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A Look Back at the 2011-2012 School Year

Published June 8, 2012 Friday Photos Closed
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School is out for the summer! It’s amazing how quickly this busy year flew by. We’d like to take a moment to celebrate some of the accomplishments of this year, and look ahead to some of the highlights for next year.

Museum Visits

  • During the course of the year, we provided docent-guided tours to approximately 37,352 people.
  • The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibition brought in the most docent-guided and self-guided groups with a whopping 11,455 visitors.
  • This fall, we anticipate a large number of group tours for The Legacy of the Plumed Serpent in Ancient Mexico exhibition.  We begin taking requests for the 2012-2013 school year on August 1st, so don’t forget to sign up!

Loryn Leonard
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Go van Gogh Classroom Visits

Thank you docents, Go van Gogh volunteers, students, and teachers, for a wonderful year!

Hannah Burney
Go van Gogh Programs Assistant

Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas

Published May 29, 2012 works of art Closed
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Even if you have never heard of the German Expressionist George Grosz, many of his paintings may be very familiar to you. The Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas exhibition highlights a range of Grosz’s work over a lifetime, with graphic works, paintings, and contextual photographs. Recently opened at the DMA, this special exhibition features twenty paintings Grosz created of our very own home: Dallas, Texas.

Born and raised in Germany, Grosz gained fame and notoriety in the 1920s with his satirical drawings of life in Berlin. His open and ever-increasing dissatisfaction with German government ultimately led to his move to America in 1933. As a child, he fantasized about America as a perfect place where everyone’s dreams could come true. He loved reading books about American life, especially the Wild West, and he dreamed of one day going to Texas to see it for himself. His childhood dream came true when he was commissioned to paint a series about Dallas. In 1952, Leon Harris, Jr., the young vice president of the department store A. Harris & Company, commissioned the series as a part of the celebrations for the store’s 65th anniversary.

At fifty-nine years old, Grosz arrived in Dallas to discover that it wasn’t quite as wild as he imagined. Dallas of the 1950s was a bustling, prosperous metropolis undergoing continuous change and growth. Primarily execeuted in watercolor, Grosz’s series illustrates the modernity of the new city, but also seems to capture the dreamlike quality of his imagination.

In celebration of Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, the museum has created a variety of fun programs throughout the summer for all ages.

Hope to see you all there,

Hannah Burney
McDermott Intern for Teaching Programs and Partnerships

Artworks shown:

Self Portrait, George Grosz, 1936, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of A. Harris and Company in memory of Leon A. Harris, Sr.

A Dallas Night, George Grosz, 1952, watercolor on paper, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, anonymous gift in memory of Leon A. Harris

Cowboy in Town, George Grosz, 1952, watercolor, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of A. Harris and Company in memory of Leon A. Harris, Sr.

Cattle, George Grosz, 1952-1953, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of A. Harris and Company in memory of Leon A. Harris, Sr.

Flower of the Prairie, George Grosz, 1952, watercolor on paper, University Art Collection, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas Gift of Leon A. Harris, Jr.  UAC.1961.10

Friday Photos: Thank you, Go van Gogh Volunteers!

Published May 18, 2012 Friday Photos , People 2 Comments
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As the school year draws to a close, it is important for us to recognize the commitment and devotion of our wonderful Go van Gogh volunteers.  Every spring, we organize a special field trip or party to celebrate our volunteers.  Last Friday, we were fortunate to have a behind-the-scenes tour of the Wyly Theatre, led by Dallas Theater Center Director of Education and Community Enrichment Rachel Hull.  Rachel fascinated us with interesting facts about the Theatre and its innovative engineering and productions. Afterward, we walked over for a delicious lunch at The Commissary in One Arts Plaza.  We are lucky to have such delightful neighbors in the Arts District!

Standing in the wings onstage

In the costume room

THANK YOU, Go van Gogh volunteers, for another successful school year!

