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Friday Photos: Jumping in the DMA

Published January 14, 2011 Friday Photos 2 Comments
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Amy C. recently discovered the blog Jumping in Art Museums.  Over the holidays, we spent time in the Center for Creative Connections and in the Sculpture Garden jumping for joy with works of art.   

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Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching

Artworks in this slideshow include:
  • Jacques Lipchitz, The Bather, 1923-1925, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation Incorporated
  • Robert Delaunay, Eiffel Tower, 1924, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
  • Ellsworth Kelly, Untitled, 1982-1983, Dallas Museum of Art, commission made possible through funds donated by Michael J. Collins and matching grants from The 500, Inc., and the 1982 Tiffany & Company benefit opening
  • Barbara Hepworth, Figure for Landscape, 1960, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation Incorporated
  • Mark Handforth, Dallas Snake, 2007, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund and Lay Family Acquisition Fund
  • Mark Di Suvero, Ave, 1973, Dallas Museum of Art, Irvin L. and Meryl P. Levy Endowment Fund

The Benefits of a DMA Membership

Published December 16, 2010 Museum Insight Closed
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Did you know that the DMA offers a great membership deal for teachers?  For only $40 a year, a teacher membership includes:

  • Unlimited free general admission to the Museum for one adult
  • Free admission to most special exhibitions
  • Free parking during Museum hours
  • Exclusive invitations to member previews
  • Subscription to the Dallas Museum of Art Magazine
  • Museum car decal
  • Opportunity to join the Dallas Museum of Art League
  • Free admittance to Museum film series
  • Discounts in the Museum Store
  • Discounts on dining

If you’re interested in becoming a member of the DMA, teacher memberships must be requested by phone (214-922-1247) or by mail.  A PDF of the Teacher Membership Form is available online for you to print and mail.

In my opinion, one of the best benefits of a DMA membership is Member Appreciation Week.  We had our second annual Member Appreciation Week in late November, and the week was filled with tours, lectures, and even a private Arts and Letters Live event just for members.  Member Appreciation Week 2011 will be held in late November/early December–purchase a teacher membership now so you can participate in the fun!

Discussing Gerald Murphy's Watch with DMA Members During Member Appreciation Week

I had the opportunity to lead two tours during Member’s Week, and I had a great time exploring the galleries with our members.  Knowing that the people on my tours visit on a regular basis, I challenged them to look at familiar works of art in a new way: through a literary lens.  We examined paintings by Gerald Murphy, Jacques-Louis David, Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre, and a sculpture by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.  If you want to learn more about how these works of art relate to literature, check out my past blog post: Literary Connection to the DMA Collection.

If you would like to make your own literary connection to the collection, we will be releasing a self-guided tour called “What’s the Story” later this spring.  Once it is completed, you can download a PDF of the tour from home or you can pick up a copy at the Museum. 

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Friday Photos: Our Workspaces

Published December 3, 2010 Friday Photos 1 Comment
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I thought it might be a nice change of pace this Friday to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes at our workspaces.  We all agreed that photos of our desks were not allowed–who wants to see photos of stacks of papers?!  But we all keep small collections of objects at our desks–either for inspiration or as mementos of tours and programs–and I visited each of my colleagues to snap photos of their collections.  I hope you enjoy your tour of our workspaces.

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

The wall behind my desk is decorated with posters, art projects, and a PhotoShopped image of the 2005-2006 McDermott Intern class in the Gothic Bed.

Nicole’s desk contains a rotating gallery of inspiration.

Melissa’s desk boasts a poem written by Will Richey, a Venn Diagram comparing Melissa and Amy C., and her screen from our screenprinting retreat.

Amy C.’s desk is a gallery of artworks collected from various community festivals.

Jenny loves the Muppets and has a box of Muppets at her desk.

 

Amy W. recently found a box full of plastic animals and has set up a parade by her phone.

Karen has an “inspiration corner” with photos, artwork, and quotations.

Ashley always keeps tea and a mug at her desk.

Teaching with African Art

Published November 2, 2010 Art & Teaching Closed
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Prior to becoming the Coordinator of Museum Visits at the DMA, I served as a McDermott Curatorial Intern working with our curator of African art, Dr. Roslyn A. Walker.  During my year with Roz, I learned not only about the arts of Africa, but I also grew to love the DMA’s collection.  We have a fantastic collection of African art at the Museum, and I enjoy sharing it with our docents, teachers, and especially with students.

