My Trip to the High Museum of Art

ART 3000

The High Museum of Art

1. Your favorite work of art. Why?

My favorite piece was in the Folk Art Gallery. I believe it was in the Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery. I loved Mattie Lou Kelley’s painting, the Yard Sale, 1979 and My Parents Farm, 1980. Both of these paintings were beautiful to me because they were bright and colorful and had a homey feeling to them. It was almost comforting to the eye and the soul.

2. A work of art that you liked but would not take home. Why?

I liked the Self-Portrait, 2005, by Vik Muniz in the Contemporary Gallery. I thought it was really cool how he made it from junk and trash and then put it together on the floor of an airplane hanger, so that tells how large it was. But it was a little too wild for me to want it in my house. I did enjoy looking at it though.

3. A work of art that taught you something that you did not know. Why?

I did not understand about the rhythm and movement within a painting until I saw this one particular painting in the Contemporary Gallery. It was called “The Great Pyramid”, 1980 by Alfred Jensen. It was really interesting to look at, because it looked like a huge quilt and it had little borders painted around each square that made your eyes move all across the painting. It was very interesting to look at and was very pretty with the use of bright colors an intricate pattern.

4. A work of art that felt sad to you. Why did it make you feel sad?

In the European Art, Marilyn and Don Keaugh Gallery, the painting by Eugene Carriere, “Untitled”, 1900. This painting was sad and gloomy. The trees were very ominous and the entire painting was just dark and drab. It felt lifeless.

5. A work of art that identifies a historic moment in time. When?

In the Contemporary Gallery, Kara Walker’s “The Emancipation Approximation” 1999-2000. It is a series of black, white and gray screen prints depicting this time in our nation. I was shocked in one of the photos, the heads are lying at the person’s feet!

6. A work of art that reminded you of something or someone in your life. Who?

In the American Art Gallery, Ralph Albert Blakelock’s “Moonlight” 1883-1889. This painting reminded me of the time I went night fishing with my dad because of how the water looked. It was very peaceful with the moon reflecting on the water.

7. A work of art that shocked you. Why?

In the Folk Art Gallery, Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery, the painting “The Flag Waver”, 1970. It was depicting racism and the man who was shouting obscenities had his head beheaded, which was shown by dripping red paint across his neck and chest. I don’t think everyone felt this way, so I was kind of shocked, really appalled by this painting. I have never felt racist like that before and it just a lot to look at.

8. Compare the contemporary gallery and the folk art gallery to everything else.

The contemporary gallery was very interesting. Not everything I saw I understood why it was called art. Not all of the pictures seemed to be what they really were at first glance. I liked to look at these works of art, but I would not want them in my house. They are a bit too bright and bold for my style. The folk art gallery I really enjoyed. It was very interesting to see all of the handmade items from people that seemed to do it just because they loved it. There were many carvings and paintings of home places and people. This gallery seemed to depict more of every day life things. There were many pieces of art that I would love to have hanging on my walls at home. I especially loved Mattie Lou O’Kelley’s works. The rest of the museum was nice. However to me, most of the paintings and sculptures were just interesting to see, but were not my taste. Some of the paintings were very large and eccentric to me.

9. What was your favorite gallery and why?

My favorite gallery as a whole actually was the Contemporary art Gallery. It was just very interesting to look at and many of the pieces were bright and fun. It was very open and to me it had a feeling of newness and airy.

10. Describe the part of your High Museum experience that was most meaningful to you. I think the part I enjoyed most was getting to go with my family, including my younger sister who is about to be in sixth grade. It was fun to see how she experienced the museum. I thought that she would be bored and uninterested in it all, but she was taken by it and wanted to look at everything. Plus, it was nice just to get to spend the day with them.

Paper Mache Cocoon

For our paper mache project about Eric Carles's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I made the cocoon. I used a balloon for the form and then covered the balloon, following the paper mache technique. Once it was dry, I painted it with three different shades of brown to give it depth.

Crocodile Puppet

For our puppet show, I made the crocodile puppet. I used an old boot sock and painted it green and then added white felt triangles for teeth and googly eyes.