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

Friday Photos: The Best Thank You Notes Ever

Published February 24, 2012 Friday Photos 3 Comments
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Every once in a while, we are fortunate to receive thank you letters from students after their docent-guided tours and Go van Gogh classroom visits.  Below are some of our favorites:

Inspired by a Japanese bronze sculpture, pictured below

Takenouchi no Sukune Meets the Dragon King of the Sea, 1875-1879, Japan, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young

Inspired by the Egyptian collection

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

Intern Project: Artworks for Me & My World

Published February 21, 2012 Art & Teaching Closed
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Last month, Jessica and I introduced you to Me & My World, a program specifically designed for first grade students. There are two versions of the program, one created for tours in the museum and another developed for classroom visits. Although Jessica and I will be doing a lot of collaborating, she will be primarily focusing on the docent-led tour, while I will be working on the Go van Gogh classroom experience.
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Our first step in the Me & My World revision process was to select new works of art for each program. Go van Gogh is a sixty-minute program that is broken up into two equal parts of looking at works of art and then making works of art. With half an hour to look closely and discuss the art, there is just enough time to have quality experiences with four artworks. With thousands to choose from within the collection, picking just four is no easy task. When teaching in the classroom, we bring reproductions of artworks to be projected onto a screen; as a result, visibility can become an issue. For example, paintings that are really dark usually won’t project well, and sculptures with a lot of detail or incising can be washed out and difficult to see. Besides keeping all of these basic logistical challenges in mind, it was also really important to find works specifically ideal for engaging first-graders.

We started by seeking the advice of volunteers, docents, and education staff for their insights from past experiences. This resulted in a lot of great ideas, almost too many! To further narrow down our selections, we developed two main criteria to focus on: themes and teaching opportunities. In an effort to make the programs well-rounded with a variety of diverse topics, we categorized the artworks by themes, such as family or sports. These themes are meant to be easy for first-graders to relate to, so they can develop personal connections with the works. Then, by using the DISD curriculum for first grade, we created a general list of possible teaching opportunities that could be addressed through looking at art. Finally, we chose works that clearly matched some of those teaching goals and also fit into one of the themes.

With the thoughtful suggestions of our department, volunteers, and docents, as well as the criteria Jessica and I created, I was able to narrow down my search to seven final works of art to begin testing for Go van Gogh. I provided two examples below.

Apple Harvest, Camille Pissarro, 1888, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund

Theme: Family/Teamwork

Teaching Moments

  • Look at brushstrokes/dots of paint
  • Count the people
  • Name the colors
  • Discuss the weather/seasons

Personal Connections

  • Teamwork – helping family or working with other students at school
  • Fruit/food
  • Outdoor activities

Wild Cattle of South Texas: Ancestors of the Longhorns, Tom Lea, 1945-1946, oil on canvas covered masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Life Magazine

Theme: Natural World/Texas

Teaching Moments

  • Discuss and count longhorns – native to Texas
  • Look at landscape – cactus, stream, plush green trees and grass
  • Talk about weather/seasons

Personal Connections

  • Texas
  • Animals
  • Outdoors

In preparation for testing these artworks with first-graders, I will need to develop guidelines for conversation and activities that incorporate various learning styles. If you have had any memorable experiences with activities or conversation starters related to these themes, please share them in the comments section below!

Hannah Burney
McDermott Education Intern for Teaching Programs and Partnerships

Intern Project: Introduction to Me & My World

Published January 11, 2012 Art & Teaching 4 Comments
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Me & My World is an hour-long education program for first graders. We offer it as a docent-guided tour as well as a Go van Gogh classroom experience. Both programs introduce students to artwork in our collection with:

Both programs give the first-graders an opportunity to create artwork to take home with them at the end of the museum visit or school day. The overall goal is to assist the students in looking carefully at various works of art and making personal connections to them.  Because the settings are different (Museum galleries vs. school classroom) the experiences with works of art vary. Here is an example for Mary Cassatt’s Sleepy Baby from Go van Gogh:

Sleepy Baby, Mary Cassatt c. 1910, pastel on paper, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund

Clues: a piece of a pink blanket, a pacifier, and the arm gesture of rocking a baby

After a conversation about the mother and baby (“Have you ever held a baby? Do you have a baby brother or sister at home? Have you ever sat on someone’s lap? How did it feel?”) a brief poem is read aloud to the class:

Human Pillow
By Sondra Falck

A sleepy head lay yawning,
Quietly on my chest,
His little legs were tired,
Needing a bit of rest.

Little boy, face filled with dreams,
Of all he planned to do,
Games to play and trees to climb,
Before this day was through.

 Busy dreamer, sound asleep,
Had to find the softest lap,
To be his human pillow,
So he could take a nap.

As a class, we discuss connections between the poem and the work of art. Then, we create a poem of our own, by asking the students to finish the sentence “Babies are ___”. When completed, it will look something like this: 

Babies are _soft_.
Babies are ­­­_sweet_.
Babies are _loud_.
Babies are _smelly_.
Babies are _squishy_.
Babies are _sleepy_.

Here is an example of Romare Beardon’s Soul Three from the Docent Tour:

Soul Three, Romare Bearden, 1968, paper and fabric collage on board, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and Roberta Coke Camp Fund

Soul Three, Romare Bearden, 1968, paper and fabric collage on board, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and Roberta Coke Camp Fund

 

Clues: Detail of cloth from the collage, a foot tapping, and a tambourine

There are two themes that can be brought up during this conversation: one highlights what the students see in the painting (patterns, shapes, colors, figures) and the other explores the relationship of the people and the activity that they are participating in.

After this conversation, the students are encouraged to create a story about these three friends by considering the following prompts:

  • Give each of the gentlemen and the lady a name.
  • How did they meet each other?
  • What kind of music do they like to play?
  • Where are they playing their music?
  • Who is listening to them play? Are there other people around?
  • What happens when they stop playing their music?

The activity encourages the students to pose like one of the figures in the work of art and then choose one part of their body to move when the docent claps out a rhythm. Since we love working with children of all ages, we have decided to revise both of the Me &  My World programs as our McDermott Intern Project. We are still in the brainstorming stage, and we would love your help!

What are some of your favorite works of art from the DMA collection to use with young visitors? Has our collection inspired any fun activites that you use with your students? Tell us in the comments!

Jessica Kennedy & Hannah Burney
McDermott Interns for Teaching Programs and Partnerships

The Dancing Pants

Published December 6, 2011 works of art 3 Comments
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I recently became really inspired by one of my favorite Go van Gogh programs in which we discuss an abstract painting that we have paired with a Shel Silverstein poem. I really loved the new associations and meanings this juxtaposition brought to light. I decided to find more connections between Silverstein and the collection. Below you will find the original pairing that inspired me, followed by my own couplings.

1.

The Dancing Pants

And now for the Dancing Pants,
Doing their fabulous dance.
From the seat to the pleat
They will bounce to the beat,
With no legs inside them
And no feet beneath.
They’ll whirl, and twirl, and jiggle and prance,
So just start the music
And give them a chance –
Let’s have a big hand for the wonderful, marvelous,
Super sensational, utterly fabulous,
Talented Dancing Pants!

The Reveler

2.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends,
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Clouds (Wolken) 

3.

Hug O’War

I will not play at tug o’ war
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses
And everyone grins
And everyone cuddles
And everyone wins.

The Divers

4.

My Guitar

Oh, wouldn’t it be a most wondrous thing
To have a guitar that could play and could sing
By itself – what an absolute joy it would be
To have a guitar…that didn’t need me.

The Guitarist

6.

The Deadly Eye

It’s the deadly eye
Of Poogley-Pie.
Look away, look away,
As you walk by,
‘Cause whoever looks right at it
Surely will die
It’s a good thing you didn’t…
You did? …
Good-bye.

