English for Art & Design

English for Art and Design resources page

If you find the copyright-protected samples below helpful and are a teacher / program administrator, do feel free to contact info [at] artdesigncafe.com. This work was the starting point of the international art, design and business work featured and mentioned on this website. The site owner considers himself to still be an English for Specific Purposes teacher of sorts, on a far too long research sabbatical focused on text analysis and varied socio-cultural processes, and longs for the day to return to the practical teaching, remotely, of English for Specific Purposes. See About page.



A. Exercises for students (B. For teachers, below)

The following are links to exercises with the following topics. Teachers that have created English for Art and Design classroom materials are welcome to contact us to inquire about publishing them on artdesigncafe.com.

1. Getting started
a. Basic information
b. Describing subject matter
c. What kind of art is this?

2. Visual elements
a. Line
b. Shape and mass

c. Depth

3. Principles of design
a. Focal point and emphasis

4. Authentic Readings: Comprehension
a. Comprehension and Discussion: Yoshiko Shimada at John Batten Gallery press release (1997/2012)
b. Comprehension and Writing: Muhanned Cader artist voice (1997/2012)
c. Comprehension: Art Lodging in Germany (1997/2012)
d. Comprehension, Discussion and Writing: Review of Yoko Terauchi art show (1997/2012)

5. Art / Design Language Projects

a. Classroom to apartment project (1997) (Scroll down to this section)
b. Hotel room project (1998) (Scroll down to appendix)
c. Red Pepper Club Project (1998) (Scroll down to appendix)
d. Surrealistic Theme Park Ride Project (1996/2012)

6. For studio art and design students
a. Art / Design Studio Project Questions (1996/2012)



B. For teachers

1. Teaching activities:

a. English for art and design: Artist / designer catalogue (1998) (teaching activity)
b. English for art & design: Exhibition trip (1998) (teaching activity)
c. English for art and design: Hotel room project (1998) (teaching activity)
d. English for art & design: Introductory research & making a bibliography (1998) (teaching activity)
e. English for art and design: Red Pepper Club Project (1998) (teaching activity)

2. Articles and Presentations:

a. Art / architecture ESL tours: Creating a Culturally Rich Study Abroad Environment for ESL Learners (presented paper)
b. Art English (1994) and Art English (1994b) (descriptions of organising a content-based / ESP visual art elective in an intensive English language program)
c. Content teachers & CBI/ESP courses: Problems & implications (1995)
d. EFL / ESL art & architecture study opportunities at Temple University (1995)
e. EFL / ESL art, design, architecture study tours (1996/97)
f. English for Art & Design: Art history precourse (1993)
g. English for Art & Design: Collaborative design projects (1997)
h. English for Art & Design: Suggestions for an independent study (1996) (presentation)
i. English for Art Purposes: Interview with Kate Griffeath (2008) (article regarding programming and school with 2000 English for Art Purposes students)
j. ESL collaborative "day trip" materials: How not to reinvent the wheel (1995) (announcement for presentation)
k. ESL / EFL visual arts student guide - IELP (1995) (guide to programming and opportunities)
l. Philadelphia Museum of Art ESL activity (1995) (teacher and student editions)

3. Critical media/text analysis:

a. The Problematic Discourse on ’Philippe Starck’s’ Delano Hotel (1999)
b. Philippe Starck books: Publicity saturation overload (1999)
c. Tracey Emin: Artist over— and in— the broadsheets (2001)
d. Why I love Damien Hirst’s skull (2008)
e. Graphic: Reader examining one writing on art and design (critical media analysis)