TECHNOS

August 21, 2008

Art Institute of Chicago Features Teacher, Student, Family Programs through Department of Museum Education

The Art Institute of Chicago holds a wealth of international art treasures — but possibly one of its best services to the public is the Education Department.

The educational outreach of the Art Institute includes Teacher and Student Programs, Family Programs, and an extensive Web presence. For those who live and teach in the state of Illinois, many of these programs are free of charge; for those who live out of state, the charge is minimal to visit the Art Institute (and Tuesdays are Free Days). A spring break or summer vacation excursion to the great City of Chicago should include a visit here and to the many other museums and exhibit halls, which could result in some wonderful resources for the next academic year.

Student and Teacher Workshops

The Art Institute’s Education Department offers one- and three-day workshops for teachers based on current exhibits and timely topics. For instance, the Spring and Summer 2006 Workshops include: “Spotlight! The Art of Spain” (Thu. 2 March), “Get Ready for Earth Day: Humanity and Nature” (Sat. 11 March), “Sight and Sound: A Multi-Sensory Evening of Music and Art” (Thu. 27 April), “All About Drawing” (Wed. 12 July), “Public Art in Chicago: Murals, Monuments, and Mosaics” (July 18, 19, 20), and “Spotlight! Arts of Africa (Thu. 3 Aug.). Fees are reasonable ($25, $30, and $50 for one-day workshops; $200 for three-day workshop), and Continuing Professional Development Unit credits are offered (the three-day workshop offers one graduate credit from Aurora University).

Teacher Programs also offers the “ABCs Of Art,” a publication designed specifically for early childhood educators and the children in their Pre-K–3 classrooms. This resource guide invites teachers to use the Art Institute as another learning environment beyond the walls of the traditional school. For more information and an order form, go to: www.artic.edu/aic/students/teachers.

Elizabeth Stone Robson Teacher Resource Center

More than 1,000 resources are available for loan or purchase or in-house use; a copy machine, computer, scanner, and color printer are available for free. Lesson plans are available, and the lesson plan board is updated each month with free handouts. Admission to the Art Institute and the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries is free to teachers with an Educator’s Pass, obtainable at the Resource Center (good September to September). Group orientation sessions are offered for free, and teachers can sign up online for a free e-newsletter and a brochure.

Read this month’s Featured Interview with Ms. R. Maria Marable-Bunch, associate director, Teacher Programs, Department of Museum Education.

Kraft Education Center

The Art Institute of Chicago was named No. 1 on CHILD Magazine’s “Ten Best Art Museums for Kids” List in the March 2006 issue. And for good reason.

Family Programs at the Kraft Education Center include The Artist’s Studio (held on Saturdays and Sundays); Weekday Program for Preschoolers; Mini Masters and Family Workshops (both held on Saturdays); Drawing in the Galleries (Sundays); and the continuing Touch Gallery and Faces, Places, and Inner Spaces. Plan your visit online here: http://www.artic.edu/aic/kids/parenttips.html (includes follow-up activities).

If you can’t get to The Art Institute of Chicago in person, you can access the wealth of materials from its collections and research at the following Web sites…

Online Resources

You can find more online educational resources from the Art Institute at http://www.artic.edu/aic/students/onlinelearning.html, including:

Art Explorer
A new educational resource in 2006 is the Art Explorer, an online gallery of Impressionist and Postimpressionist masterpieces in The Art Institute. Search 250 artworks by artist name, title of artwork, subject matter, keyword, and other criteria. Includes video clips, artist biographies, online games, and classroom resources—and the Art Explorer’s Scrapbooks.
Art Access
Experience the works of art from the Art Institute’s collection in eight informative modules:
Science, Art and Technology
Specialists in art history, conservation, physics, and chemistry discuss connections between art, science, and technology. Includes teacher-written self-guides to the museum’s relevant exhibits, lesson plans, and student projects.
Cleopatra: A Multimedia Guide to Art of the Ancient World
This Web site is an interactive journey through the collection of ancient art at the Art Institute. It takes you on an expedition to the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Italy using 18 objects from the museum’s distinguished collection, and it includes timelines, glossaries, maps, and lesson plans.
Taoism and the Arts of China
Focusing on three main themes—The Taoist Tradition, The Taoist Church, and The Taoist Renaissance—this Web site is based on the first major exhibition of Taoist art in the United States, at the Art Institute from Nov. 4, 2000, to Jan. 7, 2001. It showcased 151 works of art illustrating many facets of the Taoist religion, including: paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, porcelain, lacquer, and ritual robes and implements from museums and private collections in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Chicago: The City in Art
This Web site is a collaborative project between the Art Institute and the Chicago Public Schools. The program is designed to introduce teachers and students to recently restored murals in their schools. It began in 1995 with Lane Technical High School and was expanded in 1998–2000 to include ten additional elementary schools. The goals of the program are to broaden awareness of the rich cultural educational resources in Chicago’s public schools and to integrate the arts into classroom curriculum. Teachers and students use works in the permanent collection of the Art Institute as a foundation for the study of artists, movements, and styles. A final and extremely important goal is to encourage the continued preservation of the Chicago Public Schools’ cultural treasures.

For more information, contact: The Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Museum Education, Teacher Programs, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60603-6110. Teacher Resource Center: phone, 312-443-3719; Web site, www.artic.edu/aic/students.