Before 11 local Boy Scouts mixed paint to create their own works of art, Molly Sixsmith, curator of education at the William Benton Museum of Art, shared a pair of landscapes by two American painters as inspiration .
She spoke about the elements of art in Irving Katzenstein's “The Lake” and Frank Vincent Dumond's “Spring Willows”: thought, line and form, color and texture. She asked how the mood and style of the two pieces differed and wondered if the artist would paint each scene differently on different days.
Tasked with earning their Artistic Achievement Badge, Toland Scouts reflected on what they had learned and worked on their own projects, inspiring their creativity and letting their imaginations soar.
It was a sight that Sixsmith and the entire Benton staff had been waiting for. The smell of paint in the air, young people bending over pictures of glaciers and volcanoes, voices discussing technology and whether the fire from the last campsite looked the same on paper.
This is the group that gave the museum's new educational space its name: Practical Art Making.
After all these years, this room outside the East Gallery, with its fresh white walls, sturdy floors that withstood childhood creativity, and dozens of Benton's signature orange chairs, is now a public space. has the purpose of
“Teachers and parents like to incorporate hands-on elements into museum programs,” says Sixsmith, curator of K-12 education and community groups. “We take what we learn in the gallery space and apply it to the practical creation of something. Before this space was created, we had to go outside or use another corner of the museum.”
Nancy Stura, Benton's executive director, said the room was once used as a staff break room, but more recently has been used exclusively for committee meetings. It had a lounge-like atmosphere, with pink walls and leather sofas.
About a year ago, Stura said, the School of Fine Arts provided much of the funding needed for the renovated space, and within eight months renovations were completed, with classrooms officially opening at the beginning of the spring semester. It means.
Amanda Dooverly, curator and academic liaison, said she also used the space in her work with the university's undergraduate and graduate students.
In late January, she arranged about 30 paintings, prints and photographs on a bookshelf that covered half the room for a group of UW Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies graduate students and faculty to examine. The group is planning an exhibition at the Balcony Gallery to coincide with WGSS's 50th anniversary this year.
At the same table where the scouts display the paintings, adults sit to analyze the intricate patterns and delicate details of the pieces in Benton's collection.
“It was an opportunity to see these objects up close and go through an erasure process to determine which ones were best suited for the exhibition,” says Dovery. “Seeing the work this close is much better than making judgments based on small photos online. This space is perfect for using directional track lighting because you can see every detail.”
Over the past 25 years, Douberley explains, museum education has begun to emphasize visitor engagement and participation, rather than encouraging a passive experience of just listening.
Of course, both provide some understanding, but the engagement part allows for more meaningful learning.
The East Gallery exhibition, “Museums as Classrooms: Teaching and Learning through Art,” co-curated by Doverley and Sixsmith and on view until March 8, features Benton’s work to help students understand classroom materials. The focus is on how collections are used.
Check out the wall of seven World War I-era posters that WGGS Interim Director and Associate Visiting Professor Sherry Zane uses in her classes. An anthropomorphic Statue of Liberty encourages the purchase of Liberty Bonds, a Red Cross nurse corrals war orphans, and an angel implores Americans to “share the victory” and purchase war savings stamps.
“Students discuss what they think is happening in these images and the relationship between images and text. The course is Gender and War, so students look at two posters and analyze them. 'Gender,' says Dubarry. “Group discussions usually help you make more connections with the course material.”
She added, “More and more faculty are incorporating visits to Benton into their syllabuses, so having a teaching center is a big help. Until now, we've been bringing tables out of closets and galleries with lots of distractions. It was installed in.”
More than 1,100 students from 12 departments and 68 classes visited the museum both guided and independently during the fall term, and that number is expected to grow further with new dedicated spaces and an expanded collection of more than 7,000 items. said DeBerry. object.
And the range of departments ranges from the expected Department of Art and Art History to the perhaps unexpected Departments of German, French, Landscape Architecture, and History.
Stura said engineering professors who teach fluid mechanics are currently working with staff on future exhibitions.
It showcases the inquiry-based learning that Benton promotes, and the critically-looking walls Duberry designed for the exhibition, which featured the painting “Experience” by Connecticut artist Earl Kenneth Bates, include, for example, This means that it can be used very well in earth science classes.
“Start by describing what you see. What is the first thing you notice?” asks a writing prompt in a speech bubble posted next to the picture. “Instead of showing geraniums framed by a window, you're looking in from the outside and looking at the plants. Why do you think the artist chose this vantage point?” says another.
“We don't just offer a walking, talking stereotype,” Duberry says of what the museum offers. “Instead, we invite visitors to participate so we can learn more about the information.”This fall, dozens of First Year Experience instructors will bring classes to museums to engage in critical work. We held a workshop where students hone their observational skills, practice empathy, and develop critical thinking by examining a single work of art.”
Young students studying the four-column pattern painted by Liz Whitney Quisgaard (these works are displayed in the exhibition along with two of her paintings), or a pair of Older students look at Nigerian masks and work on their creations. As a stop-motion art project, Benton's products are available for all academic disciplines.
“I love hearing the students’ reactions to the artwork,” Sixsmith says. “I like hearing what they see, why they say it, how they feel about the work, and how it relates to their lives. All of this contributes to making the museum a place where they feel welcome and comfortable.”
Even though she has a Ph.D., Doverly says she learns from students almost every day. in art history.
“It may seem counterintuitive,” she says. Being educated in museums and working with university audiences is why I became an art historian. ”
In addition to college and scout visits, Benton offers homeschool students, K-12 field trips, a four-week summer art academy for young children, a First Thursday program for UW students, and online exhibitions. We also accept
“When I first came here, I was surprised to see how many college freshmen had never been to a museum, or which museums they had never been to,” Stura says. “That's why it's so important to introduce children to museums and make them feel like it's their space and a place for them.”