Accidental Genius: Creating a Community of Art in your Classroom

Objective: Students will create public art in their school or classroom. 

Materials:   

• Found objects/surfaces 
• Paint 

Introduce: Accidental Genius: Art from the Anthony Petullo Collection was an exhibit at MAM in 2012 featuring a group of artists associated with the Art/Brut Center Gugging, located outside of Vienna, Austria. Formerly a psychiatric institution, the center emerged from a program that one of the original doctors founded when he discovered and encouraged the artistic talents of a number of his patients. Artists represented in this section include Johann Garber, Johann Fischer, August Walla, and Oswald Tschirtner.The Gugging artists have covered the walls of the building in artwork, and even painted light switches, cabinets, and other semi-permanent aspects of the building.  

Ask:  

•  Why do artists create public art? 
• How does public art differ from art in museums or galleries? 
• Where can you make public art? 

Activity:  

1. Have students choose an area of the school or classroom to create a piece of public art.  
2. Write a proposal and get permission for the installation. 
3. Students can paint light switches, cabinets, or even furniture. 
4. Have students give other students and/or visitors tours of the space to celebrate their lasting contributions to the school or classroom. 

National Standards:  

• VA:Cr2.3.5a Identify, describe, and visually document places and/or objects of personal significance. 
• VA:Pr6.1.4a Compare and contrast purposes of art museums, art galleries, and other venues, as well as the types of personal experiences they provide. 
• VA:Re7.2.8a Compare and contrast contexts and media in which viewers encounter images that influence ideas, emotions, and actions. 

You can find detailed biographies of each artist in the exhibition in this PDF.

Share your artwork with us on social media @milwaukeeart #MAMLearn or email pictures to teachers.mam.org. We’d love to see your creations!