Black-figure kylix

Space
And last but certainly not least, a very special quote from Shel Silverstein…

Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.

Legal Pad Sheet

Space
These are some of the artworks I associate with Shel Silverstein’s poems. What comes to mind when you read them? Are there other artworks that they could be paired with?

Want to explore more literary connections to art? Check out Arts and Letters Live. See what this year has in store for music, film, and performance at the DMA when the 2012 season is announced on December 8th. Programs fun for all ages!

SPACE

Hope you enjoy,

Hannah Burney

McDermott Intern for Teaching Programs and Partnerships

space

Images used:

The Reveler, Jean Dubuffet, 1964, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark

Clouds (Wolken), Sigmar Polke, 1989, mixed media on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund and the Contemporary Art Fund:  Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon E. Faulconer, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant M. Hanley, Jr., Marguerite and Robert K. Hoffman, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, Deedie and Rusty Rose, Gayle and Paul Stoffel, and two anonymous donors

The Divers, Fernand Leger, 1942, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the James H. and Lillian Clark Foundation

The Guitarist, Pablo Picasso, 1965, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, The Art Museum League Fund

Legal Pad Sheet, Alex Hay, 1967, spray lacquer and stencil on linen, Dallas Museum of Art, Ruth and Clarence Roy Fund and DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund

Black-figure kylix, Greek; Attic, last quarter 6th century B.C., ceramic, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil H. Green

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Published October 27, 2011 Art & Teaching , People 1 Comment
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I spy with my little eye…children at the museum!

On any given day, there are always programs being offered for our younger museum visitors. During the week, you can often spot them in lively school groups engaging in interactive docent tours. And don’t be surprised if their enthusiasm can be heard from the hallways as they participate in exciting art activities in the Center for Creative Connections. Our programs also go beyond the museum and into the community, bringing art to the classroom with Go van Gogh. These are just a few examples of the many ways the folks here at the DMA are facilitating fun learning experiences that encourage participation and self-expression. But don’t take it from me! Our young participants really say it best. Below are some of their candid comments from the 2011 – 2012 school year.

Docent Tours

  • “These paintings look weird to me,” a puzzled 4th-grade girl commented while walking through the Impressionist gallery.
  • “Wouldn’t you like to drink out of these amazing cups?” a docent asked about a group of gold Peruvian mugs. “Uh, if I cleaned them first,” replied a 4th-grade boy.
  • A 4th-grade boy noticed a Peruvian Mask with copper covered eye holes and mused, “I wonder how many times the guy wearing that ran into the wall?”
  • “Even if you are a leader, you still need help,” reasoned a 4th-grade boy when asked to interpret the proverb expressed by an African sculpture.
  • After an hour long tour, these 4th-graders still wanted more, as expressed by this excited girl who asked, “What else are we going to see? Are we going to see the really really really big artworks now?!” Referring to the Mark Bradford work they had passed by on the way in.

Center for Creative Connections

  • “They always make us paint with crazy things!” said a young girl in reaction to painting with kitchen tools in an Arturo’s Art & Me class.
  • “I thought it was going to be a person, but it turned out to be a ballerina,” explained an eight-year-old girl about her finished artwork.
  • A nine-year-old girl titled her art piece Man Gives Flowers and reflected that, while she made it, she thought of “romantic love.”

Go van Gogh Classroom Programs

  • “Hi, I am from the Dallas Museum of Art!” announced the volunteer. “Really?! Yessss. I LOVE art!!” exclaimed an enthusiastic 2nd-grade girl.
  • “Make the minutes last! Make the next two minutes an hour!” declared a 5th-grade boy after being told that only five minutes remained.
  • “Wow,” a 4th-grade boy said of the hat he was making, “mine is turning out reeeeally neat.”
  • “I have no idea what I am doing. I just went wild on it,” laughed a 4th-grade boy about his art project.

