Fascinating Nancy Graves Inspired Art Lesson Kids Will Want to Make
This is a mini inspired art lesson I decided to do with my students to teach them about Nancy Graves. I had photographed a work of her art on a visit to the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, TN and wanted to use this as a gateway to do an art lesson I knew my students would want to make (and yours too!). Keep reading to see how I turned my visit to the art museum into a fun and fascinating mini-lesson.
Fascinating Nancy Graves Inspired Art Lesson Kids Will Want to Make
The title of the work is Folium. To understand the painting, you have to know what folium means. There are several ways the word is used, but I believe she is using the medical definition.
After letting the students spend a few minutes looking at images of the human brain, I asked them to look at Graves' work and share with their neighbors why she might have chosen that title for her painting. They were easily able to identify what looks like a spine, brain stem, vessels, etc.
Some students were able to further analyze her work as what a creative brain looks like. Perhaps the work is a metaphor for a creative brain because of all the colors and expressive marks.
Then, I let students paint to music on a sheet of copy paper. Since this was a mini-lesson, I used copy paper. It goes further than more expensive types of paper. We were only working on this for one class period, so there would be no additional media applied to the paper, etc.
I let them use tempera cakes to paint because those are also less expensive and go further than other types of paints that we might use for more extensive projects. I wanted to incorporate listening to music while painting because it helps them focus. It is also a great classroom management strategy.
Usually, they'll work very quietly for 10-15 minutes with classical music playing. Then, they begin to talk. I usually let them talk at that point as long as they are still working and aren't talking at the top of their voices.
Final Thoughts
I used this lesson on a day when the schedule was interrupted and I only got to see the classes for 30 minutes instead of the regular hour. It worked perfectly. If you wanted to extend this into a full lesson, of course, you could use better paper and paint, but you could also have them go back in once dry with oil pastels (especially a black one) to add details.
I’m Amanda, and I align standards and integrate content to help teachers meet the needs of the Whole Child in art class! I have yet to find a standard that I couldn’t teach through art, and I want to share it all with you.
Not sure where to start with bringing art and content together? This freebie guide is packed with 25 ideas to align your art lessons with math and ELA standards. Your students will be crafting art and practicing algebraic thinking. Win-win!
I want all students to feel successful in the art room, so I created a standards-based Daffodil Collage lesson to do just that! The lesson includes an artist study, student reflection, and more, so push your artists to their full potential.
Follow along on my Instagram page for more tips on teaching the Whole Child in the art room!
Connecting art and content together doesn’t have to be mind-boggling. I’ve made it simple with 25 math and ELA art lesson starters - for free! Plus, I included 15 worksheets for students to reflect on their art-making journey.