A few weeks ago, I led a docent training session entitled Art and Death in Africa.  A majority of African art deals with the cycle of life, so birth, initiation, and death are constantly referenced in our collection.  I felt that death was an especially interesting theme to investigate since it ties in so nicely to one of our current special exhibitions The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy.  Check out last Friday’s photo post for some of my favorite works from the collection relating to art and death in Africa.

Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria at the MFA, Houston

In September, I was invited to lead a Teacher Workshop at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston related to the exhibition Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria.  The works of art in the exhibition date from the 9th to the 15th century, and many of them have never traveled outside of Nigeria.  It was a special treat to see them, let alone to teach with them!  We spent time in the exhibition and also in the MFAH’s African galleries exploring the themes of kingship and belief.  At the end of the day, teachers created concrete poems inspired by a work of art in the Ife exhibition.  I was impressed with the teachers’ finished products, which were created on paper that they had embellished with a watercolor wash. 

A concrete poem created by one of the teachers

Later this month, I will be presenting Themes for Teaching with African Art at the Texas Art Education Association conference in Austin.  Using works of art from the DMA collection, I will share themes, questions, and experiences that can help students make connections between African art and traditions and their lives today.  If you’re attending TAEA this year and want to learn more about teaching with African art in your classroom, plan to attend my session at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 12th.  I hope to see you there!

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Friday Photos: Art and Death in Africa

Published October 29, 2010 Friday Photos 1 Comment
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Last week, I led a training session for our docents related to the theme of “Art and Death in Africa.”  In honor of this training session, and because Sunday is Halloween, I wanted to share some of my favorite pieces from the African collection that relate to the theme of death.  Some of these artworks represent ancestors, others were used at funerals, and one is a guardian figure for a reliquary.  To learn more about these works, visit the African collections online. 

Come back to the DMA Educator Blog on Tuesday when I’ll share information on additional projects that I have been working on related to African art. 

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Friday Photos: Mesquite ISD

Published October 15, 2010 Friday Photos 1 Comment
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We are fortunate to have a long-standing partnership with Mesquite ISD students and art teachers, and we all look forward to their DMA visits each year.  Last Thursday, thirty art and social studies teachers from Mesquite ISD spent the evening at the Museum exploring the galleries and special exhibitions in preparation for their upcoming DMA Mesquite Week visits.  Teachers visited a variety of special exhibitions, including The Mourners, the new C3 installation Encountering Space,  African Masks, and Mexico 200: Jose Guadalupe Posada.  After spending forty-five minutes in the galleries, teachers created a lesson plan relating to one of the exhibitions that they will use in their classrooms. The Posada exhibition sparked a lot of great ideas with the teachers, and it was exciting to hear how they plan on having students turn 2-D illustrations into 3-D works of art.

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This week we welcomed 7th and 8th grade students from each Mesquite middle school for docent-guided visits.  Students spent time in our special exhibitions, as well as in our European galleries.  Art I students focused on art historical developments during their tour, while Art II students viewed contemporary art. Over 1,200 Mesquite middle schoolers visited the DMA this week, and we’ll see each Mesquite 6th grader before the month of October is over!  

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Spotlight on Denise Ford, DMA Docent

Published September 21, 2010 Art & Teaching , People 4 Comments
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Today is our first day of tours for the 2010-2011 school year, and we are excited to share our collections and our new exhibitions–Arts of Mexico and African Masks: The Art of Disguise–with teachers and students from across the Metroplex.  Our tour calendar is filling up quickly, so if you want to schedule a DMA visit for your students, fill out our Online Visit Request Form soon.

With the start of tours comes the return of our fabulous docents.  This year, we have 108 docents who will give tours to K-12 and Higher Education students, as well as to adults.  I thought I would give you a chance to get to know one of our brand new docents, Denise Ford.*  Denise joined the DMA docent program last year, and this is her first year as a full-time touring docent.  If you bring your students for a tour on a Tuesday afternoon, you just might have Denise as your guide!

Docent Denise Ford in front of Hans Hofmann's Red and Blue Harmony

How long have you been a DMA docent?
I have been a docent for one year.

Why did you become a docent?
I became a docent because of my interest in art, my desire to interact with other people (especially students), and my desire to give back to the Dallas community.

Tell me about your experience in the docent program.
In the short time that I have been a docent, I have learned so much about art and how history and culture are such vital parts of art and artists.  I have met all kinds of people from all walks of life.  I have enjoyed spending time in the Museum with students, many of whom are new to the Museum.  I particularly like to encourage the students to develop ideas about the objects they are looking at.

What is your favorite work of art in the DMA collection?
My favorite work of art in the DMA collection is The Eye by David Altmejd.  The Eye was an object all students loved to see and interpret.  I also enjoy the Reves Collection , especially touring students because it helps them understand art outside of the museum and in someone’s home!

Share your best tour experience.
I had many memorable experiences and am trying to keep a tour journal.  Two experiences stand out from this past year.  The first was a male student who was somewhat quiet and stayed a little distant from the rest of the class.  After fifteen minutes or so, he warmed up and said, ‘You have a nice smile.’  The second was a group who was interested, informed, and welcomed challenging ideas.  One girl in this group latched onto my arm about halfway through the tour and never left my side until it was time to board the bus.  When she left, she said, “Before I came today, I did not think I liked art and museums.  I thought it was boring.  But I loved this, and want to bring my mom back with me.”

Docent Denise Ford with a group of 4th graders

Denise also understands how important teachers are in the lives of their students.  She says: “Although I have never taught school, I really appreciate the teachers who bring their students to the Museum.  Teaching requires a gift of patience and a kind spirit.  It is apparent when there is positive interaction between teachers and their students.”  I couldn’t agree with her more!  We hope to see you and your students at the DMA this year.

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

*If you would like to learn more about our docents, visit the DMA’s new blog Uncrated, which features an interview with docent Tom Matthews.

Friday Photos: The Dallas Arts District

Published September 10, 2010 Friday Photos 2 Comments
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Last year, the AT&T Performing Arts Center opened in Downtown Dallas, and everyone celebrated the completion of the Dallas Arts District.  October marks the one-year anniversary of the ATTPAC, and a month-long celebration has been planned throughout the Arts District, including performances, festivals, and more.    Art in October will end on October 31st with a Closing Celebration, including free admission to the DMA.  A complete calendar of events is available online.

Not only is the Arts District a great place to experience art and culture, but it’s also a wonderful place to explore architecture.  Below are some photos that I took between rainstorms this week of some of my favorite sites in the Arts District.  I hope you’ll bring your students down to explore the Arts District, too!

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

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Friday Photos: African Masks

Published August 6, 2010 Friday Photos Closed
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I am so excited for our upcoming special exhibition African Masks: The Art of Disguise, opening August 22nd.  We will offer Museum Visits and programs for teachers related to African Masks this fall.  We will also have a brand new African Masks themed Go van Gogh program. 

Some of our Teen Docents helped to create sample masks that volunteers can use during the African Masks Go van Gogh program.  I was so impressed with their creativity that I wanted to share their masks with you.  My favorite is the ferocious lion.

We’re currently accepting requests for the African Masks teacher workshop, as well as Museum visits and Go van Gogh –submit your request form today!

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Coming Soon: The 2010-2011 School Year

Published July 21, 2010 Art & Teaching , Museum Insight Closed
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It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over.  It seems like just yesterday that Amy and I were blogging about the end of the 2009-2010 school year and now we’re both preparing to schedule Go van Gogh programs and Museum visits for the 2010-2011 school year.

The Museum has an exciting exhibition schedule for the fall, and we will offer a variety of programs, including Teacher Workshops, Go van Gogh programs, and docent-guided visits, inspired by these exhibitions.  You can find more information on our Web site.

I am especially excited to offer the following special exhibition visits for the coming year.  These are topics that will appeal not only to art teachers, but to English and social studies teachers as well:

A complete listing of Teacher Workshops will be available in August, and we will begin taking reservations for Museum visits and Go van Gogh on August 1st (request forms will be available online).  Our calendars fill quickly, so schedule your programs early. We look forward to seeing you and your students at the DMA during the coming year!

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

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