To help students get to know some of the artists and empower them to explore the exhibition, this activity has students serve as “ambassadors,” or representatives, for a work of their choosing in 30 Americans, for when the class visits the exhibition.
Start with a conversation about what it means to be an ambassador, or representative. In other words, the ambassador should know the artwork and the artist well enough to provide others with details that help them understand the work, too.
Then have students choose a work of art that they are drawn to from the Gallery on the 30 Americans minisite, or to the right on this page. Remind students that their work of art may look different in person, but that it will be exciting to see what it looks like in real life.
Students should use the Multimedia and Further Resources section of this guide to research their artist. They can look at videos, news articles, and the image galleries on the artist’s website to find out more information about their piece.
The following are questions for students to answer that might help them introduce the work and the artist to the class. Choose questions that are most appropriate to the grade level of your students.
- What is the title of this artwork? When was it made? Who made it?
- Why did you choose this artwork?
- What was the most interesting thing you found out about this artwork or artist?
- What is the idea or message that this artist is trying to get across?
At the Museum, walk through the exhibition and have the students introduce their artists as you come upon each work. If you can’t make it to the Museum, you can print out pictures of the artists’ work and hang them in your classroom to make your own gallery.
As a follow up activity after your visit, ask students what was different or unexpected about seeing their artwork in person. For example, was it bigger or smaller than they thought? Did they like it just as much after seeing it at the Museum?