plans and online activities are for students to do on their own,
for teachers to use in their classes, and for anyone else who likes
to learn by doing or making things.
Macena Barton created a still life composition she titled Loaves. In this
online interactive, you can drag individual loaves, the jug, and the knife,
and place them where you wish on the table to create your own composition,
playing with balance, unity, and other art elements. This activity requires a flash plugin on your computer, which may be downloaded for free on the Macromedia site.
at Work: use black and white media (chalk, charcoal, pen and
ink, pencil) to draw a strong composition showing a person working.
The American Worker was one of the themes of the WPA Artists'
Project. Compare the jobs of today with those of the 1930s depicted
in the artworks of the Museum's WPA collection.
(html version) (pdf
WPA and Visual Elements of Art: Analyze works from the collection
for the visual texture and tactile texture; shape or contour; value. Create
a work of art that emphasizes one of these elements. (html
version) (pdf version)