Teaching Notes / Artists' Ideas, Materials, and Process

Works of visual art and design are ubiquitous in our lives--it is nearly impossible to go through a day without interacting with them. They can move, engage, and inspire us. The artists and designers in this lesson represent a broad range of time periods and cultures. They are creative problem solvers, inventors, and skilled technicians; they express the complexity of human experience in their times, communicate ideas, and challenge us to stretch our own views. This lesson offers students the opportunity to analyze, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate works of art and design within their social, cultural, and historical contexts.

Students will be encouraged to look closely at a single object or to compare works, to shift their attention from details to the whole, and to synthesize observations of the object with the broader context that produced it. The questions and activities prompt students to consider and ask thoughtful questions about making, use, and meaning in relation to the objects presented and those of students’ own contemporary worlds. Engaging with these objects will build students’ abilities to communicate about art and design; to reflect, analyze, and evaluate works; and to make connections between the visual arts and other disciplines.