Programs

Survey


NEW!—Architecture in Art: Our Built Environment
Looking at paintings, sculptures, and buildings, this program explores the forms and functions of different types of architecture and built environments. Through works of art, students examine a Gothic cathedral, a Precolumbian dwelling, an early twentieth century tenement, the skylines of New York City, the sprawling urban landscape of Los Angeles, and contemporary architecture and installations at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Inquiry is guided by the concept of how form follows function. Various architectural terms and illustrations are explored.
Recommended grade levels: 5–12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: Science, Technology, Education, Mathematics (STEM), World History, Visual Arts, Language Arts.

Learning to Look at Paintings: Portraiture
By looking at examples of different types of portraiture throughout the history of art, this class introduces students to the basic formal elements of a work of art and the choices an artist considers in depicting the identity of an individual, group, or the self. Class time may include a hands-on activity that allows students the opportunity to create their own portraits and expand on concepts presented in the curriculum.
Recommended grade levels: K-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: World History, Language Arts, Visual Arts.

Exploring Still Life
Still life is a category of artworks with inanimate subjects such as a bowl of fruit or an arrangement of flowers. In this class, students look carefully at a variety of still-life paintings and photographs from the seventeenth century to the present-day. Students investigate the ways in which these works of art convey deeper layers of meaning about collecting, moral values, and aesthetics of form through their cultural context as well as through the artist’s deliberate selection and arrangement of objects.
Recommended grade levels: K-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: World History, Language Arts, Visual Arts.

Learning to Look: Art and the Imagination
Looking at modern and contemporary works of art, we explore the question of  “How do artists inspire us to see everyday objects in new ways?”  Students investigate the ways in which artists manipulate formal elements of art including line, shape, scale, color, and medium to create new innovations and surprising works of art.
Recommended grade levels: K-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: Visual Arts, Language Arts

Art of the United States


American Art and Patriotism
This program focuses on art from the United States while exploring the theme of patriotism.  We investigate how each artwork illustrates a significant moment in the development of American political history and cultural trends, beginning with the colonial period through the American Revolution, Civil War, Centennial celebration, and the U.S. entry into World War I.  Artworks shown are by noted American artists such as John Singleton Copley, Emmanuel Leutze, Winslow Homer, and Childe Hassam.  Included are portraits, history and landscape painting, sculpture, and decorative arts.  While discussing these artworks, students participate in a visual tour of early American history.
Recommended grade levels: 5-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: U.S. History, Language Arts, Visual Arts.

European Art


French Impressionism: Color, Light, and Modern Life
Impressionism developed as a major artistic movement in the late 19th as society became more industrialized and urbanized.  Students examine the development of French Impressionism as it corresponds to six major technological and cultural breakthroughs of the 19th century. Impressionist painters were interested in the subjects of a new modern life in Paris, the leisure activities of the middle class, and nature. Their style was revolutionary and aimed to capture the fleeting effects of light, color, and time. Impressionist artists featured from LACMA's collection include Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Mary Cassatt.
Recommended grade levels: 5-12, Adult.
Curriculum connections: World History, Science, Visual Arts, Language Arts.

Ancient Art


Heroes and Myths in Ancient Art
Ancient objects often illustrate and embody important myths, beliefs, and details about powerful individuals in a culture. This class concentrates on four or five objects from LACMA's collection, each from an ancient civilization—Assyria, Greece, Rome, Mexico, or China—with attention on how the form and function of each object come together in order to capture and convey meaningful stories through art.
Recommended grade levels: 3-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: World History, Visual Arts, Language Arts.

Treasures from Ancient Egypt
Ranging in date from the fourth century B.C.E. through the end of the Coptic period (seventh century A.D.), the approximately two thousand works of art in LACMA’s Egyptian collection present a broad overview of artistic production. The strengths of the collection include Predynastic stone palettes and vessels, Old Kingdom tomb reliefs, bronze figures of deities, and a Twenty-First Dynasty sarcophagus. The class curriculum explores the belief systems, social structures, and visual imagery in ancient Egyptian life and culture, as evidenced from the artworks and cultural artifacts uncovered from this amazing civilization.
Recommended grade levels: 3-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: World History, Visual Arts, Language Arts.
Please check back monthly for new programs.

Ancient Chinese Art
Archaeologists have discovered prehistoric communities in various areas of central and eastern China that were inhabited some seven thousand years ago.  In this program, we look at the skill and craftsmanship that ancient artisans brought to their work in bronze, ceramic, porcelain, stone, and lacquer.  By considering the cultural and religious context, symbols, and motifs of the artworks, the discussion casts light on the art associated with ancient practices of ancestral worship, rituals, and Buddhism.  Integrating art and language arts, the class also introduces students to art terms in mandarin!
Recommended grade levels: 6-12, Adults.
Curriculum connections: World History, Visual Arts, Language Arts.
Please check back monthly for new programs.


This program is made possible through the Anna H. Bing Children's Art Education Fund.

Education Department | 323 857-6512 | educate@lacma.org

Mary Lenihan | 323 932-5877 | distancelearning@lacma.org | Please complete a program request form here or at www.cilc.org (search: LACMA).

Email Announcements | Contact us if you would like to receive emails about Distance Learning Programs.