Pre- and Post-Visit Activities

The Art of Stories

Pre-Visit Activities

• Introduce students to the Allentown Art Museum by describing what it is, where it is located, and what it contains. Ask students: What is a museum? Has anyone ever visited the Allentown Art Museum or another museum before? What did you see at the museum?
• Ask students to share their favorite story, fairytale, or myth. Ask students to share a story they created themselves.
• Ask students: Can a work of art tell a story? How can they "read" what is going on in a painting or sculpture?
• Use a map to locate the countries presented in the program: India, Japan, and the United States.

Post-Visit Activities

• Review the outreach program with students. What did they see? What did they do? What was their favorite part of the program? What was their favorite artwork presented? Have the students create a thank-you card to send to the field docent who worked with your class. Have them draw their favorite artwork on the front.
• Using the Museum's online collection, have students tell a story using a work of art as the departure point. Ask students to use descriptive words and to include the way the artwork makes them feel and why. For younger students, pre-select additional images for them to view.
• Have students create an artwork (painting, drawing, collage, etc.) that tells a story based on a special moment in their lives.
• Invite an artist into the classroom who practices a specific cultural art form such as African drumming, traditional South East Asian dancing, or Chinese puppetry to further explore the art and culture of other countries.

More Outreach Programs

THE ART OF STORIES
LET'S GO PENNSYLVANIA!
MOSTLY MODERN: INTRODUCING FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT