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Lesson Plan
Brookly Museum

Mickalene Thomas: Origin of the Universe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Modern art is great to experience because it brings contemporary issues into everyday conversation. Upper graders consider the work of Mickalene Thomas, an artist that uses photo collage techniques to capture the beauty of African...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Nikhil Chopra: Performing Memory

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Film imitates life; that's what they say. Using performance theory to tie the lesson together, learners attempt to understand memory and daily rituals as seen in art, film, and life. They read two chapters from the book, watch the...
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Lesson Plan
Denver Art Museum

So Much to See, So Little Time

For Teachers K - 5th
How do humans and animals impact the environment? What is land division? Youngsters tape off a 12x12 inch square in an outdoor natural space. They sketch everything they see, then compare their drawings as a class. They will then be...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: Pictures of Rock Stars: The Imagined

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Youth, fame, and beauty are marks of modern society. Artist Elizabeth Peyton has captured all three in her series of imagined rock star portraits. The class analyzes her use of technique, emotion, and imagination in each of six pieces,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Breaking the Rules

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Breaking the rules isn't always a bad thing, sometimes it pushes the boundaries of the imagination. Young art enthusiasts examine the Kevin Red Star piece, Knows Her Medicine Crow Indian. They analyze how the artist broke rules during...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Paul Chan: Alternumeric Fonts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learning to analyze language, symbols, and codes is part of becoming a deep and critical thinker. Young analysts consider their ability to see hidden messages as they analyze the work of Paul Chan. There are two fully developed...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Younger Than Jesus: Understanding, Looking at, Making Abstract Art

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Before the class makes abstract art, they see contemporary examples and analyze them. They look at art made by abstract artists under the age of 33 then use similar techniques to create an interesting collection of their own. The lesson...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Lesson: Skin Fruit: Ideas of Empathy in Janine Antoni's Work

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Kids get artistic as they explore the impact of art materials, sculpture, and performance. They discuss the work of Janine Antoni and then create a performance piece that reflects social or global issues they feel strongly about. The end...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Mathias Poledna: Crystal Palace

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion of...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Public Art as a Form of Participation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
David Binnington's mural commemorating the 1936 Battle of Cable Street is the focus of a instructional activity that looks at public art as a form of civic participation. After reading background material about the mural, individuals...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Urs Fischer: Controlling our Logic, Metaphors, and Semantics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Kids use poetry and contemporary art to start thinking about logic and personal expression. They read Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphor," and critically examine the art of Urs Fischer. After working though a few logic problems they write...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Contemporary Tribal Designs

For Teachers K - 5th
There is a lot to be learned from a horse. Kids analyze a contemporary tribal design found on a large installation piece. Then they create tribal designs of their own that show similarities and difference between cultures and time...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Paul Chan: "Score for the 7th Light"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Music, art, and poetry coalesce in a single exhibition, and in a single lesson. Critical thinkers analyze the Fluxus art movement as it's seen in the work of Paul Chan's 7 Lights. They consider the use of poetry and music in his work,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Urs Fischer: Reviving the Past Art Movements

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Seven major abstract art movements are analyzed by learners in groups. Each group analyzes various works by determining which work belongs to which movement. They then read Flatland, engage in an art and literary analysis discussion,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Mary Heilmann: To Be Someone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Kids consider the pure abstraction and minimalism found in Mary Heilmann's work. They analyze several of her pieces through critical discussion and then think about her use of a song title as the title of her exhibit. Learners then use a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: Artist's Community: The Real

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What is real or imagined? The lines of beauty reality, and imagination are blurred in Elizabeth Peyton's portraits of her community. Learners analyze her use of artistic technique in conveying real and imagined communities. They then use...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: After Nature: Visions and Visionaries

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Build visual literacy, discussion, and critical thinking skills with an innovative art lesson. Young analysts discuss the use of decalcomania, surrealism, and automatism in various contemporary pieces, discuss constructed truth, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: Pictures of Royalty: The Imagined

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Elizabeth Peyton is an artist who creates images of people (often famous) that she doesn't personally know. These images become part of her imagined community. Learners analyze her work, her community of imagined friends, and then create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: The Self in the Other's Image: Portraiture and Identity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Art, identity, and an imaginary community, three components that should make for an interesting lesson. Critical thinkers explore and evaluate the work of contemporary artist, Elizabeth Peyton. They discuss her use of subject and art to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whose Afraid of Contemporary Art?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Have your class create original modern art sculptures. Learners analyze and discuss "The Profile," a sculpture by Martin Puryear. They work in teams to develop a proposal for a large outdoor sculpture in the community. Presentations...
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Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Reinventing the World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After examining and discussing Guy Ben-Ner's Treehouse Kit, a contemporary art installation with a sculptural and video element, small groups work together to create short silent films. The films should be built around a particular topic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Just Not Art

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine multiple styles of artwork that have earned awards.  In this art lesson plan, students discuss the definition of contemporary art then compare how artwork has changed over the years.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Self Portrait Jars: Labeling Ourselves

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders create an alternative self-portrait. In this art lesson plan students study the artwork of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Students use her work as inspiration for a self-portrait in a jar form.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Contemporizing Myths

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars examine ancient Greek myths and illustrate origin myths scenes in a contemporary setting. In this Greek myth lesson, students analyze Rembrandt’s painting The Abduction of Europa and discuss how the artist took an ancient...