- Definition
Performance art is when an artist creates a live experience, like a play or a dance, often to make people think or feel something.
An artist silently standing in a gallery for hours, inviting people to sit across from them, is a piece of performance art.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Performance art is like a play that doesn't follow a script and can happen anywhere, not just on a stage.
Ask your child: If you wanted to show an idea without using a script, what would you do?
Common mix-up: Many people think performance art is just another play. The key difference is that the artist's live actions and the audience's experience are the artwork itself.
Examples
- An artist creating a large sand painting in a public square, knowing the wind will eventually blow it away.
- A group of people staging a 'frozen' scene in a busy train station to surprise commuters.
performance art is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