My ABC Book

My ABC book is a realistic book about careers. I used real photos to show the different careers. I felt like students need to some realistic images as well, other than just clipart.

Paper Towel and Finger Paint Technique

To paint my picture without using a paintbrush, I used my finger for painting the grass an a paper towel for painting the sky. I really like the depth that each technique gave to my painting.

Zoo Activity Book

WHO AM I?

ZOO MAMMALS SCAVENGER HUNT

I am a mammal.

I spend up to 16 hours a day eating bamboo stalks.

I am an endangered animal from China.

I prefer to live alone, only being around others sometimes.

I have black and white fur.

WHO AM I?

I am a mammal.

I am a carnivore (meat eater).

I spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping.

I am from Africa.

I have a yellow coat (fur).

WHO AM I?

I am a mammal.

I am a carnivore (meat eater).

I am from Africa. I have a yellow coat with black spots.

I can run fastest of all animals!

WHO AM I?

I am a mammal.

I am an herbivore (plant eater).

I am from Africa.

I have black and white stripes.

WHO AM I?

I am the largest land mammal.

I am from Africa.

I can eat over three hundred pounds of food a day!

I am an herbivore (plant eater).

I am gray and have a long trunk (nose).

WHO AM I?

I am the tallest land mammal.

I am from Africa.

I am an herbivore (plant eater).

I can hear and smell very well, which I use to protect myself.

I have a very long neck.

I am light brown with dark brown splotches.

WHO AM I?

I am a small mammal.

I am from Africa.

I eat insects, small reptiles, and plants.

I sleep underground in a burrow (hole).

I can see, hear, and smell very well, which I use to protect myself and alert my family of danger.

I have silver-brown hair and a white face.

WHO AM I?

At the Zoo

(Answer ID # 0188038)

Find each of the following words.

ZOO KEEPER REPTILE GIRAFFE MAMMAL PANDA

FLAMINGO TURTLE LION ELEPHANT ZEBRA

TIGER SNAKE CHEETAH MONKEY MEERKAT

GORILLA LEMUR

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DRAW YOUR ANIMAL AND ITS HABITAT HERE:















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Using Art to Teach the Basics in Elementary School

Teaching Basics Through the Arts

by Mona Brookes

There was a moment when I thought I would see the extinction of the arts in our education system. I heard the cry for huge budget cuts that resulted in canceled art classes. I was surprised to learn how much parents cared about those cuts as they flocked to private art programs and developed after- school enrichment programs. School districts that wanted their teachers trained in how to integrate the arts into their teaching methods began to have trouble finding the funding.

Then a wondrous thing happened. Elementary teachers began to sign up for supplemental training on their own. I saw them purchasing resource materials and educating themselves on how to understand multiple intelligence theory and integrated curriculum concepts. Their dedication astounded me. They said they felt that eliminating the arts was a mistake. They talked about how children learn in various ways and how academics were suffering from the loss of the arts. They made me understand the role of the arts in basic education. They expanded my focus from realistic drawing instruction to an entire curriculum that uses drawing to teach academic subject matter.

As an artist and the founder of the Monart drawing schools, I simply wanted to help children draw for enjoyment. Symbolic stick figure drawing came naturally to all my students, but realistic drawing did not. It seemed apparent that they needed instruction to achieve realism, just as they did to learn music, dance, creative writing, and endless other artistic endeavors. As a result, I had to develop a structured curriculum that taught enough basics for success and enough freedom for creative expression. It was a delight to find that the structured lessons did not interfere with the symbolic drawings they did on their own. I would never have guessed that the structured method would also lead to helping students in their other subjects. Hundreds of teachers, from all over the country, taught me the connection. Their stories were too consistent to ignore.

Teachers who taught reading reported that children who learned to draw and see through my visual alphabet had dramatic increases in letter recognition and reading readiness. These teachers noticed that the motivation to read expanded when the children drew the characters and subjects from their books. Drawing the content of science, geography, and social studies lessons resulted in noticeable differences in speed of learning and retention. When teachers used the abstract design lessons to teach math concepts, they witnessed children break through conceptual blocks with ease while having fun.

