Art Activities for Students

Museums around the world have collections of amazing art by famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Alexander Calder. Sometimes, museums even have special exhibits showcasing artwork done by students. To make this type of art, imagine you are creating artwork for an exhibit at a museum.

Masks

The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles held an exhibit of student masks made in 1999 with the artist Judy Leventhal. Take a look at the masks online at www.nhm.org/masks/. Using materials such as paint, cardboard, feathers, scissors, construction paper and beads, create a mask that tells something about you. Think of the mask not as something to be worn, but as a piece of art for a museum. When finished with the mask, create a short poem or story that explains the mask and how it resembles you.

Self-Portrait

Vincent van Gogh created more than 30 self-portraits while he was alive. A self-portrait is a painting, drawing or photograph that you create of yourself. Vincent van Gogh created self-portraits because he didn't have money to pay models. Learn more about Vincent van Gogh's painting style by using the interactive exhibit online at www.metmuseum.org/explore/van_gogh/intro.html. Vincent van Gogh used bright colors and dark black lines to create texture, movement and feeling in his self-portraits. Using a large piece of white paper and tempera paints, create a self-portrait that shows a mood. Be sure to use colors that connect with that mood such as the cool colors of blue, green and purple for sad. Warm colors such as red, yellow and orange are thought of as happy or excited colors. When finished, create a short poem or story that explains the self-portrait and what mood it represents.

Mobile

Alexander Calder created large and small mobiles that balanced and moved in space. Learn more about Alexander Calder online at www.sdmart.org/pix/education/Calder.pdf. Alexander Calder's mobiles where made of basic shapes and simple materials. He also used the primary colors red, yellow and blue in many of his mobiles. Bend and shape some wire or an old coat hanger into an interesting shape that balances. Cut organic, or free-form, shapes out of yellow, red and blue paper. Using a hole punch, put holes in the shapes. Use additional wire to hang the construction paper shapes, making sure the mobile is balanced. When finished, hang the mobile in a space where it can fully move.

References

• Masks
• Vincent van Gogh
• Alexander Calder

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