Curated OER
Quick Button Art
Here is another in this fabulous series of art lessons I've been reviewing! Artists of all ages design a wearable piece of artwork using special buttons that have a clear, removable top to them. All sorts of creative ideas are presented...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Painted Story Quilt
Creating story quilts is a great way to combine art, social studies and literature. Kids select a story, a published one or one of their own, to illustrate, paint on a canvas square, embellish, and mount on a felt backing.
Curated OER
Visual Art: Mola Designs
Students create replicas of mola art , a fabric applique process of the Kuna Indians. After discovering Mola designs include the natural world, dreams, geometric shapes, imaginary monsters, and contemporary images, they design their...
Creative Visions Foundation
Creating Your Own Original Interpretation of the UDHR
How can visual aids enhance understanding of a complex topic? With the third of four lessons from the Introduction to the Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) set, scholars view illustrations online from the book We Are All Born Free and...
TED-Ed
A Brief History of Religion in Art
Did you know that some languages have no word for art? The English language does and the narrator of this short video discusses the aesthetic dimension of religious art as it "visually communicates meaning beyond language."
Curated OER
Creating Cast Paper Sculptures
Cast paper sculptures have been around since the time of Ancient China. Young artists learn about history through this art form and how it has evolved throughout the years, and then make a mold and cast paper sculpture of their own. This...
Curated OER
Repeat After Me: Repetition in the Visual Arts
High schoolers identify repetition in the composition of a variety of art works, and how it is used to create a unified composition. They discuss compositional structure of a painting.
Curated OER
Art: Faith Ringgold Story Quilts
Twelfth graders examine the impact of African American culture on the United States by inspecting Faith Ringgold's story quilts. Working in groups, they create a collective story quilt about current cultural issues. They research their...
Curated OER
Visual Arts: Symbols That Stand for You!
Students explore symbols and what they represent. In this visual art lesson, students collect various symbols and discuss what they represent. Students create and discuss personal symbols which represent themselves.
Curated OER
Visual Arts- 3D Self-Sculpture
Students construct three dimensional self-portraits. In this visual arts lesson, students use clay to create a self-portrait. Students make the clay and discuss their self-portrait.
Curated OER
Artists Teach Us to See the World through Visual Symbols
Tenth graders analyze a biographical piece of art by Raymond Saunders. They identify shapes, symbols, and lines that are used, and how the piece relates to the artist's life and modern society. They design and create an original piece of...
Curated OER
How and Why to Look at Abstract Painting - Activity 1
Students create abstract art using acrylic paints and canvas in this lesson provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The lesson includes information on abstract art and video links.
Curated OER
Looking at Portraits: Literary Monuments
Examine artwork, research literature, and create art pieces for a monument to a literary figure. Young scholars analyze the sculpture Model for a Monument to Alexandre Dumas père and compare it to other well-known monuments. They...
Curated OER
Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...
Curated OER
"Shadow Art"
Now here is an art project I would totally enjoy. It includes the use of two very inexpensive materials, shadows and junk! The class uses collected junk and a light source to create a positive space image and its shadow. They will...
Curated OER
This Ain't No Tea Party!
Create food-safe bowls with your class, then organize a meal for the community using the class's bowls to serve. This lesson is based on the Empty Bowels Project, where school kids gain an understanding of global hunger through community...
Curated OER
Visual Art: Houses of Power
Learners discover the influence of classic architectural styles on government buildings. To begin, they research the classical period of architecture in Greece and Rome. Once they feel confident, students use modeling clay to create bas...
Curated OER
Create a Flock of Birds One Pinch at a Time
Students create Mexican Pottery Clay project. In this natural history/art lesson students construct their own clay bird. Students make connections between visual arts and reading to follow directions. Students also reflect on the...
Curated OER
Double Consciousness: Black Conceptual Art Since 1970
Students discuss the act of selection as a central component in contemporary art making in this visual art lesson ideal for the high school or junior high classroom. Emphasis is placed on the artwork of Duchamp and contemporary artists.
Curated OER
Pop Art Pins & Magnets
Students examine cereal and snack boxes and then create magnets and/or pins using the Pop Art demonstrated in these pieces. This multi-level lesson emphasizes the differences between commercial art examples and fine art examples.
Dick Blick Art Materials
No-Blender Pulp Painting
Like finger painting, this project is very tactile. Kids tear tissue paper into small pieces, add water, and mix up a pulp that can be pressed onto a canvas to create a colorful, textured painting.
Dick Blick Art Materials
Simple Suminagashi
Go ahead. Spill the ink! Combine the study of art, social studies, and science with a Suminagashi (spilled ink) activity that produces "unique and unreproducible" works of art.
Dick Blick Art Materials
Stitch It Up!
Ever think about combining the art forms of painting and embroidery? Then this art instructional activity is right up your alley! Given a piece of white cloth, young artists first create a grayscale painting and then highlight certain...
Curated OER
Visual Art and Music
Students examine how pop art compliments music. In this arts lesson, students explore the elements of pop art and replicate those elements in their own piece of art.