Modern Messages

After an overview of Islamic traditions and art, young artists create their own geometric shapes and patterns using only a straightedge and a compass.

Image field trips to museums that display over 1000 major works of western art. Imagine no airfare, no long lines, and only one admission fee. Imagine viewing at your convenience, with your own private docent providing information about...

What is going on here? The works of artist Edward Hopper invite viewers to image the story captured in his paintings. Introduce Hopper with an episode from the The School of Life playlist that focuses on the American realist.

From the Brooklyn Museum, this is the exhibit page for "Infinite Island (Contemporary Works of the Caribbean)", featuring selected images from the exhibit and an accompanying artist statement from the corresponding artist.

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...

What do Picasso, Matisse, and Gauguin have in common? They are all considered modern artists, a movement that began over 150 years ago. And despite the label, their work was influenced by artists much, much, older. Check out this video...

To prepare for a field trip to a local art museum, art class members journal their initial reactions to a reproduction of the work they will focus on during their visit. The whole class then considers the artistic elements in the piece...

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...

After looking into the life, art, and social contributions of artist Emory Douglas, learners analyze several social art pieces. They use Emory Douglas as an example of social art, then consider 10 other pieces. They write a paper...

What would it be like to restore modern works of art? By acting as modern art conservators, learners assess the first-hand difficulties faced in restoration efforts. In addition, they create modern art pieces from random materials. Then,...