Portland Museum of Art Lesson
When I began my lesson with a group of middle schoolers at the Portland Museum of Art, I asked everyone to sit with me on the floor. This immediately changed the vibe from a formal experience to a more casual and comfortable one. I started by introducing myself and asked everyone to introduce themselves. This took up a few precious minutes in a very short lesson, but it was time well spent: being able to call my students by name is a priority, even for a one-time lesson like this one. We were instantly more connected, and the kids became engaged and enthusiastic in talking about NC Wyeth's Dark Harbor Fisherman. When it was time to physically recreate the painting for our activity lesson on viewpoint, they were game — except two 8th-grade girls who had not really engaged in any lessons that day. I made a quick decision to have them take the photos for us instead of being part of the recreation. I believe they appreciated their more adult role in the project. For our closing discussion, we sat together and looked at the photos we took of our active “mock painting” from different viewpoints, considering how the particular angle or distance changed the mood of the scene. The photo from the viewpoint of the fish was a particular favorite.
Institute of Contemporary Art
As part of my masters program, my co-teacher and I led high school students in Adventures in Art, an art-discovery and art-making project based on an exhibit on privacy and surveillance at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Our visit began by breaking the students into pairs and sending them into the exhibit to choose one piece together to write about and draw. Afterward, we all gathered in a circle to share our observations and learn more about the artworks and the artists who made them. The discussion was engaging and insightful — mostly because these were bright, thoughtful art students and partly because they had a chance to observe and reflect on their chosen piece before sharing with the group. The activity encouraged social interaction and active engagement in learning. After the circle discussion, the students participated in a “privacy take back” activity in which they sat alone and wrote something confidential, and then empowered themselves by redacting it with black tape to keep it safe.
