Package Focussing on Any Exhibition

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This package will provide several activities to direct observations of the exhibition while visiting the Gallery.

These are designed to engage the students by making statements about or responding to pieces of art.

During the visit, students with special interests could be invited to gather with someone like Mrs Gray for deeper discussion, thereby catering for individual differences and interests.

Teaching and Learning Activities for Any Exhibition

Please do not be offended by the detail as this is a guide to support a worthwhile visit by any teachers and children including those who are first-timers.

Tasks don’t have to be onerous to be effective. Use the Gallery as a wonderful resource to make life easier for yourself by crossing off Talking and Listening, Reading, Writing, Drama, as well as the Creative Arts outcomes.

Section One could be done on arrival at the Gallery or at school prior to the visit. When done at school, coupled with an outline of the likely activities, it may help to settle autism spectrum disorder students or the like who find new venues threatening.

Section Two could be done each visit.

Section Three has activities for Stage2, Stage 3 or both. We confident there’s at least one that fits your current needs.

All are written to be read by the students so can be copied for them.

Section One (6-8 minutes)

Some Things About Being at the Gallery

This Section One will probably only be used at the first visit but an opportunity to state what they remember of them would be worthwhile in a future pre-visit talk to re-establish culture and expectations without it appearing to be the usual “These are the rules:...............”

They are supplied on strips of light card in an envelope for groups of 2 or 3 students to place in what they believe is their order of importance or perhaps what they found most interesting. They should only need about 3 minutes.

Then take a couple of minutes to pair up with another group and compare lists. Classes with experience in cooperative learning could use a form of consensus to arrive at a combined list.

You could then take a hands-up tally of the top choice just for interest (and perhaps the bottom one).

The content of the cards is listed below. They have been cut into strips and stored in envelopes. They are available for when you arrive at the Gallery or can be posted directly to you on request.

Stage 2

o It’s not a church so you can talk to your friends about the things you see.

o It’s not a playground so you shouldn’t run around.

o Lots of the stuff is really expensive and fragile so you don’t touch it unless a sign says you can.

o Some of the artworks are worth more than a house.

o It costs you nothing to have a look.

o A child’s ideas about an artwork are just as important as the Prime Minister’s ideas.

Stage 3

· It’s not a church so you can talk to your friends about the things you see.

· It’s not a playground so you shouldn’t run around.

· Lots of the stuff is really expensive and fragile so you don’t touch it unless a sign says you can.

· The Gallery belongs to the Orange City Council so you, your family and friends actually own it.

· Some people who own artworks lend them to the Gallery for one exhibition or for years and years so everybody can see them. That’s pretty kind isn’t it?

· Some of the artworks are worth more than a house.

· It costs you nothing to have a look.

· Young and old people can all use to same exhibition.

· A child’s ideas about an artwork are just as important as the Prime Minister’s ideas.

· Some artists tell what they were trying to show in their work and sometimes we just have to guess.

Section Two (about 20 minutes)

Some General Activities Supporting the Observation of Artworks.

This activity could be used as a conclusion to the visit.

· There are lots of activities that need you to chat but this is a silent, individual activity.

Your teacher will give you time to wander around the exhibition.

While wandering find the artwork you like the most. Don’t let anyone else know.

When the teacher claps walk smoothly to stand at least one step away from your favourite piece in a line with others to make a sort of “person graph”. It doesn’t matter if you are alone. This shows that it is good for people to like different paintings. Your opinion is important!

· If you were an art thief, which piece would you steal?

Is there any information you need to make the best choice?

In the tasks below: Tell your friend which one you chose and why. The teacher will then ask for volunteers to report to the class about their friend’s choice and what they said.

· If you won a million dollars and wanted a painting for your home, which one would you choose, in which room would you hang it and why?

· If you won $5 million and wanted to buy an artwork for a much older relative or friend, which one would you choose and where do you think they would you hang it?

· If you were Mr Sisley, the Director of the Gallery, which artwork would you choose for the front of the booklet about this exhibition?

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Section Three (about 30 minutes)

Stage 2

Activities Supporting Close Observation of Artworks

Students should bring coloured pencils, a drawing pencil and eraser.

