The Living Art Museum Storyline®

Grades: 1-6
Total Number of Pages:  222

PDF Manual -$60.00-The PDF will be emailed to you once the order is received.

The Living Art Museum Storyline begins with a hook. A backdrop of the painting Dance in the City by Renoir, is hung on a bulletin board. Two models are standing in front of the backdrop, dressed and posed with their arms around each other, just as Renoir painted them. Waltz music begins to play, and the characters glide about the floor. When the music stops, they move back to their places in the painting. A few seconds pass and they step out and introduce themselves. They tell enchanting stories of their evening in Paris, 1883.

When they finish, the models pause and come out of character. They introduce themselves as art experts from The Living Art Museum. They tell the history of Renoir’s life, and classify and critique his painting. They explain what their job as an art expert at the museum entails.

Before they leave, the models invite the students to create their own Living Art Museum and leave them with directions on how this can be accomplished.

Students accept the challenge and the study begins. Writing, poetry, music, and drama are integrated into the Storyline. An incident occurs during each artist study. In the context of creating an art museum, students acquire an in-depth art background as they learn to describe, analyze, interpret, and judge works of art.

Art projects are designed by the students using their growing knowledge of the elements of art, design, and artist techniques. Sample, student-designed, art projects, are presented in the book.

Following the Storyline, students are ready to build on the ideas they have learned and experienced. The study of the masters has provided them with models for technique and style. Now the students are ready to use their mentors’ ideas as a framework on which to climb to new levels of thinking and learning in all areas of study.

“To draw you must close your eyes and sing.”
–  Pablo Picasso