Thomas Hart Benton, painter of the mural at the Truman Library, and two other regional artists, Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry are considered the most important artists in the Regionalism movement. This unit will take a look at each of these artists and compare and contrast their work and their lives.
Students will learn abou the art work of regional artists.
We will visit each artist's homepage on the web, view their artwork and learn about each man. 2. Students will look at vertical files of clippings, prints, museum brochures, etc. to find items that are interesting to them 3. Each day, students fill out one column of a three column sheet with Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and John Steuart Curry, as the categories.
Content Standard 1
(Creative Expression)
All students will apply skills and knowledge to perform in the arts.
Content Standard 2
(Creative Expression)
All students will apply skills and knowledge to create in the arts.
Content Standard 3
(Art Criticism)
All students will analyze, describe, and evaluate works of art.
Content Standard 4
(Art History)
All students will understand, analyze, and describe the arts in their historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Content Standard 5
(Aesthetics)
All students will recognize, analyze, and describe connections among the arts; between the arts and other
disciplines; between the arts and everyday life.
| T.H.B. - | Threshing Wheat 1939 | The Lord is My Shepherd 1926 |
| G.W.- | Stone City, Iowa 1930 | American Gothic 1930 |
| J.S.C.- | Wisconsin Farm Landscape 1941 | The Stockman 1929 |
- Books - John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood: A Portrait of Rural America by John Steuart Curry, Grant Wood, and Joseph S. Czestochowski
- Create a three column chart listing birth dates, hometown, economic standing, education, personal life, travel, etc.
- Gather together copies of articles and prints for a vertical file
Scope of Student Work: Each 45-minute class will be divided into three 15-minute sections: First, Investigation and Research: The students will look at the web site of the "Artist for the day". Second, Communication and/or Collaboration: In small groups, kids will pour over samples from a vertical file of relevant clippings. Third, Student decision making: The kids will fill out on their own charts what they found interesting about the artist and his work. Fourth and last day of the unit, the students will get together in small groups and create one chart using Microsoft 4.0 Works, using all of the above learning styles.
- Students will display their charts on the computer/TV hook up and present their information.
- Students will turn in their own copies of the chart, with a paragraph about how their copy changed after meeting in a small group, and what they learned from other students