Our Curriculum
Art is a language for self-expression! Follow the notable work of Leonardo DaVinci to find out what his masterpieces conveyed and how his artwork was used to communicate. Test your own knowledge of communication by authoring your own secret code or creating a comic book!
Artwork tells a story using emotions, feelings and pictures. In this lesson, learn to ask questions when viewing art. How does it make you feel? What is it saying? What is the story that it tells? Make your own messages by creating warning signs! Warn your friends about smelly feet, slippery pavement or a ferocious puppy!
Lines are important tools of expression! Lines can form angles, diagonals and curves. Each type has a different meanings. Lines can feel angry, fun, or calm. Find implied lines in paintings and see how a line of sight impacts a masterpiece. Use lines to set the tone for your next drawing. Build your own maze or create a cartoon!
Shapes are powerful! Use your knowledge about lines to create masterful shapes. Become a shape sleuth and identify objects by looking at their silhouette. See shapes take form by lighting or shading them. Use your knowledge of shape and form to sculpt simple pieces of paper into fun animal shapes!
From old black and white movies to a talking zebra, discover the difference that black and white can make! Value and contrast work to emphasize different elements within art. Try using black, white and shades of gray to help things blend in or stand out! Try out techniques that create value on your very own creations.
Color your world with exciting activities involving a rainbow, color wheel and Isaac Newton! Color can create stark contrast, soothing harmony, energy or excitement! Test your color skills by creating your very own chameleon that blends into its surroundings be it polka dot, plaid or striped!
Vibrant images and race cars along with a hilarious song-and-dance number illustrate the differences between warm and cool colors. Check out Pablo Picasso's use of color throughout his career and explore the different emotions that colors convey. Design a label for a candy using the right combination of warm and cool colors.
Create your very own paint combinations from elements in nature and breeze through the history of paint! Learn about strange and interesting paint making techniques from the past as well as odd art supplies. Concoct your very own Egyptian sarcophagus using ancient painting practices!
Eyes are a powerful element in any work of art. Eyes add life and feeling to artwork. Explore the many expressions of eyes and how the arch of an eyebrow can change the entire message of a painting. Create crazy glasses with different eyes, then try them on to achieve different looks!
Movement shows energy and action. Learn to show movement in a still painting and position characters in dynamic poses that show action. Try your hand at moving different elements of famous paintings to create movement and excitement! Create your own puppet show by making or marionettes to move and bend!
Convey emotions or tell a story by leading eyes to the right place! Color, structure, value and contrast are all used to emphasize important parts of artwork. Pinpoint important features of a painting or drawing by using the right emphasis. Use your knowledge to create a movie poster promoting your favorite movie.
Portraits reveal a lot about a person. Artists compose portraits using symbolic props to paint a picture of a person's life. In this lesson, see famous historical portraits and make one of Tickles and Furnace! Construct your own crazy mask: you decide all of the details, what you'd like the eyes, nose, mouth and skin to look like!
Art is a useful tool in exploring how life was lived in the past. Paintings serve as records of life long ago and help identify changes in a changing world. Using your skills and information from the lesson, you'll mix things up by picking out a masterpiece from the past and adding new, modern elements to the painting!
Math and art are closely related! You may not believe it, but math influences art in many ways! Learn the secrets of the Fibonacci Sequence and Golden Ratio while exploring proportion and shape in nature. Take a trip back in time to learn how the Egyptians used math to create art, then use a grid to scale images with perfect precision!
Visiting a museum can be more than looking at old bones and portraits. Let the professionals show you around, and you'll find out how artwork is maintained, preserved, restored, and protected from theft. Design your own museum collection, but be sure to protect your masterpieces from forgery!
Anyone can be an artist! Artists gain inspiration from the world around them and from other artists! Get to know the ways famous artists influenced each other. Learn about the techniques they studied, the paintings they made, and how you can learn from their methods! Use your knowledge of other artists to develop your individual style!
