Objects are one way of understanding the world. This teacher's guide offers a method of analyzing objects that, once understood, can be applied in the classroom, on site, or in museums and galleries. Focus is upon artifacts rather than natural objects. Cross-curricular applications and teaching techniques are given. Sample exercises, discussion…

This teacher's guide gives practical suggestions for engaging intermediate level students in a study of portraits, based on the assumption that through the image both the sitter and artist reveal something about themselves and the intended purpose of the portrait. Organized in four chapters, Chapter 1, "Talking to the Wall," looks at the…

Presents a series of lesson plans analyzing four paintings. The lesson plans use discipline-based art-education principles to examine issues of racial, ethnic, social, and gender prejudice. The artists represented are Robert Gwathmey, Thomas Hart Benton, Eastman Johnson, and Jacob Lawrence. Includes color plates and background information. (MJP)

Presents three works of art that examine issues of exhibition, display, culture, and access in contemporary museum practices. The works include four black mannequins dressed as security guards, a room-size installation consisting solely of objects related to the artist, and a poster highlighting the general exclusion of women artists. (MJP)

This book argues that people live simultaneously in two different cultures. Values of the first culture are imparted to children through curriculum in the nation's public school classrooms. The second culture is the world of mass communication that promotes consumption, instant gratification, and impulse. The clash between these cultures confronts…