DESCRIPTION: With the aid of a simple prop, students find subject matter in a work of art.

OBJECTIVES: The objective is to encourage students to stop and look closely at works of art. Also, it introduces them to subject matter.

PROCEDURE: Do you know what a spyglass is? Who uses spyglasses? If you had a spyglass and looked out your bedroom window, what would you see through your spyglass? If you looked through a spyglass from the top of the tallest building in Minneapolis, what would you see? (You could ask the same sort of question about a variety of locations: high places, low places, underwater, familiar places, unfamiliar places, looking at big things, small things, etc.) Spyglasses help us focus on something very specific so we can watch only it.

Today I brought some spyglasses for us to focus closely on the artworks that we are going to see (hand out plastic tubes). Let's stand in front of this artwork (A work with recognizable subject matter such as Michelle Zalopany's The Castleton would be the type of work used in this activity). I will name different subjects that are in the painting. As soon as you discover the subject, say "I Spy!" Who can discover a table? Are there a lot of tables or just few? How many tables are there? Where do you think they are? Does the setting remind you of any place in particular? (Have the children spy for a variety of subjects and allow them to take turns selecting subjects to find.)

Now let's see if we can use our spyglasses to find different shapes in this sculpture (Louise Nevelson's Sky Cathedral Presence, which incorporates various shapes would be the kind of work you would want to use.). Who can find a circle? How many do you see? Does it come out at you or is it hidden inside another shape? Who can find a square? Are there other squares in this work?

(Continue this activity with other works of art, varying the elements the students search for (i.e. color, textures, etc.).

MINNESOTA GRADUATION STANDARDS:
(1) Read, View, Listen
(2) Write and Speak
(3) Literature and the Arts

Age level: Appropriate for K-2.
Artworks used: All artworks.
Props needed: No props needed.
Related to Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: Yes
Notes: This activity is very similar to The Alphabet Game and should not be done on the same tour if you use that activity. For younger students it can be useful to put something in their hands.


© 1998 WALKER ART CENTER