ASU Art Museum
PRE-VISIT LESSONS

OBJECTIVE:

• To stimulate creative thinking and awareness in the visual arts


• To help foster a comfort level in students for discussing art and for visiting an art museum


• To guide students on how to create informed judgments about art (Art Criticism)

VOCABULARY:

• Art Elements: Line, Shape, Color and Texture.
• Composition: Balance, Space, Emphasis & Movement/Rhythm.
• Subject Matter: The idea behind the object. What the artwork is depicting.
• Media: What the objects are made of (paint, metal, clay).
• Found Object: Recycled materials that can be used to make artwork such as candy wrappers, wire, aluminum cans or even old appliances.
• Two-Dimensional: Objects that are flat or one-sided (drawings, paintings, prints).
• Three-Dimensional: Objects that take up space and have more than one side (sculptures).
• Experimental Art: New art forms that may involve computers and/or working with new formats such as performance art.
• Artist: A person who creates art.
• Docent: A person (usually a volunteer) who guides visitors through a museum.
• Curator: A person who selects artwork for display, studies the art maker and cares for the objects.
• Security Guard: A person who helps museum visitors and protects the artwork.
• Museum Educator: A person who creates lessons about artworks and hands-on art activities for students.
• Donor: A person or group who contributes art or money to an art museum.
• Gallery: A room where artworks are shown.

PREPARATION:
The following three-part lesson is all about inquiry, asking your students questions. It can make your actual museum visit much more enjoyable for you, your students and your docent guide if you prepare your students with hints on who they will encounter, museum manners and what kinds of questions they might be asked when they arrive at the museum. At least one week prior to your visit set aside approximately 30 to 45 minutes for this activity. This activity can be used as a whole or modified for your particular group.

ACTIVITY:
Part one - What is a museum?

1. Has anyone ever visited a museum before? Where? What did you see?


2. What is an art museum?
   An art museum is a place that collects artworks, cares for the artworks, exhibits the artwork for the public and teaches the community about those artworks, artists and ideas.
   
3. What kinds of things do you expect to see in a museum?
   Paintings, sculptures, crafts, mixed media, artists dealing with new technologies, etc.
   
4. Who works at an art museum? What do they do?
   Curators, educators, security officers, docents.

"Oh the things you will see
and the people you will meet."

"Touch with your eyes,
not your hands."

Part two - Museum Manners

1. Why do museums ask visitors not to touch the objects?
   To protect the artwork from damage so your children and grandchildren can enjoy them too. Art objects are more fragile than they appear. Objects can be damaged by the oil in our hands, by heavy light exposure or by careless handling.
   
2. Why should we try to be quiet and listen in museums?
   In general, we do not want to disturb other visitors or students visiting the museum. We also want to be able to hear what the docent guide and our fellow students have to say.


3. Why should we not run in museums?
   By walking slowly we will not accidentally damage an object or disturb or hurt other visitors.

Part three - Looking at Art (Four Easy Steps)
Select one artwork for your group to view and talk about during the following set of questions.

MATERIALS:
One original artwork or reproduction (poster, postcard, computer print).
Lots of enthusiasm.
A ton of imagination.

1) DESCRIBE
What objects or shapes do you see?
What is the artwork made of (metal, clay, paint, electronic equipment, found objects)?
Is the artwork two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D)?
What is happening? Does it remind you of anything?

2) OBSERVE
What kind of lines do you see (straight, curvy, thick, thin)?
What colors do you see? Are they warm or cool?
Can you see differences between light and dark areas?
What kind of shapes do you see? Are they geometric or organic?
Is the artwork balanced or not balanced?
Does the artwork show perspective (overlapping forms, atmosphere effects)?
Do objects, shapes or colors repeat?
Does the size of the artwork affect how you see it?

3) DISCOVER
How does the work make you feel?
Is there a story behind the artwork? (Is it real or made-up?)
If the people or objects could speak, what would they say?
What would you name this artwork?

4) APPRECIATE
Has the artist communicated their ideas to you?
What have you learned after viewing the artwork?
What do you like or dislike about the artwork?
Would you put this piece in your home? Why or why not?

EVALUATION
A good way to judge whether your students are ready for their museum visit is to consider these questions:
Do your students understand proper museum manners?
Do your students understand that their participation and input is encouraged?
Do your students understand they should discuss the questions asked about the artwork before they come to a decision?
Are your students more familiar with who and what they may encounter at the museum?

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