Making Connections: Exploring Four Themes through Art: Class Collage from Print Sources

Purpose: to help the students understand that we can make connections when we look at fine

art objects for setting, subject matter, style, mood, etc., and when we look at decorative art objects

for ornament, shape, use, or decoration, etc.

Illinois State Museum Web sites used:

(https://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/art/htmls/mc.html)

Objectives: After viewing the Theme Galleries online ,

the students will make connections between art objects

based on their form, content, ornament, or decoration by

choosing images that have something in common and

assembling them together into a collage and naming its

theme.

Grade level: 5-8

Time Required: two 50-minute periods

Materials:

fine-art or decorative-art images printed out from

museum Web sites,

images of art works(photocopied from art books,

a collection of magazines with images of art,

graphic

art,newspapers images of decorative arts objects, probably for sale),

brochures(from museums, galleries), and ephemera (greeting card art,

graphic art on certificates,diplomas, calendars)

Scissors

glue

poster board

Motivation: Discuss the idea of theme and making connections between works of art, the main

idea of the Theme Galleries. Ask students to suggest other themes that are found in life today -

success, beauty, nature, family, youth, and others. Explain that as each individual or group looks for

images and sorts them, each may find numerous images that could relate to one topic or theme. Hold

up a few preselected sets of images and ask the students what connections they can make among

them. Some students may want to choose one of the themes explored in the galleries. Warn them

that it may be more difficult to look for objects on a predetermined theme

than to find

connections or a theme across some of the images they find.

Procedure: Students will

look for images of fine art or decorative art objects in print sources.

select the images for a theme and cut them out.

play with arrangements until finding the one that best interprets the student's meaning.

glue the images onto the poster board.

name their collage to reflect the theme, writing it on the back.

prepare to explain their collage.