Art to Go Programs: Middle School
Africa: Art from West and Central Africa
Sculpture, textiles and metalwork make up this lesson which focuses in-depth on major art-producing regions featured in the permanent collection: Asante, Kuba, Senufo and Yoruba.
Artists of Our Region
Middle school and high school students will be introduced to 20th-century artists who studied and worked at local cultural institutions, schools, and production workshops. The Cleveland Institute of Art, Karamu House, Huntington Polytechnic, and Cowan Pottery Studio among others will be the basis of the student's understanding of local arts movements and their importance to the community then and now.
Asia
A great lesson to give an overview of major art-producing cultures represented in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Objects become talking points for introduction to world religions, such as Hinduism, Buddism, Shinto and Folk religion. The variety of artistic styles in Asian art is also emphasized.
China: Art and Technology
China was not always a follower in the development of technology. As late as the 17th century, China was a leader, influencing its Asian neighbors and even those on other continents. Europe can thank China for wood-pulp paper and paper money, for fireworks and gunpowder, for the umbrella and for noodles, among other things. This Art to Go lesson showcases traditional Chinese technology with a focus on the manufacture of silk, ceramics, and bronze.
Classical Art: Ancient Greece and Rome
A discussion of Greek and Roman art with an emphasis on its cultural connections to modern Western culture. Genuine artifacts included ancient Greek pottery and sculpture and Roman implements used in daily life activities.
Consumption and Exploration: Trade Connections between Europe and Asia
The global market is not new. Between the 2nd century BC and the 14th century AD, goods moved on land west, across Europe to the Middle East, and then through Asia on the Silk Road. Goods from Asia traveled east, on the same path, to Europe. By the 15th century, sea routes had become important. This suitcase traces the history of connections between Asia and Europe, focusing on issues of trade, cultural diffusion, colonialism, and globalization.
Cool Knights: Armor from the European Middle Ages and Renaissance
Real pieces of armor used by Medieval knights and Renaissance noblemen can be touched and sometimes tried on in this lesson. Objects include a breastplate, a gauntlet, a piece of chain mail, a vambrace and a close helmet.
Diego Rivera: A Mexican Hero and His Culture
Trends and themes in the artist's work are revealed through an original lithograph signed by the artist, and various Mexican art objects.
Early America: Artistry of a Young Nation
Most Americans in the 18th and early 19th centuries had severely limited resources, but found ways to make useful and attractive objects. A fancy pie plate and brass shoe buckles show how they beautified the items they needed to dress, eat, work, and learn.
Japan
The Japanese taste from simple, Zen-like tea bowls to more ornate lacquer boxes is illustrated through several media; and connections can be made between Japanese and Chinese culture and art.