Activities

Lesson Plan: Phillis Wheatley’s Words: Connecting with the Past

Lesson Plan: Phillis Wheatley’s Words: Connecting with the Past

  • Collection: American Art
  • Culture/Region: America
  • Subject Area: African American, English, History and Social Science, Women
  • Grade Level: 3-8
  • VASOL Tags: English: 3.3, 3.4.d-g, 3.5.e-j, 3.7, 3.8, 4.4; 5.1.a, 5.4, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 Visual Arts: 3.11, 3.13, 3.18, 4.19, 5.12, 6.14, 7.10, 8.12 History: USI.1.a&b&e, USI.5.d

Students will practice decoding vocabulary by exploring a poem by the first African American woman to publish a book. Inspired by a discussion of a painting from the VMFA collection and the life story of author Phillis Wheatley, they will practice close reading techniques to discover the meaning of a written primary source from an…

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Pre-Visit and Post-Visit Activity: Very Virginia

Pre-Visit and Post-Visit Activity: Very Virginia

  • Collection: American Art
  • Culture/Region: America
  • Subject Area: History and Social Science, Visual Arts
  • Grade Level: 4

Based on images of two works of art from VMFA’s collection, these activities will provide students with background information before their visit and, afterwards, encourage them to use critical thinking skills to draw conclusions from what they saw. Tour Description Discover Virginia’s rich history through art! Students will discuss important people, places, and things that…

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Pre-Visit and Post-Visit Activity: Culture Cruise

Pre-Visit and Post-Visit Activity: Culture Cruise

  • Collection: Ancient American Art, European Art
  • Culture/Region: America, Europe
  • Subject Area: History and Social Science, Visual Arts
  • Grade Level: 5

Based on images of two works of art from VMFA’s collection, these activities will provide students with background information before their visit and, afterwards, encourage them to use critical thinking skills to draw conclusions from what they saw. The works may or may not be shown on your guided tour, but they are related to…

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Gallery Hunt: Art of the Flower

Gallery Hunt: Art of the Flower

  • Collection: Art Deco & Art Nouveau, East Asian Art, English Silver, European Art, South Asian Art
  • Culture/Region: East Asia, Europe, South Asia
  • Subject Area: Fine Arts
  • Grade Level: k-12

Explore the museum’s permanent collection through the lens of the flower! Download the Family Gallery Hunt to accompany your visit or for some crossword fun at home.

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Outside and Out of the Box: A Guide to Impressionism

Outside and Out of the Box: A Guide to Impressionism

  • Collection: European Art
  • Culture/Region: Europe
  • Subject Area: Fine Arts, History and Social Science

Learn about the history and artistic style of the Impressionists in this teacher’s resource guide. Click through the pages below, or download the PDF!  Outside and Out of the Box: A Guide to Impressionism:  →  The Shocking New Art Movement →  Challenging the Establishment →  A New Society of Artists →  A City Under Construction, Artists…

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Hank Willis Thomas at VMFA 2014

Hank Willis Thomas at VMFA 2014

  • Collection: African American Art, 21st-Century Art
  • Culture/Region: America
  • Subject Area: African American, Fine Arts
  • Grade Level: 5-12, college, adult

American artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his work and the construction of black identity through popular culture. The interview was conduced by John B. Ravenal (Syndey and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art), VMFA.

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Write Chinese Calligraphy

Write Chinese Calligraphy

  • Collection: East Asian Art
  • Culture/Region: China
  • Subject Area: Fine Arts, Foreign Language
  • Grade Level: K-12, college, adult, family

Write it! Practice Chinese calligraphy

Calligraphy, or the art of writing, was historically considered the highest visual art form in China. To study and develop their skills, students of calligraphy would copy the works of well-known practitioners, using brushes, ink, inkstone, water, and paper to write and paint. In this section, practice writing Chinese characters by following the brushstrokes of a skilled calligrapher, and, as you do, learn more about symbols of good fortune that can be found in VMFA’s collection of Chinese art.

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Gallery Hunt: Year of the Wood Sheep

Gallery Hunt: Year of the Wood Sheep

  • Collection: African Art, East Asian Art, Native American Art
  • Culture/Region: America, China, East Asia, Greece
  • Subject Area: Fine Arts
  • Grade Level: K-12, college, adult, family

Travel through the VMFA galleries to explore different cultures and time periods as you find works of art that have sheep in them.

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Robert Pruitt at VMFA 2014

Robert Pruitt at VMFA 2014

  • Collection: 21st-Century Art
  • Culture/Region: America
  • Subject Area: African American, Fine Arts
  • Grade Level: 5-12, college, adult

American artist Robert Pruitt discusses his inspirations, his process, and elements of the absurd in this artist talk. The interview was conducted by John B. Ravenal (Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art) and Sarah Eckhardt (Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art), VMFA.

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