Theo's Feather Files

The first Feather Feature is an ARTicle based on a former exhibition at Joslyn called ArtQuest! Learning to Look, where you can explore ways of looking at art.

Learning to Look
Below are a few basic questions that can be asked of every type of art. Most of these questions have more than one right answer.

When you come to the Museum, take your time to look at an artwork carefully. You may use a few of these questions to direct your looking and thinking about each of the artworks that you choose to view. If you are in a group, why not share your ideas and opinions with each other? You will find yourself having a conversation about the artwork, and listening to your companions can help you gain even more insight into the artworks you see together.

1. Describe it.
• What do you see? Make a list of everything you see.
• What's going on in the scene? Is there a story? If so, what is it?
• As you spend time looking carefully, you may be surprised by how much more you start to see in a work.

2. Examine the materials and technique.
• Try to identify the materials. (Check the wall label to be certain.)
• Describe their qualities (color and texture, for example).
• How do you suppose the artist made this piece? What techniques and or tools were used? What skills were required?

3. Uncover the style.
• What kinds of lines, shapes, textures, and colors do you see in the work?
• How real does the artwork look? Does it look like something you recognize, or not?

4. Explore the big idea.
• What do you suppose the artwork is about?
• Does the artwork express a mood or feeling, in your opinion?
• Is there a message the artist is trying to tell us through his or her art?
• Some big ideas include: family or community; love or friendship; bravery and honor; supernatural or political power; spirituality or belief; everyday life; and beauty or craftsmanship.

5. Seek more information.
• Read the labels next to the artwork in the galleries.
•Think of a question you would like to ask the artist.
• Research your favorite artists, and look for answers to your questions.
• Visit Joslyn's Scott EdTech Gallery Help Desk to seek information about artists and artworks at Joslyn.

6. You be the judge.
• Which piece do you like the most?
• Why? Make sure to say what you like about it!

7. Express yourself.
• Describe your idea for something you would like to create (for example, a drawing or a poem) inspired by an artwork on display. Then make it when you get home!
• Or, go to the EdTech Gallery and ask to borrow an Art Pack. Art Packs may be borrowed for free to use in the galleries. Ask the education staff on duty there to recommend an Art Pack that has something to make in it. Almost all Art Packs include something that you can make and take with you.
• Visit Kids Can Do Art on the Atrium Bridge. You will find an art activity to make with art supplies to use right there on the big, colorful rug.
• Take an art class at Joslyn to develop your skills in a new medium of expression, such as painting, drawing, pottery, collage, or sculpture.

This ARTicle was adapted from an exhibition formerly on view at Joslyn, ArtQuest! Learning to Look, December 2001 – August 2006.