Art is a multifaceted tool that reaches beyond the humanities to enhance the teaching of other subjects like math and science. History, perhaps more than any subject though, is quite literally brought alive when taught in conjunction with, or supplemented by, art.
An excellent resource for teaching history through art is Picturing America, a National Endowment for the Humanities project which uses a collection of high quality art reproductions to illustrate U.S. history. By using either the actual reproduction prints (search for nearby collections via the website) or the interactive gallery and resources at the Picturing America website, both formal and informal educators can employ art as an engaging tool to help make history come alive.
Developing an Art-based History Program
Art, whether from the Picturing America program, or some other source, can be adapted for history education in a number of ways, depending upon student ages and educational goals. Benefits are many. Using art to teach history:
- Provides an opportunity to learn about our history and culture in a fresh and engaging way
- Provides a catalyst for an holistic study of the cultural, political, and historical threads woven into our nation’s fabric over time
- Can act as a companion to American literature and music
- Can encourage critical thinking and thoughtful discussion across a broad array of history related topics and themes
Themes like democracy, colonialism, or exploration, provide the most expedient way to incorporate art into a program, and can vary from a once week exploration of a related work, to a multi-lesson course for older children examining chronological periods in history via art.
It’s important to be able and willing to tailor an art based program to children’s ages, interests and attention levels. A hands-on component to any program employing visual arts is also vital to creating a true appreciate for that art.
Teaching the Basics of Art Appreciation
To use art in any program, it’s important that students know how to look at art in the first place. Showing students a print of George Washington crossing the Delaware without teaching them how to hunt for “Easter eggs” of symbolism, or to appreciate the use of color, light and movement is like giving books to those who can’t read. While the art might be appreciated at a superficial level in terms of subject matter, a deeper and more abiding understanding may be lost.
An introduction to “art basics” is not only helpful in anchoring any art-based study, it can also be great fun – and having students associate art with fun is a sure way to put them on the road to lifelong art appreciation. The basics of understanding art should include:
- Composition in paintings, photography and sculpture
- Use of Color in Visual Arts
- Mood and Movement in Art
These three components can be explored individually, and at varying depths depending upon students’ ages and abilities. Examining these concepts with hands-on opportunities is the best way to help make art appreciation and understanding more intuitive, as well as a lot of fun.
To understand composition, students can go on photo safaris, or create landscapes or still life drawings from materials on hand or brought in. The quality of children’s art isn’t what is important here; it’s the act of art that is.
A good exercise to explore the use of color is to provide students with an abundance of colorful art media and then ask them to create something that shows anger, or something that shows happiness. There will be the expected simple happy or sad face drawings, but among the group will also be some students who grasp the use of color to express emotion and others will catch on, especially when there’s accompanying discussion. Mood and movement can be explored the same way.
Comparing and Contrasting Art
Once students understand the basics, then it’s a matter of engaging in comparing and contrasting art from different historical periods, and using the vocabulary of art in discussions and exercises. For example, comparing an oil portrait of George Washington with a photograph of Abraham Lincoln can include a discussion of different types of storytelling in art; different types of media – exploring the limitations of an oil painting for portraiture, versus early 19th century photography; and the use of composition and lighting to emphasize different aspects of each man’s character. Further comparisons can be made between two dimensional media and sculpture.
A good hands-on component of a class that examines portraits is to ask students to bring in family portraits, and then to share the stories behind them. Or students can make a portrait of themselves or of others to get an idea of the complexity of trying to “capture” the character of a person artistically.
Using art to teach history adds a living texture to events that can be remote from children’s experiences. Teaching children how to understand art and then comparing and contrasting various works opens avenues of discussion and perspective into the past in a way that transcends textbooks and provides a meaningful context for understanding history.
Theresa Willingham - My goal, as a writer and photographer, is to create thought provoking and informative content that inspires community engagement, and ...