Teachers observed that students who had attention problems could learn through drawing to stay on track for unbelievable lengths of time. In order to achieve realistic drawings the students automatically learned to focus, concentrate, and problem solve. With motivation at its peak, teachers witnessed peak learning of course content. After a year of using the program, school districts began reporting as much as 20 percent increases in reading, writing, and math scores. I watched the same phenomena occur when teachers integrated music, movement, visual games, journal writing, and other artistic fields of study into their lessons.

The arts are coming back, stronger than ever, whether they get funded or not. In the last ten years I have watched the awareness and implementation of the arts increase dramatically. At a time when art budgets are still threadbare, teachers have educated themselves in how to use the arts as one of the most powerful teaching tools they have. The reason the shift is taking place is because it works.

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About the Author

Mona Brookes is the author of Drawing with Children and Drawing for Older Children and Teens. She is also the founder of Monart Drawing Schools.

You can reach her at:
Monart
P O Box 1630
Ojai, CA 93024
(805) 640-0929
FAX (805) 640-0859

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Copyright © 1997 New Horizons for Learning, all rights reserved.
http://www.newhorizons.org
E-mail: info@newhorizons.org

Women in Art

Art Resources

Click here to go to this great site for elementary teachers who are in need of art resources. Gives many places to go for ideas!

Art Survival Tips for the Elementary Classroom

1. Put newspapers under easels to catch paint drips. Then, at the end of each session, bundle up the paper with paint drips and throw it away. Replace paper immediately, so it's there when you need it.

2. Wash easel brushes every other day. Then thoroughly wash brushes on Friday, and line them up on the counter to dry over the weekend.

3. Cover paint containers at the easel at day's end to keep paint from getting too thick. (Some paint comes in plastic containers with covers.)

4. Use men's old, cotton, long-sleeved shirts for smocks. Roll up or cut off the sleeves so the children's arms are covered. Have children put them on backwards to cover their entire front. A friend can button the top two buttons for them. (Teach children to help each other with the buttoning.)

5. Have left-handed scissors for those with left-hand preference.

6. Keep a box for paper scraps. It can be covered with construction paper scraps and labeled “Art Scrap Box.” Rather than throwing paper away, use it for projects (for details when making construction paper puppets, for projects, and so on).

7. When the scrap box is overflowing, have each student take a handful and use it to make a three-dimensional scrap design on a 9” x 12” piece of construction paper. Another idea for an overflowing scrap box is to have students make paper mosaics. They can tear pieces of paper no larger than their thumbnail and outline an object (e.g., dog, TV set, or flower). Some children may have time to fill it in with more torn paper. Remind them to keep gluing as they go along, and not to wait until the end.

8. When plastic glue tops won't budge, soak them overnight in warm water.

9. Foster respect for tools and regard for everyone's safety: only the teacher should handle the paper cutter.

10. When demonstrating how to draw something, take your model and put it out of sight – otherwise, children will try to make theirs look just like yours.

11. When making colored chalk drawings, use a sponge to wet the paper first. This eliminates a lot of chalk dust and mess. The teacher can keep circulating around the room to keep wetting the paper. The results will resemble a painting.

12. Decide ahead of time where you want children to store their art work because it may be wet when they finish. Some suggested places are the countertop or on the floor along the edge of the wall.

13. Continually look in teacher magazines for new art ideas.

14. Don't ever try anything for the first time with the students without having tried it yourself; otherwise, you can't help them.

15. When backgrounds present a problem for new painters, try having them paint the background first. Then, the next day, when the background is dry, students can paint objects over the background.

16. When painting a mural, have students draw their object on with chalk (not pencil) before they paint it. Chalk allows them more freedom.

17. Elementary students draw what they know. For example, if a car has four wheels, they will put four wheels on their drawing even though it may look as if two of them are sticking out of the roof. This is a normal stage of art development, and it's charming, so enjoy it while it lasts.

18. If a child seems to be stuck drawing the same thing over and over and over again, try a different medium, such as clay, so the child can model it and rethink the shape.

19. NEVER ask, “What is it?” Instead say, “Tell me something about your painting,” or “Hmmm, that's an interesting shape,” or “That's a pretty shade of purple, isn't it?”

