To engage students in understanding the artwork, practice “reading” a work of art. Use several of the objects from the exhibit and project them one at a time so that everyone can look at the same image at the same time. Use some of the questions below to lead your discussion. You could do this as a pre-visit activity before your trip to the museum or as an activity to begin a unit using the images and activities on the website. If you use it as a pre-visit activity, be sure to have the students compare their observations of the object’s image with their observation of the actual object. If you use it as part of a web-based unit on the exhibit, have students record their thoughts based on visual observation. Then share information about each piece and ask if the added information changes their perception or reaction to the artwork.

Observation
What lines do you see?
• Are they straight, diagonal, or curvy?
What colors do you see?
• Are they warm, cool or neutral? Are they bright or muted?
What type of shapes and forms do you see?
What textures do you see?
What size do you think this artwork is?
What materials do you think the artist has used?

Analytical
How has the artist balanced the work? (Have students explain symmetry, asymmetry, or radial.)
Do you see strong contrasts in this work? Where?
Does the piece seem to have a focal point? What is it?

Interpretative
What would be a good name for this piece? Why?
How would you describe the purpose of this piece?
What meaning does the artwork communicate to you?

Evaluative
What do you like about this artwork?
What do you dislike about this artwork?
Do you think you would like this artwork in your home? Why or why not?
What do you think would be a good venue for exhibiting this piece? Why?
Do you think it is important for people to see artwork like this? Why or why not?

To take this activity a step further, use one of the PowerPoints from the media-based galleries.