Resource Materials for Educators and Docents
Resources include activities linked to Essential Standards for each of the core classes at every grade span, general classroom activities, artist biographies and links, and museum etiquette tips.
Modern Masterpieces and Bostian Alley
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Elementary: Modern Art Mystery at the Museum
(Aligned with NC Essential Standards)
Get ready to be junior art detectives!
These activities use your imagination and storytelling skills to explore the wonders of modern art!
Post-Impressionism & Fauvism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.3.2)
1. A World of Color! These paintings are bursting with bright, bold colors. Choose a painting. Imagine you stepped into the artwork. Write a short story about your adventure in this colorful world. What sounds might you hear? What might you touch or feel?
Expressionism & Abstract Expressionism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.4.3)
2. Feeling the Art! These paintings use strong emotions and energetic brushstrokes. Choose a painting. Imagine the artist is trying to tell you a story with their colors and shapes. What emotions do you see? Write a short poem or use descriptive words to share how this artwork makes you feel.
Action Painting (NC Essential Standards: Language Arts - L.4.1.a)
3. Action Hero Artist! Action paintings are created with big, sweeping movements. Pretend you are the artist who created this piece! Imagine the music you might listen to while creating this artwork. Describe the sounds and movements you would use to make this painting come to life.
Cubism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.5.1)
4. Cubist Clues! Cubist paintings show objects from many angles at once. Choose a painting. Imagine you are a detective trying to figure out what object the artist painted. Look for clues in the shapes and colors. Write a short story about your investigation and what you discover!
Impressionism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.2.7)
5. Brushstroke Bonanza! Impressionist paintings use many tiny brushstrokes to create a sense of light and movement. Choose a painting. Pretend you are describing this work of art to a friend who can't see it. Use vivid words and descriptive language to help them imagine the scene the artist captured.
Bonus Activity: Throughout the exhibit, encourage students to create their own short stories or poems inspired by the different art styles they encounter. Remember: Spark discussion! What did you learn about modern art? How can using words help you understand and appreciate these artworks?
• Keep it age-appropriate. Choose modern art that is visually engaging and
easy for young children to understand.
• Make it interactive. Encourage discussion, questions, and exploration of
the artwork.
• Most importantly, have fun! Modern art can be a great way to spark
creativity and critical thinking in young learners.
Middle School: Modern Art: Unleash Your Inner Critic
(Aligned with NC Essential Standards)
Get ready to become art critics! These activities combine your reading, writing,
and speaking skills to analyze and appreciate the world of modern art.
Post-Impressionism & Fauvism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature -
RL.6.4)
1. Beyond the Brushstrokes! These paintings use bold colors and expressive brushwork. Choose a painting. Write a short analysis identifying the emotions or mood the artist conveys through color choices and brushwork. Support your claims with textual evidence from the artwork itself (e.g., "The artist uses fiery reds and oranges to create a sense of anger").
Expressionism & Abstract Expressionism (NC Essential Standards: Writing - W.7.1)
2. The Power of Symbolism! These styles often use symbols and imagery to express strong emotions. Choose a painting. Write a well-developed paragraph analyzing the symbolic meaning of the shapes, colors, and figures used by the artist. Explain how these elements contribute to the overall message or feeling of the artwork.
Action Painting (NC Essential Standards: Speaking and Listening - SL.8.1)
3. Action Speaks Louder Than Words! Action paintings are created with bold, energetic gestures. Choose a painting. Form a small group and discuss the artist's process. Imagine the artist creating the piece. Use descriptive language to role-play a scene where you narrate the artist's movements and the sounds they might make while creating the painting.
Cubism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.7.3)
4. Multiple Perspectives! Cubist paintings show objects from different viewpoints at once. Choose a painting. Write a short narrative from the perspective of the object depicted in the artwork. Describe how the object feels being fragmented and seen from multiple angles.
Impressionism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.5.1)
5. Capturing a Moment in Time! Impressionist paintings create a sense of light and movement through short brushstrokes. Choose a painting. Imagine you are a character standing within the scene depicted. Write a descriptive journal entry detailing your observations and feelings about the place and time captured by the artist.
Bonus Activity: Throughout the exhibit, encourage students to write short reviews of their favorite artworks, explaining what makes them stand out and why they connect with them.
• Use modern art as inspiration for character descriptions.
• Have students create stories based on found object art pieces.
• Explore the link between modern art movements (e.g., Surrealism) and
specific literary genres (e.g., magical realism).
Remember: Spark discussion! What surprised you about modern art? How can
analyzing the elements of art help you appreciate it on a deeper level?
High School: Modern Art Masterclass: Analyze. Interpret. Create.
