Program Components:

• Educator Meetings (2 meetings)

• Museum Visit (2 visits)

• In-school Presentation

• Educator Arts-Integration Lesson (1 lesson)

• Educator Observation and Evaluation Forms

Vintage Valentines
(Grades 5-12)

January 2020 - February 2020

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

In this Unit, students will explore poetry and descriptive writing through collage and visual storytelling in the museum galleries and art studio. With a vintage twist, students will create mixed-media works of art from found objects, books, magazines, recycled materials, and other forms of ephemera. Educators will connect to their classroom curriculum with sensory language and found poetry activities. With a focus on “kindness,” students will create Vintage Valentines to share with their classmates and friends. Classroom themes include:

• Poetry and Descriptive Writing

• Visual Storytelling

• Communication and Kindness

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Margaret Rizzio, Teaching Artist

To submit a letter of interest for this program, please click here.

Program Components:

• Educator Meetings (2 meetings)

• Museum Educator In-school (1 visit)

• Museum Visit (2 visits)

• Artist In-school (3 visits)

• In-school Presentation

• Educator Arts-Integration Lesson (1 lesson)

• Educator Observation and Evaluation Forms

Music by the Sea
(Grades 2-5)

September 2019 - March 2020

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

Inspired by 19th century to contemporary seascapes of New England students will connect descriptive language and sound to poetry writing activities in the museum galleries. Partnering with musician and composer, Scot Cannon, we will compose original “sea shanties” for works of art in the museum’s collection and connect these original songs to classroom learning. Classroom themes include:

• Maine Maritime Industry

• History and Technology

• Poetry and Descriptive Writing

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Scot Cannon, Teaching Artist

To submit a letter of interest for this program, please click here.

Program Components:

• Educator Meetings (2 meetings)

• Museum Visit (1 visit)

• Expeditionary Field Trip (1 visit)

• Educator Arts-Integration Lesson (1 lesson)

• Educator Observation and Evaluation Forms

Maidenhair
(Grades 4-12)

October 2019

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

Students will explore creative writing in the galleries with a focus on character development, vantage point, and setting as we study Maidenhair, 1974 by artist Andrew Wyeth. With museum educators, students will gather visual evidence from the work of art to collaboratively develop their central character. Inspired by visual storytelling and an exploration of place, students will create their own stories, considering what happens next!

This unit includes an expeditionary field trip to the Old German Meeting House in Waldoboro, Maine, the setting of Wyeth’s Maidenhair, 1974. In partnership with the Jean Lawrence at the Waldoboro Historical Society, students will learn the history behind this work of art, explore what was left out of Wyeth’s composition, and consider how this new information may change their story. In addition, museum educators will share Wyeth’s Maidenhair studies to highlight Wyeth’s choices in creating his final work.

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Jean Lawrence, Community Partner

To submit a letter of interest for this program, please click here.

Program Components:

• Educator Meetings (2 meetings)

• Gallery and Studio Experience (1 visit)

• Studio Experience (1 visit)

• In-school Presentation

• Educator Arts-Integration Lesson (1 lesson)

• Educator Observation and Evaluation Forms

Art and Advocacy
(Grades 5-12)

december 2018 - June 2019

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animal/Zodiac Heads: Gold exhibition at the Farnsworth Art Museum, students will consider the connection between art and advocacy. Gallery experiences will highlight the historical context of this work and introduce contemporary conversation stimulated by Ai Weiwei’s work. Students will consider their local community and beyond as they develop their own art advocacy installation.

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Classroom Art Teacher

To submit a letter of interest for this program, please click here.

Program Components:

• Educator Meetings (2 meetings)

• Gallery and Studio Experience (1 visit)

• Studio Experience (1 visit)

• Educator Arts-Integration Lesson (1 lesson)

• Educator Observation and Evaluation Forms

Birds, Bees, and Butterflies - Oh My!
(Grades 4-5)

October 2018

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

Study pollinators found in your school gardens with scientific illustrator, Karen Talbot and museum educator, Andrea Curtis.  Practicing careful noticing in the galleries, participants will fine tune their observations through drawing activities and consider the environmental contributions of local pollinators. In the studio, students will practice the process of reflection and critique in their watercolor studies and make connections in the classroom as they research the anatomy, habitats, and environmental impacts of local pollinators.

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Karen Talbot, Teaching Artist

Calico Maine
(Grades 3-5)

October - November 2017

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

Inspired by the works of Maine artists Dahlov Ipcar and Marguerite Zorach, explore colors, shapes, patterns, and textures in picturesque representations of animals and plants in the Farnsworth’s “Marguerite Zorach – An Art-Filled Life” exhibition.  How can we use color and shapes to tell a story?  Joined by artist and scientific illustrator, Karen Talbot, we will practice techniques of blending, mixing, and shading in the studio as we try our hand at representing the Maine Chickadee using bold shapes, textures, patterns, and color.

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Karen Talbot, Teaching Artist

Ecology and Art
(Grades 9-12)

October - November 2017

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

Partnering with artist and naturalist, Tim Christensen, we will deeply notice New England landscapes in the Farnsworth’s collection of American art.   Through an examination of land formations and environmental details, participants will uncover ecological clues embedded in 18th and 19th century landscapes.  We will consider symbiotic relationships found in nature and select our own natural objects to study in the studio.  Practicing the technique of sgraffito, we will consider positive and negative space and texture as we classify and etch representations of our natural subjects into clay.

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Tim Christensen, Teaching Artist

Creative Writing (Grades 9-12)

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

In this Creative Writing unit students utilize the Farnsworth collection to explore elements of writing such as character development, setting, and plot. Gallery noticing activities, collaborative story-telling exercises, and descriptive writing prompts encourage students to create magical stories that connect to classic works of American art.

Facilitator: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator

Scientific Illustration
(Grades 3-5)

october-november 2016

Registration Deadline: Unit has been filled

The Scientific Illustration unit will explore a deeper understanding of the natural world through careful noticing strategies, in-school research, and art-making activities. Students will investigate works of art and sharpen their drawing skills in the Farnsworth galleries, transferring these skills back to the classroom as they investigate their local eco-systems.  

Facilitators: Andrea Curtis, Museum Educator and Karen Talbot, Teaching Artist