Making Connections Activity: Seeing Connections Among Works of Art

Purpose : to help the student learn to make connections in theme, mood, or emotional expression among

works of art.

Objectives : While viewing the works of art in the six Web galleries of the Illinois State Museum's

Museumlink Illinois (https://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/art/htmls/), students will practice the skill

of looking at art works with an interpretive eye in order to make connections among them regarding

theme, mood, or emotional expression by choosing three works of art in which they can see or make a

connection and communicating that connection to others.

Grade levels: 5-10

Time Required: one class period

Illinois State Museum Web site used: Museumlink Illinois Art Web site

https://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/art/htmls/

Materials : computer

printer, preferably color

paper

pencil or pen

writing paper

Motivation : The class will view and discuss the four themes and their art works in the Making

Connections Galleries of the Museum's Museumlink Illinois Web site (https://www.museum.state.il.us/

muslink/art/htmls/mc.html).The main discussion point is that the viewers, not the artists, makes

theconnections. The viewers do this by bringing their own experiences and feelings to the art works they

see. Each person sees something different in each work of art. That said, there are some universal ideas

that artists sometimes address in their work - hope, patriotism, love, war, power. Have the students

name some other universal ideas and write them on the board. Do an example search with them: one can

make connections about rural life in Illinois by comparing work by photographer Frank Sadorus to the

WPA paintings.

Procedure : Students will

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divide into pairs or small groups (to save time on the computer).

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browse through images from the various fine- and decorative-art galleries in the

Museumlink Illinois site.

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look for similarities in ideas or emotions among works of art.

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find three images that make a connection and then print out those images.

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compose a written description of their connection and how each image relates to the

connections or chosen theme.

Making Connections: Exploring Four themes through Art

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