(Aligned with NC Essential Standards)
Welcome, art aficionados! These activities will challenge you to analyze, interpret, and even create your own responses to the captivating world of modern art.
Post-Impressionism & Fauvism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.9-10.4)
1. Beyond the Surface: Symbolism and Meaning. Choose a painting. Write a close analysis identifying the symbolic meaning of the artist's color choices, brushwork, and subject matter. How do these elements contribute to the overall theme or message of the artwork? Support your analysis with evidence from art historical context and relevant critical theories (e.g., post-impressionism's focus on emotional expression).
Expressionism & Abstract Expressionism (NC Essential Standards: Writing -
W.11-12.1)
2. Art as Social Commentary. Many expressionist and abstract expressionist works address social or political issues. Choose a painting. Write a well developed essay analyzing how the artist uses form, content, and technique to express a particular social or political commentary. Consider the historical context of the artwork and how it might be interpreted by different audiences.
Action Painting (NC Essential Standards: Speaking and Listening - SL.11-12.1)
3. Performance and Process. Action painting is often associated with performance and physicality. Form a small group and research the creative process of a prominent action painter (e.g., Jackson Pollock). Prepare a short multimedia presentation that combines visuals, music, and narration to recreate the artist's process and analyze how it contributes to the final artwork.
Cubism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.9-10.3)
4. Fragmentation and Narrative. Cubist paintings challenge traditional notions of perspective. Choose a painting. Write a creative story from the perspective of a fragmented object depicted in the artwork. Explore the themes of identity, perception, and the challenges of piecing together a whole from fragmented perspectives.
Impressionism (NC Essential Standards: Reading Literature - RL.11-12.7)
5. Evoking Emotions Through Light and Color. Impressionist paintings create a sense of atmosphere through light and color. Choose a painting. Write a descriptive poem capturing the emotions and sensory details evoked by the artist's use of light, color, and brushwork. Utilize vivid imagery and figurative language to bring the scene to life.
Bonus Activity: Challenge students to create their own modern art piece inspired by a specific style or artist. Encourage them to write a short artist's statement explaining their creative process and the ideas they aim to convey.
• Have students write ekphrastic poems inspired by modern artwork.
• Analyze the role of technology in modern art and connect it to themes in
contemporary literature (e.g., dystopian novels).
• Explore the ethical considerations of appropriation in modern art and relate it to plagiarism discussions.
Remember: Spark lively discussions! How do these artworks challenge traditional artistic conventions? How can analyzing and interpreting art help us understand the world around us?
Online Resources (ELA)
How to Connect Art and Poetry in the Art Room (Poetry)
12 Poem Pairing to Inspire Creative Expression in your Classroom (Poetry)
How to Incorporate Poetry to Boost Process in Advanced Secondary Art
Ekphrastic Poems: How to Use Language Arts to Hone Visual Literacy Skills
Visual Art and English Language Arts Resources
Weaving Art Into Literacy Instruction
Using Art to Teach Literary Skills
The Art of the Matter: 3 Reasons to Use Images in Your ELA Classroom
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INTEGRATION OF CONTENT INTO CORE SUBJECTS
Language Arts / Math / Social Studies / Science
Modern Art Classroom Connections - Elementary through High School
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BOSTIAN ALLEY: THEN AND NOW
The 1937 Bostian Alley photographs by Alex Smoot and Margaret Boylan Smoot offer historic insight into Rowan County’s past. The photographs selected for the exhibition reflect the people and the way of life of Bostian Alley, a section of downtown Salisbury, which was located on corner of North Main and Church streets, and East Franklin and Cemetery streets. It was razed in the late 1940s. A poor area at the best of times, Bostian Alley was immortalized in these photographs taken during the depths of the Great Depression. The overall tone of the images is not the somber one that many great photographs of that era tend to convey. Instead, children are laughing and dancing, young men and women are captured with an air of pride and enthusiasm, and the elderly citizens of the Alley look on with caring and contentment.
Hear the words of Betty Lou Smith, who grew up in Bostian Alley, come alive in an awe-inspiring immersive experience. It is apparent that Bostian Alley was a vibrant and dynamic place in spite of the challenges faced by those who called it home. Viewers of this exhibition will truly get a sense of the community and feel that they were there on those days as the shadows grew longer and the light grew dimmer…
Alex Smoot was a pathologist born in Salisbury who spent most of his years in Greensboro. He and Margaret Boylan met in college and later married (4 July 1949). They were avid photographers and won many photography competitions. Their work is collected widely throughout the region, and has been exhibited in many prestigious venues. Margaret Boylan Smoot died in 1987; Alex Smoot died in 2000.
The 1937 Bostian Alley photographs are a part of the Waterworks Visual Arts Center Education Collection.
Stay Tuned more to follow…