20. Foster the exuberance of art expression from the children, nurture their attempts, and display their art.

Excerpted from Kindergarten Teacher's Survival Guide.

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/visual-arts/teaching-methods/6762.html

5 Artists to Use in the Classroom...

1. Pablo Picasso- he is Spanish sculptor and painter. He went through many different periods as an artist. For example, he went through the Cubist period and the Rose period.

2. Vincent van Gogh- he is a Dutch painter. His paintings are well known for their vibrant use of color and vivid brush strokes.

3. Jacob Lawrence- he was born right here in the United States. He is well known for him Migration series in which many many African Americans migrated north from the south.

4. Frida Kaho- she was born in Mexcio and grew up during the Mexcian American war. She had many trials in her life and many of those trials come out within her paintings which are full of emotion.

5. Leonardo da Vinci- he was born in Italy and grew up during the Renaissance period. He was a master of both the arts and the sciences.

Chapter 11 & 26 Quizzes

Chapter 11 Quiz

Chapter 11 Quiz

Art & The Performing Arts

1. What are two reasons children relate to the arts as media for expression?

1. for dance and drama
2. for verbal skills and test practice
3. for expression and communication
4. for reading and writing

2. True/False

Each art form has its own symbol system, grammar, and syntax with which children can express themselves and their understandings of the world.

3. Some modes of expression studied in music include: ______________, chanting, singing, playing, improvising, moving to music, and symbolizing through music.

4. The three domains that dance occur in are; composing, ______________, and appreciating.

5. True/ False

When students make drawings about a story or play, do not urge them to incorporate these concepts in their representations; silence, darkness, light, time, surprise relationships, character, style, variation, pace, rhythm, space, movement, mood, symbol, and meaning.

6. Visual and performing arts can be integrated into each of Howard Gardner’s eight multiple intelligences.

7. True/ False

The visual arts deal with form and images and use vision and tactile sensory systems.

8. One easy way to integrate art and music is to have children _________ to music of very differing tempos and tone colors.

Chapter 26 Quiz

Chapter 26 Quiz

Paper Projects in Two Dimensions

1. The term collage is derived from the ________ term coller which means “to stick or to adhere.”
1. German
2. English
3. French
4. Spanish

2. True/False

Small details should be glued to the larger pieces of material before pasting to the background.

3. Encourage the use of __________ balance when students are making a collage.

4. To emphasize certain parts of your collage, add eye catching materials such as _________ and _________.

5. True/False

The colored pieces of material in a mosaic are called tesserae.

6. Mosaics help teach that ______ are made of _______.

7. True/False

The tesserae should touch or overlap each other in order to achieve the mosaic effect.

8. True/False

It makes no difference in the quality of the mosaic if you begin putting pieces of material in the middle of a design, in the corner of a design or on the edge of a design.

Chapter 11 & 26 Chapter Presentation

Chapter 11: Art and Performing Arts

The Arts
Children use the arts as a way to express themselves and communicate.
The various art forms each have their own symbol system, grammar, and syntax.
The various elements that make up the performing arts are music, dance, and drama.
Music
Children express themselves through music by listening, chanting, singing, playing, improvising, dancing and symbolizing.
Integrate art and music by having students paint to different types of music with different rhythms.
Dance
Children learn about elements of dance by composing, performing, and learning to appreciate dance.
The elements of dance to remember are space, time, effort, abstraction, representation, alignment, and axial movement.
Drama
There are many elements of drama that children need to be taught. For example, sound, lighting, character, and style.
Students should be encouraged to incorporate some of these elements into their art work to make it more exciting.
Integrating Art
It is important to allow students to work in groups with others that share the same strengths, according to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and Performing Arts.
Incorporating art into the curriculum makes learning even more of a positive learning experience by adding value to the lessons and making material more fun to learn.

Chapter 26: Paper Projects in 2-D

Collage
Collage is a popular art form.
It is derived from the French term coller, which means “to stick or adhere.”

