Photo by James Dewhirst
Art and Ideas
Experience Targets:
- I am part of a community (of students, artists, museum-goers, Denverites, Coloradans, humans, etc.).
- I am important. My ideas, emotions, and experiences are valuable.
- I can look at art and share my ideas and opinions about it.
- Art can be an experience, a source of inspiration, a way to explore my ideas, and more.
- I can decide how art fits within my life.
What will we do?
- Transition into the Museum and introduction to the experience.
- Divide into three small groups and community building with educators.
- Participate in three mini-workshops to explore the art, our interpretations, our responses, and our questions. Teachers can choose three different modules to explore and respond to the art, including:
- Who was Clyfford Still?
- Transition to Abstraction
- Art and Context
- Art and Ideas
- Art in Times of Change
- Responding with Poetry
- Responding with Making
- Responding with Drama
- Color is What You Make It
- Debrief and transition out of the Museum
Workshop summaries:
- Who was Clyfford Still? Use primary sources from the Clyfford Still Archives to make inferences about Clyfford Still’s life and experiences and find connections to his artwork.
- Transition to Abstraction: Explore the ways Clyfford Still’s art changed from representational to abstract. Wonder why artists make abstract work.
- Art and Context: Explore the ways art might reflect or explore the history, culture, or context of the world in which it was created.
- Art and Ideas: Use art to unpack ideas about the human experience.
- Art in Times of Change: Explore the concept of change and how artists might respond during times of change.
- Responding with Poetry: Write short structured poetry or longer free-verse poetry to respond to Clyfford Still’s art.
- Responding with Making: Create your own artwork to respond to Clyfford Still’s art.
- Responding with Drama: Collaborate as a group to create tableaux to respond to Clyfford Still’s art.
- Color is What You Make It: Explore your personal interpretations of color and experiment with colors to change the tone of an artwork.