Activities
These activities focus on works of art in the Whitney’s collection and special exhibitions. Through discussion, research, art making, and writing activities, we hope to encourage close looking, foster conversation between students, and connect artwork to classroom learning. Learn about our four artist-centered themes.
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2017
Idea Box
Make small assemblage sculptures in a box -
Moving Sculptures
Discuss how Alexander Calder's sculpture might move -
Moods of the Seasons
Pick a month fo the year and make a mood painting or drawing -
Sketches from Everyday Life
Make a photo-journal of everyday life -
The Modern World
Compare works by Charles Demuth and Joseph Stella -
Joseph Stella, The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme, 1939
Find and describe neighborhood monuments. -
William Wegman, Crow, 1970
Change a photograph. -
Edward Ruscha, Hudson, Amarillo, Texas, 1962, from Twentysix Gasoline Stations, 1963
Create an art book. -
Lorna Simpson, 2 Tracks, 1990
Create a new kind of portrait. -
Glenn Ligon, Untitled (I Do Not Always Feel Colored), 1990
Connect art and writing. -
Elie Nadelman, Tango, c. 1919
Be a dancer. -
Georgia O'Keeffe, Summer Days, 1936
Create a word wall. -
Jacob Lawrence, War Series: The Letter, 1946
Write a letter. -
Edward Hopper, Early Sunday Morning, 1930
Think about where you live. -
David Hammons, Untitled, 1992
Make art from trash. -
Wade Guyton, Untitled, 2008
Embrace mistakes in your artwork. -
Richard Estes, The Candy Store, 1961
Think about different places. -
Arthur Dove, Ferry Boat Wreck, 1931
Think about abstraction. -
Charles Demuth, My Egypt, 1927
Explore American monuments. -
Jay DeFeo, The Rose, 1958-66
Create a layered artwork. -
Ralston Crawford, Steel Foundry, Coatesville, Pa, 1936-37
Describe a place. -
Alexander Calder, Calder’s Circus, 1926-31
Imagine a Circus. -
Oscar Bluemner, A Situation in Yellow, 1933
Make a place from shapes. -
Richard Artschwager, Description of Table, 1964
Play with descriptive language. -
Romare Bearden, Eastern Barn, 1968
Make a memory collage. -
Lee Bontecou, Untitled, 1961
Create a group poem. -
Charles Burchfield, Noontide in Late May, 1917
Capture the energy and mood of a place. -
Vija Celmins, Heater, 1964
Create a detailed drawing. -
Stuart Davis, Owh! in San Paõ, 1951
Make everyday objects exciting. -
Robert Indiana, The X-5, 1963
Explore artistic influences.
127 pages