Community Mural Unit — Arts In Education

Community Mural

Explore your community through shape and color! This unit connects students to their community through scientific observation, math, and color theory. Students reflect on their observations to create sensory poetry centered on place.

This unit is inspired by the work of students, educators, museum educators, and teaching artists in the Stories of the Land and Its People program.

Curricular Connections:

Sensory Writing
Poetry
Observation + Documentation
Measurements
Scale
Geometry

Vocabulary:

Composition
Shape
Vantage Point
Foreground / Middle-ground / Background
Depth
Color

Community Mural:

Notice: Notice colors and shapes in landscape works of art. How does a light source impact color? How many shades of color can you identify? Compare what you notice about size and scale of shapes in the foreground and background. What is the perspective or vantage point of this landscape?
Notice: Use describing words to journal how you feel looking at the work of art. What is the mood? Consider your senses as you list your observations. Create a sensory poem to accompany the painting.
Expedition: Visit a location in your community. Photograph different vantage points of the landscape. Sketch basic shapes of what you see and describe what you notice within the shape. You may use a straight edge or ruler to exaggerate each shape. For example, you may draw a rectangle for the ocean and document that the shades of blue may look lighter along the shoreline and darken into a purple as your eye moves out to sea. As you notice your environment, engage your senses. Include sensory notes in your observations and other important details. Is it windy? What time of day is it?
Curricular Connections: Reflect on your expedition experience and review your observational journal. What did you notice about how you felt while you were there? Create a sensory poem to share your experience. Build on the describing words you practiced looking at works of art.
Create: Practice color mixing your paint to explore various shades of color. For example, how many shades of blue can you make? Green? Consider how you may use your shades in a composition to create depth and texture. Notice works of art in the museum collection for inspiration.
Reflect: Explore creating abstract shapes with color in the studio. Use painter’s tape to mask your canvas as you paint. Consider what you learn about the technique as you practice.
Exhibit: Collaborate with others to outline a community mural. What components do you share in each of your individual drawings? What is important to include/exclude? If you are using multiple panels, use your math skills to measure and line up objects in your composition. Reflect on your shading activities to select colors that give a sense of depth and texture. Write community poems to accompany your piece.

Gallery of Student Work:

Farnsworth collection:

Notice these works of art in the Farnsworth Art Museum collection. How can we use color and shape to tell the story of a place or people? Look carefully at shape, line and color in these works of art.

Activity:

Use a photograph of a landscape/seascape or a work of art in the museum’s collection to create a drawing using shapes and lines. Using a straightedge, such as a ruler, to interpret the place using only straight lines and shapes.

Resources:

Guided Noticing Activity: Notice this work of art by artist Marguerite Zorach. What can we learn about this place and the people who live here? After noticing the work of art, follow along with museum educator Andrea Curtis in a guided noticing activity to learn more about the painting and the artist.

Maine Meadows, Old County Rd - L Nevelson from Farnsworth Art Museum on Vimeo.

Guided Noticing: Follow along with museum educator Denise Mitchell as she notices this work of art by Louise Nevelson. How does Nevelson represent a sense of place in this painting? What connections does she make to her community?

Stories of the Land and Its People

The Stories of the Land and Its People program encourages student participants to learn about people and places in their community. For more student project examples, visit our Student Exhibitions page.

Developed by:

Contributors:

Developed by Andrea L. Curtis, Farnsworth Art Museum, Arts in Education Program, 2021

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