The Essential Question that guided our projects’ focus was:
Can pairing professional artists with teachers and students inspire and empower art making in their classroom?
Our essential question guides the ARTworks educational activities that take place at TAM and in school classrooms across the region. TAM’s curriculum addresses core art principles, examines art history, and offers challenging art-making techniques with guided hands-on opportunities for personal expression of newfound skills and understanding. Art offerings are designed to encourage discussion and divergent thinking, promote understanding of the viewed artist’s process through individual exploration, and allow for individual expression followed by group discussion of the challenges and discoveries made during the creative process.
Bringing hands-on art experiences to area classrooms provided valuable learning experiences to students, served as a resource to area teachers and connected the museum with regional families curious to view and create art.
Documentation data reveals students highly engaged in the learning process, sharing observations, extending new learning in hands-on art making processes and creating unique and personal works of art.
At the conclusion of the project, students responded to questions related to the identified Standards:
In preparing lessons and conducting program evaluations, we also address the 21st Century Learning Outcomes with a focus on Learning and Innovation or the 4 C’s (Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity) and address the following National Core Arts Standards:
6. Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. VA:Cr1.2
7. Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. VA:Cr2.1; VA:Cr2.2
8. Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work. VA:Cr3.1
At the conclusion of ARTworks classroom visits, students commented:
“I loved learning the whole art process using clay!”
“I never knew how to draw a landscape before.”
“It was so entertaining, and I had a lot of fun!”
“The part that I liked best was working the clay. I never knew that you could roll out clay!”
“I liked drawing the landscape. I liked how my mountains looked like they were far away.”
“I felt creative making the landscape. I really liked how my river flowed around my tree.”
“Using the paint was fun.”
“I liked mixing colors. I learned how to make light and dark blue.”
“I had a blast carving the landscape. I have never carved before!”
“I did not know that using a skewer or pencil to carve was possible. It was so cool to carve the clay.”
“Mrs. Zirker was so encouraging, funny, and enjoyable to be around.”
“Mrs. Zirker was helpful and good at explaining everything.”
Impact
The ARTworks program strives to bring awareness, creativity, and exploration of the visuals arts to elementary school classrooms across eastern Idaho. TAM recognizes that a museum is a resource for learning, and our curriculum is designed to answer essential questions that help us better encourage students to observe art, articulate their observations and demonstrate new awareness in art through hands-on art making processes. By returning to many of the same classrooms each year, TAM instructors help build upon previous art concepts and experiences to broaden student and teacher awareness and skills in the arts. Instructors provide links in learning between the arts and other disciplines to help teachers integrate the arts into existing curriculum. The ARTworks program promotes the growth and mentoring of the next generation of artists and patrons, thus ensuring the health and viability of the arts at TAM and in our community for the future.
Reflection
Bringing hands-on art experiences to area classrooms provided valuable learning experiences to students, served as a resource to area teachers and connected the museum with regional families curious to view and create art.
Documentation data reveals students highly engaged in the learning process, sharing observations, extending new learning in hands-on art making processes and creating unique and personal works of art.
During the 2019-20 school year, ARTworks participants and 384 participants utilized the free family pass they received at the end of the outreach and tour visits, demonstrating students’ interest in exploring artwork at the museum.
ARTworks Program collected evaluation data revealed:
92% of teachers report that during the ARTworks lesson, their students were introduced to new art vocabulary.
100% of teachers agreed that the ARTworks lesson successfully taught the objective introduced at the beginning of the lesson.
96% of teachers report that they learned art concepts and techniques that they will use in the classroom in the future.
96% of teachers agreed that they learned concepts and techniques that they will use in their classroom in the future.
Classroom teachers comments:
Our instructor was great. His demonstrations really brought the lesson to life for the students and gave them an example of what they should be working on. I enjoyed that they were exposed to so many techniques with one project. Thank you so much!
Tracie Cloward ~ Lincoln Elementary, Rexburg, ID
These are the best teachers and lessons!!! So engaging and the supplies are quick and easily set up and cleaned up! I love this program!! Thank you for making it happen for my class!
Kristen Butler ~ Riverview Elementary, Shelley, ID
