These Kids Are Art Smart

by Ann Svensen

I think the reason that Rockwell named the piece what he did, Glass Bricks, is because he made the glass bricks on the building really stand out, and when I first looked at this piece that was the first thing I saw. I also think that in our society today many of the little things are left out or taken for granted.... I think Lance Rockwell is trying to show us what we leave out and things we don't notice. Tenth grade student

Drop in on a language arts class at Wisconsin's Wausau West High School, and you may find the room empty. Is everyone playing hookey? No! The students and teachers have found an even better place to learn: The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

Learning in the real world

What do I see in this artwork? What do I think or feel about it? What questions do I have? On each visit to the museum, 10th grade American Literature students set out to answer these questions. They pick a work of art. They study it, and write down their thoughts on a "response sheet." Later, they discuss their conclusions in small groups.

What do they learn? The goal of the exercise is for "the students to take learning into their own hands by following their personal connections," says English teacher Steve Fisher.

Though the venue is new, the questions are familiar. The students have been using them all year to study literature in class. Gregg Venne, Language Arts Head, suggested the museum visits as a great way to put the questioning skills the students were learning to a 'real world' test.

Is it working? Well, one student sure thinks so. After she finished the assignment, she said: "I wrote more on this art response than on any other I've done before. I never knew I could say so much about one picture of flowers. I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words!"

Breaking the mold

Visit an art museum, and you can expect the staff to tell you what's important about the art. At the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, the students make the choice. "What they bring is very valid and important," says museum curator, Michael Nelson. "Instead of lecturing, we look for teachable moments. If a student comments on the dreary colors and mood of a work, I'll say, for example, 'It's interesting that you feel that way. When the artist painted this work, he was very depressed because....' The student then takes real ownership of the idea."

There's an added benefit to learning through the arts. All people don't process information the same way, but most schools teach as if they do. This makes it hard for some kids to learn. Visual learners at Wausau were reluctant to write in class, but studying art helped them make connections. They became excited about learning, and their writing skills improved.

A work in progress

Every American literature class at Wausau West High tours the museum at least once a year. "The project has reached and continued far beyond our initial expectations," says Steve Fisher. Students have gained a greater appreciation for literature and a better understanding of detail by "responding to the painted word."

The artist used grays, monotone colors. There is a vent, bent, with paint chipping off. There are glass blocks dirtied so you can't see through them. There is a brick wall that has been painted over white...with stains of brown dripping down it. Everything is falling apart in the picture, things chipped and broken.... I noticed there is a Rock Dove sitting right on the edge of the sidewalk almost falling off.... Tenth grade student in response to Lance Rockwell's Glass Bricks

Lasting impact

Students in all different kinds of classes now go on museum visits. Wausau's automotive classes even paid a recent visit. The students toured the museum's Art from the Driver's Seat exhibition. They discussed their ideas, and sketched their own concept cars. "Their visit was a great success," says Assistant Museum Curator, Pam Adkinson. When it was time for one group to leave for lunch, they said "McDonald's can wait; we need more time!"

Of course, an automobile exhibition is an especially good fit for an automotive class, but Steve Fisher says "the link to the classroom does not have to be that direct for the visits to be successful. It's all about good teaching and good learning."

Excerpts from the Wisconsin English Journal

More on: Exploring the Arts