together?

  • How could it make a difference in the interpretation of the artwork if the statues were put there by different artists at different times?

  • What details are lost by only looking at the photos of the individual statues?

 

B: 20-30 Minute Lesson: Group Debate

 

Step 1. Read the following highlights from a news story or the full news story at PBS NewsHour article. 

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• The creator of the “Charging Bull” sculpture in New York City has formally asked Mayor Bill de Blasio to remove the “Fearless Girl” statue that was installed in the path of the bull on International Women’s Day in March.

• Sculptor Arturo Di Modica and his lawyers argue that the presence of “Fearless Girl” distorts “Charging Bull’s” integrity and intentions of American strength in response to the stock market crash of 1987. They also believe that it violates copyright law and serves as an advertisement for State Street Global Advisors, the index fund that commissioned it. A copy of the letter may be found HERE.

• Mayor de Blasio is in opposition to removing the statue, tweeting “Men who don’t like women taking up space are exactly why we need the Fearless Girl.” He has not commented on the accusations of law infringement.

• In a statement, State Street said that it is “grateful” for the support of the mayor and stands by its statue’s representation of “the power and potential of having more women in leadership.”

 

Step 2. Pair & Share: Split into groups of two and discuss the images and the article. Can you see both sides of the story? Are both sides represented in the photograph details and/or captions? Who do you agree with? Reflect and share your thoughts with the person sitting next to you. Discuss which side of the story you feel is most valid. 

 

Step 3. What can we learn from the image captions to better understand the  context of an image? Captions provide details regarding media images. Content such as the photographer, date, location and commentary provide detail regarding an image and give it context. Consider what details can be learned about the statues and why they may be in the news recently.

 

The caption on the Reuters’ website of Peter Morgan’s close-up photo of “Charging Bull” reads:

 

“The 7,000 pound statue called ‘Charging Bull,’ a reference to the ‘bulls’ or optimists on nearby Wall Street, as it appears on lower Broadway in New York April 7. [Stocks were lower at midday April 7 as investors shifted their focus to the prospect of disappointing first-quarter earnings, after propelling the Dow Jones industrial average to its first close above 9,000 on April 6.] The statue is by sculptor Arturo Di Modica. – REUTERS/Peter Morgan.”

 

The caption on the Reuters’ website of Shannon Stapleton’s close-up photo of “Fearless Girl” reads:

 

“The ‘Fearless Girl’ statue, a four-foot statue of a young girl, defiantly looks up the iconic Wall Street “Charging Bull” sculpture in New York City, on March 29, 2017. ‘Fearless Girl’ statue was installed in front of the bronze “Charging Bull” for International Women’s Day earlier this month to draw attention to the gender pay gap and lack of gender diversity on corporate boards in the financial sector. The statue will remain at her post until February 2018.”

 

Step 4. Combine each pair of students with another pair, designate a team A and a team B. Assign each team a side of the debate to defend, giving several minutes to come up with their research and/or defense of their point of view. Use an online timer to give each team two minutes to defend their point of view to the other team. After both teams have had the opportunity to defend their point of view, invite the opposing teams to state what they found most persuasive and create a list for each on the board or on Padlet to hold a larger group discussion about the topic.

 

Source: PBS News Hour: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons_plans/class-debate-artists-lock-horns-over-fearless-girl-and-charging-bull-sculptures/

 

C. 45-60 Minute Activity: Digital Image Debate: Divide the class/group into two groups. Assign each group one side (For or Against) of a controversial somewhat topic. Encourage them to look online for 3-4 images that reinforce their side of the argument. Use the website Debate Map to create a visual collaboration of their key information about their side of the topic, using the chosen images as visual proof, collecting data that coincides with the images they gathered. Include at least three definitive arguments that might be used to persuade others about this topic. After each group has created their map, share both maps with the everyone. Compare and contrast how each of the chosen images affect the direction of the debate map and explore opposing points of view.

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Images A: For / Pro