Art Project; The Amazing World of the Renaissance |
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Susan Walters
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| INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER | STUDENT DIRECTIONS | ||||
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Information for the teacher After we had studied Renaissance art it seemed to be time for a break and something fun for the students to create, so we had them prepare a “borrowed” collection for the class museum. The directions are pretty straightforward. I gave the students two class periods (of an hour each) to work on this project in class, and it took one class period for the guided tours of the collections. To make this more of an event, we celebrated our gallery openings with sparkling cider and small cookies. If you don’t mind, the quirky themes are the most fun and the students can get a lot of mileage out of them. Our Gentileschi group picked “savage women” as their theme. The funniest item of theirs was the Artemesia cutlery set in their gift shop. Each handle was engraved with the word Artemesia, and the knives were guaranteed to cut through even the grisliest substances. The students absolutely loved doing this and really got into all of the creative parts of the assignment. We received some amazing frames and brochures as well. You do need access to a computer lab, however, to make this work.
This project has several components, all of which must be completed. You will be working in groups of 3.
STEP 1: Get in your work group and select an artist. Some of the choices are: VanEyck Bosch Durer Holbein Bruegel daVinci Raphael Michelangelo Titian Giorgione ElGreco Masaccio Gentileschi Piero Boticelli You may choose any artist/sculptor we studied in class.
STEP 2: Find your artist on line and look at as many of his/her works as you can find. Two good sites are Artchive and Olga’s Gallery; another good option is to look up the artist’s name and/or specific works if you know them. While you are looking at these paintings, try to look for themes or recurring elements in them. (example: beautiful blondes in Boticelli)
STEP 3: Choose your theme and then any five works of your artist that you feel best represent it. Try to have fun with your theme—no stuffed shirts here, unless that’s your theme! You need to print full-page copies of each of the paintings or sculptures you select. If possible, print them at home so you have color pictures. You also will need one or two small prints of your paintings.
STEP 4: Once you have your paintings, you need to frame them. This is important because a frame often reflects the content of the painting. Some frames are ornate while others are extremely simple. Get a piece of poster board and cut a frame for each picture. Design and color it and then mat (tape) the picture inside it.
STEP 5: Write display cards for each painting. The card should say: Artist, both first and last names Name of painting Date of painting Size of painting Museum from which you have “borrowed” the painting
STEP 6: Create a brochure for your “exhibit”. Title the exhibit. Be sure you have information about all of the paintings in this brochure, as well as mini-photos. For each painting you also should have anecdotal information including how the work fits your theme, what the viewer should note, and what museum you’ve borrowed the work from.
STEP 7: Stock the gift shop. Design a few gift products which reflect the display and which will be (for sure) big moneymakers in the gift shop. A few suggestions might be key chain, mug, note pad, stationery, etc.
STEP 8: Prepare your exhibit. Find an area of the classroom in which you can hang your works. Prepare to “guide” your visitors through the display as your museum docent, and show the class your exciting gift collection as well. |
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