If you have any memorable museum moments with kids, please share them in the comments section!

Hannah Burney

McDermott Education Intern for Teaching Programs and Partnerships

Meet Our New Go van Gogh Volunteers

Published September 22, 2011 Art & Teaching , People 2 Comments
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So far this month, we have introduced you to our new docents and our new interns.  I am happy to feature another group of friendly faces this week – our new Go van Gogh volunteers.  We have fifteen new volunteers this year, which may be our largest class in the past ten years.  I am excited about the range of backgrounds, experiences, and interests this enthusiastic group brings with them.

The volunteers show off their creations during their training for the African Masks and Headwear program .

Below are some fun facts about our volunteers starting with the bottom row, left to right:

  • In addition to having a Nursing degree, Gio also loves to paint and has produced more than 100 drawings and paintings in his free time.
  • Stephen’s passion for art and design, as well as his belief that volunteering makes a positive impact on the community, inspired him to volunteer along with his girlfriend…
  • …Dorly, who comes to us with a degree in Art and Performance, which will definitely come in handy in the classroom.
  • Mary is currently pursuing a PhD in Art Education at UNT and was also an education intern at the Rachofsky House this past summer (where I met her, and recruited her after she kindly encouraged me during a challenging studio art activity).
  • Michele also has a Nursing degree, and has pursued a great many other things including designing jewelry that has been sold nationwide, making a teaching video for developing countries, and writing a feature article for a major magazine.

Top row, from left to right:

  • Pam owned a window treatment business in the NYC tri-state area before recently moving a stone’s-throw distance to the DMA.
  • Sarah is part of a ceramics co-op that provides opportunities to join other artists in creative pursuits.  She originally became interested in Go van Gogh ten years ago and decided this was the year to join the program!
  • Sandy recently moved to Dallas from the Houston area after teaching language arts for fifteen years, during which she often incorporated works of art into her students’ assignments.
  • Jennie was recruited by two friends who are Go van Gogh volunteers and told her how much they loved the program.
  • Doris also recently moved from Houston, where she gained extensive art education experience in Houston ISD and museum education experience as a docent at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
  • Barbara retired earlier this year after a career in Occupational Therapy, and one of her three goals for post-retirement is “finding ways to give back to the local, national, and/or world communities through volunteerism”.

Not pictured here:

  • Cristina is fortunate to work at a company that encourages volunteering, and will adjust her work schedule to accommodate her love of children and desire to “share with them the joy and excitement of art”.
  • Recently retired from Dealey Montessori, Dennis is finding his schedule to be full of his favorite pursuits, which include acting and playing chess.
  • Erin earned a degree in Studio Art and has experience in painting, sculpture, printmaking, pottery, and graphic design.  Like Cristina, Erin works full time and is adapting her schedule to volunteer with Go van Gogh.
  • Jane served as a docent at the Milwaukee Art Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art, and also led art appreciation classes in her children’s classrooms as a parent volunteer.
  • Laura has a degree in fibers and printmaking and has worked with homeschool students to make costumes and stage props.

Be on the lookout for these volunteers as they begin teaching in Dallas classrooms over the coming months!

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

Extra! Extra! Special Go van Gogh program for fifth grade classrooms

Published August 12, 2011 Art & Teaching , works of art Closed
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This year, Go van Gogh is offering a special program exclusively to fifth grade classrooms during the month of September.  Art of the American Indians is inspired by our special exhibition Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection, on view until September 4.  We are excited to offer a program with such strong ties to the fifth grade Social Studies emphasis on  American history.

Horse Mask, c. 1875-1900, Nez Perce or Cayuse, Idaho, Oregon, or Eastern Washington, Thaw Collection, Fennimore Art Museum, photograph by John Bigelow Taylor

Since the exhibition closes soon, we’re extending this offer from September 19-29 only.  Request your program now using our online request form!

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

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