Things to remember when making a collage…
Arrange your larger pieces of material first.
Add small details to larger pieces.
Use shiny materials to emphasize certain areas.
Make patterns using uneven repetition to unify the piece.
Focus on asymmetrical balance.
Mosaics
The pieces of a mosaic are called tesserae.
Small pieces of material are pasted together to form one whole work of art.
Things to remember when making a mosaic…
First, sketch the design.
Next, it is important to begin pasting the tesserae on the outer edge of the design and work inward.
Pieces should not touch or overlap.
Use contrasting colors, as well as different shades to add emphasis.

Reading/Writing/Art Lesson

Title of Lesson: Monsters Love Adjectives

Grade Level: 1st

Class Time: 30-45 minutes

Concept/s: Students will be introduced to the elements of art; line, shape, form, color, and texture.

Objective/s: The students in this first grade class will create a monster using ideas from the story and various art supplies and will then write at least four sentences describing their monster using adjectives with 90% accuracy.

Motivation: “What is an adjective?” (a describing word) “Why are adjectives important?” (they make our writing more interesting)

Vocabulary: element, line, shape, form, color, texture, adjective

Instructional Strategies: We will first ask the students “what is an adjective?” and “why are adjectives important?” and then show the example of the paper plate monster and have them describe it. After going over the examples, we will read the book and have the students play Thumbs Up, raising their thumbs every time they hear an adjective in the story. After the story is read, the students will take their baggie of art materials and make their own paper plate monster. The students will then write at least four sentences describing their own monster using adjectives. Once everyone has their monster created and their short story written, they can share their monsters with the class.

Modifications: Have students work with a partner or give teacher assistance with writing story.

Assessment: Student writing will be assessed for use and understanding of adjectives to describe their monster.

Materials/Supplies: the book, “Go Away, Big Green Monster!” as well as white paper plates, colored tissue paper, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, feathers, colored pasta, yarn, confetti, cotton swabs, and googly eyes

Resources: “Go Away, Big Green Monster!”

Closing Statement: In first grade, students begin learning about grammar, one part being adjectives. This lesson incorporates reading, writing, learning about adjectives, and the elements of art. The book, “Go Away, Big Green Monster!” uses many adjectives to describe the monster which is built page by page.

Zoo Lesson

Lesson Plan for Field Trip to the Zoo

Title of Lesson: Animal Habitats

Grade Level: 3rd

Class Time: 2-3 days

Concept/s: Students will be introduced to the principles of art; emphasis, balance, harmony, variety, movement, rhythm, proportion, and unity.

Objective/s: The students in this first grade class will create a diorama of their favorite animal from the zoo and show its habitat with 90% accuracy.

Motivation: Show pictures from the class trip to the zoo.

Vocabulary: principle, emphasis, balance, harmony, variety, movement, rhythm, proportion, unity, habitat

Instructional Strategies: Before going on our trip to the zoo, we had been studying animals and their habitats. In groups of two, students chose an animal they wanted to learn about and then researched it such as its habitat in the wild. The students’ assignment was to look for that animal at the zoo and help their chaperone write down things they noticed about their animal, such as what it was fed and where it lived at the zoo (its habitat). The day after our trip to the zoo, we will review what we have learned about animals and their habitats over the past few weeks and then we will discuss what we saw on our trip to the zoo. Students will have the opportunity to share with the class about their animal. Next the students will begin working on their diorama (note asking for materials will be sent home in prior weeks to give time to gather shoe box and other items). Even though students worked in pairs to research their animal, they will each make their own diorama to show what they have learned. Their diorama should show their animal (made from clay) and its habitat. Students will then write a couple of paragraphs about their animal and its habitat and tell about any differences they saw in their habitat at the zoo from what they learned about their habitat in the wild.

Modifications: Have students work with a partner or give teacher assistance with writing story.

Assessment: Student’s diorama will be assessed with a rubric on use of art principles as well as creativity and accuracy of creating animal’s habitat based on their research. Student’s paragraph will also be assessed with a rubric based on research, grammar, and observations of their animal at the zoo.

Materials/Supplies: shoe boxes, clay, variety of other art materials

Resources: internet access, trip to the zoo

Closing Statement: Students will learn about the principles of art as well as have a chance to be creative and have fun while getting a better understanding of animals and their habitats.