Fine Art Friday – Field Trip

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:43:00 +0000

Inspired By The Real Thing

I packed up my monster yesterday and we went into the city and to the Seattle Art Museum. I’ve taken him to galleries and to kids museums before but this was his first time checking out a museum with diverse and masterful works . I was giddy with the thought of him seeing a real Warhol, I was in my 20s before I got to. After our art project I have tips below on how to make field trips like this work for toddlers. Of all the awesome art we saw yesterday the one that he enjoyed and was the easiest to adapt to our needs was Sea Change by Jackson Pollock .

Gather your materials. You will need some paper, canvas or cardboard. We used cardboard because you need to have a fairly large piece and it’s all we had. You will need paint( I thinned ours just a tiny bit with a few drops of water) , a plate and some paint brushes.
Start by laying your canvas down with some extra paper or cardboard , this is messy.
Pour your paint onto a plate – we just used one plate but you can do different ones for each color.
Dip your brush in and fling it on. To get my son to use the right flinging action I told him to put a spell on the canvas, and it was perfect. We both flung the paint on.
He took my brush and put a double spell on it too!
Then we reached for the paint jars.
Let Dry.

This is a true lesson, while doing this we talked about the painting we saw and how Jackson Pollock made it. I asked him if this was as big as the painting we saw and other little questions to make connections to the field trip and this activity. Most of all though we had fun putting spells on the canvas.

Tips for Successful Museum Field Trips

Like I said this was our first museum visit , although we have gone into many many art galleries in recent months as his interest in paintings has blossomed.

Take Advantage of free days. This make it less frustrating if you need to leave because they have melted down or are done before you are. Also these days are busier which for an adult can be a negative but when you have a young child a noisier ( still not noisy) museum is a plus. We were able to talk in normal voices without distracting anyone. I didn’t have to shush him more than once and because of that I was able to positively reinforce how well behaved he was being and that encouraged even better behavior .

Feed them right before you go , hungry = cranky.

Have realistic expectations. We lasted almost an hour.

Don’t linger , accept that you may not have time to read the info for the works, at least I didn’t. After getting home and my son was napping I went on the museum’s website and caught up on what I missed.

If they really like a specific work of art go back to it, many times if need be. For me today was a chance to teach my son that art isn’t just in books . That people can experience it collectively, and it’s not static. That sounds lofty but it’s absolutely attainable if you break it down. By returning to a painting he liked ( Target by Jasper Johns) three times I was trying to foster a desire and love of seeing art in person. I want him to like art and museums and so following his lead was helping attain that.

When they say loudly that they are done, head for the elevators. This was the only time I shushed him today but it was clear to me and the 4 others looking at the alter pieces it was time to pack it in.

Have fun !

No Time For Flash Cards » Jackson Pollock

Fine Art Friday – Field Trip