The teacher should bring about two A4 sheets each.

The Gallery will provide

a cardboard frame which is an A5 sheet with an 8cm by 5cm window cut into it,

a board to rest on

sheets of instructions as a reading exercise to support the verbal.

Activity

Write your name on the sheet of paper provided.

Choose a friend to work beside or you may choose to work alone.

Find an artwork you think is colourful and has bold lines in it. You know, a bit like a cartoon.

Draw a quick copy of it looking carefully at the shapes in the artwork. You can colour it if you like. I bet you do!

When the teacher tells you to stop, place your work on the floor below the artwork and walk around looking at everyone’s work.

Pick up your work and form a circle with at least 6 friends.

Hold your work in front of your chest so the others can see it.

Take turns to say something nice to one of the other children about their work, such as:

“Sarah, I really like the way you used bold colours.”

“Tom, I reckon that looks a lot like the real painting.”

“William, I wish mine was as good as yours.”

Section Three (about 30 minutes)

Stage 3

1. Pick a friend who will work in a different part of the room.

2. Move to a favourite artwork with clear line-work and bold colours.

3. Sit 2 metres away, hold up the A5 frame at arm’s length so that you can see a small part of the work through the hole.

4. Write your name neatly in the bottom right corner of your sheet.

5. Move the frame around until you find a section of it that you can “copy” by pencilling in the main lines and then adding the colours with your coloured pencils.

6. When your teacher tells you to stop, go to your friend who was working in a different area of the gallery. Say: “I found an artwork over there (pointing generally). This is a copy of a piece of it. See if you can find the bit I did and then I’ll find yours.”

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Section Three (about 30 minutes) A

Stage 2 or 3

Dividing the class into groups of 4, 5 or 6 so that they are not too crowded in front of the artwork chosen or nominated.

While perhaps doing this individually, they could share their ideas or efforts later:

Imagine you could be magically transported into the scene in the painting. What could you do when you got there and who else could you have found there to share the experience.

Either:

§ Have a quiet chat with a friend about what might happen.

§ Prepare a talk for a group about the experience.

§ Write a list of ideas.

§ Write a story but don’t worry too much about the spelling and sentences as long as you can read it to someone later.

§ Share these ideas with the group, another pair or a friend.

§ Nominate one from each artwork group to report to the whole class.

Section Three (about 30 minutes) B

Into groups of 4, 5 or 6 so that you are not too crowded in front of the artwork chose or nominated.

While perhaps doing this individually, you could share your ideas or efforts later:

There are a number of people in the picture.

Think about what they may be saying to one another or how they are feeling.

Either:

§ Have a quiet chat with a friend about what might happen.

§ Prepare a talk for a group about the experience.

§ Write a list of ideas.

§ Write a story but don’t worry too much about the spelling and sentences as long as you can read it to someone later.

§ Share these ideas with the group, another pair or a friend.

§ Nominate one from each artwork group to report to the whole class

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Section Three (about 30 minutes) C

The object in the picture or the 3D object was found somewhere and is an item in a mystery.

Consider some of these for your story/explanation.

Where was it found?

By whom?

How is/was it useful?

What can it do?

(Of course there are many more questions.)

On the sheet of paper provided please write

the orientation,

the complication

a sequence of what happens as a result of the problem

and arrive at a resolution.

When the teacher indicates that time is up, read what you have written to a friend and then just tell them what you would have added if you had been faster.

You then listen to theirs and be sure to tell them what you thought was their best idea.

Section Three (about 30 minutes) D

Below, create and decorate a birthday card to go with one of the artworks you have chosen as a gift. Include the words you would write in the card.

Please write ‘Front’, ‘Back’, ‘Inside’ in the margin around the frames below.

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Section Three (about 30 minutes) E

A teacher lead or group talk about the ways the artist has placed objects in the picture so that we know their position and size related to one another.

What is the real subject of the work?

Was this indicated by Position?

Size?

Colour?

Now wander around another room of the gallery and on the lines below list the name of a painting and the strategy the artist used to help us understand what the subject or the work was.

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