Lesson Concept: Why Look At Art?

Why Look at Art?

Invite students to bring in or share a picture of a piece of artwork they have in their homes.  It can be something from their personal collection or that of their family.  As a class, in groups, or in pairs, ask students to:

Look Closely

Look closely at each object for at least 30 seconds and answer these simple questions:

• What do you see?
• What do you think about that?
• What does it make you wonder?

Compare responses to the owner’s ideas about each object.

Discuss

What you were able to glean about:

The Artist’s Ideas 

• Why/how/when might he or she have made this art?

Cultural Context

• Where did this come from?
• Why might it have been chosen for that space and by whom?
• Who might interact with it?

Content/Meaning

• Does it seem to have a message or tell a story? What might that message be?
• Who are the characters in the story?
• Does it convey a feeling or mood?

Extend Your Thinking

As a collection, what did this art tell you about your group (class)? Consider:

• What ideas does the group share?
• What does the group value?
• What does the group have in common?
• How is the group diverse?

 Reflect

Look at the art you brought to share with new eyes. Consider the class discussion and complete the following statements about your art:

I used to think…

Now I think…

Structure this simple activity in a way that makes sense for your class.  Make a game of it, use written responses to augment discussion, frame it through the lens of your academic discipline, etc.