Learning to Play in the Galleries

Tags for: Learning to Play in the Galleries
  • Blog Post
  • Education
Molly Philips, Jeremiah Myers, Ashaé Burgess, Jen Gallagher, Paula Jackson, CMA’s Gallery Teachers
September 23, 2021
Playing the "Hand Game", c. 1760. Hasegawa Yasumasa (Japanese). 1985.258Public Domain

When was the last time you took a field trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art? A visit to the museum is what you make of it, and as adults, we can still have fun by creating and interacting with art in the ARTLENS Gallery, posing with our favorite artworks, and engage with art through brain exercises. Research has shown that there are many ways to hone our mental acuity no matter our age. Brain exercises come with a lot of benefits, like helping to boost memory, concentration, and focus.

Gallery Teacher, Paula Jackson with CMA kids’ program in the ARTLENS Gallery

Let’s see what the CMA’s gallery teachers have to say about incorporating brain activities into a museum visit. We encourage museumgoers of all ages to be open to learning in a fun and engaging way.

How do you learn something new? Perhaps there’s some amount of instruction. You might practice something repeatedly until you master it. These are both important components to learning. So is play.

Playing the “Hand Game,” c. 1760. Hasegawa Yasumasa (Japanese). Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; overall: 39 x 55.3 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith, 1985.258

Play is paramount to human development. Think back to when you were a kid: playing was a way to explore surrounding and learn about others and ourselves. As we get older, play and creative thinking evolve, and for many, it becomes a less obvious learning technique. Play might be something we do for fun — a game we play with others, or an activity to relieve stress. But as the researchers at Harvard’s Project Zero point out, these are behaviors that prime you for learning.

Playful learning manifests in many ways and may differ depending on the environment and the individual.

When working with students and teachers, either at the museum or virtually, CMA gallery teachers seek indicators when facilitating playful learning experiences: choice, collaboration and connection, and enjoyment.

Choice

When we can choose how we learn or what we learn about, we become more invested and excited to learn. Gallery teachers often give students the choice to respond to an artwork through writing or drawing and to select what artworks to view. Giving someone a choice allows for more creativity and imagination.

Collaboration and Connection

Collaborating and connecting with others offer opportunities for playful learning. Socialization is gratifying and can build empathy as well as self-confidence. In one CMA program, we ask students to create a collaborative drawing, emphasize the connections between their peers’ ideas, and share their findings.

Enjoyment

Naturally, if you do not enjoy what you are learning, you tend not to stick with it. When a student is having fun, they are more likely to participate and remember what they have learned. CMA programs are fun — we look for laughter, smiles, and sometimes dancing.

Below are some examples of playful learning strategies that one may experience in a CMA school or youth program, or that anyone can try from home or while visiting the museum.

Rustam Lassoing His Horse, Rakhsh, in a Landscape (recto); Calligraphy, Persian Verses (verso), late 1500s. Afghanistan, Herat, Timurid period (1370–1501). Opaque watercolor, ink, gold and silver on paper. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. MacDonald, 1971.305
Beginning, Middle, and End

Every artwork has a story. Regardless of your knowledge of art history, tap into your imagination and try piecing together a story to match an artwork. Take a moment to look at the artwork; it’s up to you if you choose to focus on the artwork as a whole or a specific detail. With pen and paper, divide the area into three sections and then explore the artwork as part of a story line in a comic strip. Don’t worry; you don’t have to be an artist. Stick figures are great!

· If you think the artwork is the beginning of a story, draw what you think will happen next.

· If you think it is the middle, draw what you think happened before or after.

· If you think it is the end, draw what you think led to this point.

If you’re in a group, share with each other and compare. What similarities do the stories share? What is different? Share your comic with a partner. Close looking through a storytelling lens uses creativity and problem-solving skills to create alternate possibilities.

*This activity was adapted from strategies developed as a part of the Artful Thinking Project of Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Art Boggle

The Power of Music, 1847. William Sidney Mount (American, 1807–1868). Oil on canvas; 43.4 x 53.5 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1991.110

Challenge your friends or family to a word game. This one is similar to Boggle, but instead of finding words in a grid of letters, try finding descriptive words in an artwork. Look at the painting The Power of Music by William Sidney Mount. Give yourself two minutes to study it and write down as many adjectives as you can.

Here are some examples: dusty, cautious, curious, connection, division, outside, inside, musical.

After the time has expired, share your list. Who had the most words? Did you have any similar or different words? Who had the most unique word? Discuss and share why you picked those words.

Through this activity, you will learn to associate meaning with what may be an unfamiliar artwork and listening to others’ adjectives can provide a new perspective on an old favorite. If you’re viewing from home, try zooming in on an artwork in the CMA’s Collection Online. Who knows what you’ll find when you look a little closer!

Guess Who?

Using our imaginations when looking at an artwork can open new, unexplored dimensions. This activity makes use of writing but can be adapted to focus on discussion or movement-based responses.

Hunting Near Hartenfels Castle, 1540. Lucas Cranach (German, 1472–1553). Oil, originally on wood, transferred to Masonite; 116.8 x 170.2 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1958.425

As a group, take some time to explore Hunting Near Hartenfels Castle. Look closely at the different characters in this painting (zoom in if you are in Collection Online). Have everyone secretly pick a character. Consider not only the humans in this painting, but the animals as well. Then, write a few sentences about what your character might be thinking. Use your imagination and the scene around them for clues.

After everyone has finished, take turns reading aloud your character’s thoughts aloud and have others in the group guess who your character is. Were some characters more difficult to write about than others? What similarities and differences are there between everyone’s characters?

See, Think, Wonder

Little is known about this artwork except where it was found and that it was meant to represent a creature with both human and animal characteristics. Take some time to observe this object by using a writing exercise from Harvard’s Project Zero. Respond to the prompts “I see, I think, I wonder.” First, list your observations, thoughts, and interpretations. Include any questions you have about the artwork.

Anthropomorph, c. 1500–1000 BC. India, Bronze Age. Copper; 23.5 x 36.5 x 0.5 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund, 2004.31

Not only does this prompt help organize observations and ideas, but it also encourages a sense of discovery. Without knowing the right answers, you are free to explore where your curiosity leads you.

Try being playful and analytical. For example, draw your responses instead of writing them or share your responses with another person or as a group. Talking with others about our ideas helps us investigate an artwork from different points of view and make connections to other perspectives.

Experiment with the suggestions above and learn more when you enroll in a CMA program designed for adults, students, kids, or the whole family. If you are a teacher, register your class for a Virtual Learning session; if you’re a parent, sign up yourself and your child for My Very First Art Class.

Patricia Wills, CMA studio assistant and kids drawing in the Fine Arts Garden

While the gallery teaching staff primarily employ these strategies with students and children, we think they work for all ages, and we encourage adults to give use them too. Next time you visit the CMA, try these brain exercises, it could be fun!