Wantage students become art curators
Wantage. Art students in grades 3-5 at the Wantage School learned about what an art curator does and had an opportunity to take a video tour of the Museum of Modern Art.
| 02 Dec 2022 | 01:57
During Multicultural Week at the Wantage Elementary School, Wantage, grade 3-5 art students became gallery curators for a day during their art class.
Students watched a quick video tour of a gallery in the Museum of Modern Art. Not all of the students have the opportunity to visit a large museum in other towns or cities, so connections were made with opportunities in their community such as the museum displays at Space Farms and the Fine Arts and Crafts displays in the Richards Building during the New Jersey State Fair at the Sussex County Fairgrounds.
After discussing what a curator does, each table group was given a “mini gallery” to curate as a team. Each gallery consisted of two connected cardboard walls, eleven 2- D art works and three statues from different countries around the world. As a team the students worked together to decide what pieces made it into their galleries. They could only pick eight 2-D artworks and two sculptures.
When done, the students learned gallery etiquette and walked around each gallery as if they were in a real museum. At the end the students took down their galleries and put them away in storage. The students enjoyed choosing their gallery pieces and found connections with some of the pieces of art based on their family heritage.
The art work chosen for the lesson consisted of art pieces from North America, Alaska, South America, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Asia, India, Europe and Africa.
Other activities from that week included: discovery of holidays around the world, a virtual tour of Ellis Island, Mix-it-Up during lunches, decorations made while exploring their own cultures, the week’s school lunch menu focused on food from around the world, and a diverse spirit week representing acceptance and celebration of our cultural differences.
