Biography of John Charles Fremont

John Charles Fremont played a key role in Missouri's Civil War.

John Charles Fremont, an American explorer and general; born at Savannah, Georgia, January 21, 1813; was appointed professor of mathematics in the United States navy, and in 1839 was commissioned a lieutenant in the corps of Topographical Engineers. He commanded in 1843 an expedition through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, visited Great Salt Lake, and explored the sources of the Columbia River.  He was brevetted a captain in 1845, and was sent to make explorations in California, but was ordered to leave by the Mexicans. In 1846 he was again ordered to California, where he found the Mexican Governor preparing to attack the American settlements. He placed himself at the head of the settlers, and was by them chosen Governor of California. War was soon afterward declared between the United States and Mexico, the former sending forces under Com. Stockton and General Kearney to possession of California. Difficulties having arisen between these commanders, Fremont, who had meanwhile been promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, became a partisan of the former and refused to obey the orders of the latter, who was his superior officer. He was court-martialled for disobedience of orders and mutinous conduct, was found guilty, and was ordered to be dismissed from the service. This sentence was remitted by President Polk, but Fremont resigned his commission. In 1848 he fitted out at his own expense a large exploring expedition, with which he reached California in 1849. He was in 1856 nominated by the National Republican Convention for the Presidency. He received one hundred and fourteen electoral votes, while James Buchanan received one hundred and seventy-four and Millard Fillmore eight. At the commencement of the civil war Fremont was commissioned a major-general, served in Missouri and Western Virginia, and resigned his command in June, 1862. He was in 1877 appointed Governor of Arizona.

The article comes from the Comprehensive Dictionary of Biography Containing Succinct Accounts of The Most Eminent Persons In All Ages, Countries, and Professions by Edward A. Thomas. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates. Copyright, By Porter & Coates. 1883.

Biography of Thomas Hart Benton

Senator Thomas Hart Benton or "Old Bullion".

Thomas Hart Benton, an American statesman and political writer; born at Hillsborough, North Carolina, March 14, 1782; removed to Tennessee in early life; studied law, and commenced practice at the age of about twenty-nine. The next year he commanded a regiment under General Jackson, with whom he quarelled, and who, attempting to strike Benton with a horsewhip at Nashville in 1813, was severely wounded with a pistol by Benton's brother. Col. Benton removed soon after to St. Louis, Missouri, and commenced the publication of a political paper. He was elected in 1820 to the United States Senate, where he acted with the Democrats and became an adherent of General Jackson, and the leading politician of Missouri. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1826, and from his able advocacy of a gold and silver currency received the sobriquet of "Old Bullion." He supported Jackson in his opposition to the Bank of the United States; was in 1832 again re-elected to the Federal Senate, of which body he continued to be a member for thirty years. He became the political friend of Van Buren, favored in 1845 the annexation of Texas, and opposed Calhoun in his plans for nullification. A division having been created in the Democratic party on the question of slavery, Mr. Benton was defeated as Senator in 1850, and retired from that body in March, 1851. As a member of the National House of Representatives, to which he had been elected in 1852, he opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. In 1856 he was the candidate of one section of the Democracy for Governor of Missouri, but was defeated. During that year he favored the election of Buchanan to the Presidency, in opposition to Fremont, who was his son-in-law. The most important of his works is A Thirty Years' View: or, A History of the Working of the American Government for Thirty Years, from 1820 to 1850. Died at Washington in April, 1858.

The article comes from the Comprehensive Dictionary of Biography Containing Succinct Accounts of The Most Eminent Persons In All Ages, Countries, and Professions by Edward A. Thomas. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates. Copyright, By Porter & Coates. 1883.

Biography of John Brown

John Brown of Ossawatomie.

John Brown, of Ossawatomie, was born at Torrington, Connecticut, in May, 1800. After residing for several years in Ohio and in Massachusetts and working at the trade of tanner and currier, he in 1855 removed to Kansas, where he became prominent by his active hostility to the pro-slavery party. His title of “Ossawatomie” was derived from a victory that he gained in August, 1856, as Ossawatomie, in Kansas, over a band of Missourians, under Henry Clay Pate, who was ten times more numerous than his own company. He is said to have formed the idea of becoming a liberator of American slaves as early as 1839. He convened, in May, 1859, a secret meeting of the friends of emancipation at Chatham, in Canada, where a plan for the invasion of Virginia and the liberation of slaves was agreed upon and perfected. In furtherance of this design, he rented the following July, a few miles from Harper’s Ferry, a farmhouse, where he laid in a supply of arms and ammunition; and on the night of October 16 of the same year, with a company of about twenty men, he surprised and captured Harper’s Ferry, with the arsenal and armory and over forty prisoners. He was attacked about noon on the day following by the Virginia militia and the United States marines. After two of his sons and most of his company had been killed and he himself several times wounded, he was made prisoner. He was tried in November, and was hung at Charlestown, Virginia, December 2, 1859.

John Brown descends the gallows on December 2, 1859.

The Address of John Brown to The Virginia Court

The article comes from the Comprehensive Dictionary of Biography Containing Succinct Accounts of The Most Eminent Persons In All Ages, Countries, and Professions by Edward A. Thomas. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates. Copyright, By Porter & Coates. 1883.

american civil war for missouri teachers

George Caleb Bingham painting of General Order No. 11. In this famous work General Thomas Ewing is seated on a horse watching the Red Legs

      During the summer of 2011, I spent 30 hours in a Civil War workshop hosted by the National Park Service and wrote a detailed integrated studies lesson plan about Civil War artifacts. I will link to that lesson plan and many others as soon as these are posted on the Missouri Civil War Sesquicentennial website.

Civil War Artifact Clip Art for Teachers To Create Power Point Presentations

      Who's Who During The Civil War - Biographies/Portraits In The Public Domain.  I've included these pages for teachers who need to print out short, accurate biographies and famous speeches for students to read. The reading level is approximately 5th to 8th grade. The biographies are in the public domain. The clip art is cleaned and redrawn here at the blog. Enjoy and print as many as you like:  Thomas Hart Benton * John Brown * John Charles Fremont * Nathaniel Lyon * The Hypocrisy of American Slavery by Frederick Douglass *

Excellent Topical Reading About The American Civil War for Middle School and/or High School Students: 

• Memoranda During The War: Civil War Journals, 1863-1865 
• "The Little Regiment" and Other Civil War Stories by Stephen Crane
• "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane
• Famous Documents and Speeches of the Civil War, edited by Bob Blaisdell
• "To Be A Slave" by Julius Lester
• The Civil War Reconstruction: Rebuilding America After The Civil War by Stephanie Fitzgerald

Books About The Civil War in General For The State of Missouri: 

• Ulysses S. Grant: Personal Memoirs. With an Introduction and Notes by James M. McPherson
• The Shattering of The Union: America In The 1850s by Eric H. Walther
• The Civil War's First Blood: Missouri, 1854-1861 by James Denny and John Bradbury
• A Tour Guide To Missouri's Civil War by Gregory Wolk, Foreword by Stuart Symington, Jr.
• Missouri's War: The Civil War in Documents edited by Silvana R. Siddali
• Civil War St. Louis by Louis S. Gerteis

Documentaries and Film:

• "August Light: Wilson's Creek and the Battle for Missouri" by Wide Awake Films

Integrated Studies Lesson Plans: Art & The American Civil War

• The Civil War Through a Child’s Eye
• Child of the Underground Railroad: Lesson Plan for “Malinda Paris- A Memorial”
• Civil WarSlang
• Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch
• Sweet Claraand The Freedom Quilt Lesson Plan
• Role PlayingThe Civil War
• Life During the Civil War Era
• Songs of the Civil War
• Using Art to Study The Past
• Abe Lincoln’s Log Cabin
• The Mask of Lincoln
• Civil War Photojournalism: A Record of War
• Memorials and Meaning
• “Housewife” Needlearts Lesson Plan
• “Oh, Could They But Speak!” The history and importance of Michigan’s Civil War battle flags
• Civil War Photographs: What Do You See?

Important Civil War History in Missouri: Divided State * Battles, Skirmishes & Engagements * Union Militia * Missouri in the Civil War * Maps of Civil War Sites in Missouri * Annotated Biliography * Reconstruction in Missouri * List of Missouri Union Civil War Units * List of Missouri Civil War Confederate Units *

American Civil War Image Files: http://www.civilwarphotography.org/ * Civil War Photographs collection, Prints & Photographs division, Library of Congress * Selected Civil War photographs, American Memory, Library of Congress * Civil War photos, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration * 3-D Photography in the Civil War: An Online Exhibit (CWPT) * The photographic history of the civil war... Francis Trevelyan Miller, editor-in-chief; Robert S. Lanier, managing editor. Thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities. Publisher: New York, The Review of Reviews Co., 1911-12 * Civil War Band Collection: 1st Brigade Band of Brodhead, Wisconsin * Photographic History of the Civil War An etext of the 1912 10 volume edition (Also available from Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC01467122) * Civil War Era Digital Collection at Gettysburg College Collection contains photographs of Civil War soldiers *

Teacher's Guides to The Civil War: Abraham Lincoln * Civil War Music * Fort Davidson * Wilson's Creek *

Confederate Battles and Reenactments: 22nd Arkansas Infantry Oklahoma *2nd Regmt, C.S. Engineer Corps *2nd Missouri Cavalry *1st Arkansas Battalion *3rd Arkansas, CSA  *13th Virginia Cavalry, Co I - " Nansemond Cavalry " *Sons of Confederate Veterans - Col. James J. Searcy, Camp #1923 *3rd Tennessee Calvary Company B *
Union Battles and Reenactments: 20th Maine Company B *Turner Brigade *
Miscellaneous Civil War: 150th Anniversary commemorating the Battle of First Manassas/Bullrun *The Armistead Marker Preservation Committee *Sons of Confederate Veterans *The Friends of the James Farm *Warwick Living History -- Civil War Division *
Battles and Reenactments Locations: Battle of Lewisburg *Nathan Boone Homestead Days Festival *
Muzzleloading Clubs: Dacotah Territory Muzzle Loaders *
Purveyors of Civil War Era Merchandise: The Civil War News *The Ladies Parlor *Celtia Designs by Elizabeth Clark *Blue and Gray Bookshop *Two Trails Publishing *Civil War Fabrics *
Music and Other Resources: Camp Chase Gazette *The 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band *Prairie County Avengers *Original Frontier Art by Kyle Carroll *

Online Video About The Civil War: Slave Auction Reenactment Videos * Occupied Women and the American Civil War * Missouri's Germans and the Civil War * Civil War's First Blood: Missouri 1854-1861 *

Additional Resources About The American Civil War Online: American Memory * The Civil War in Missouri * Civil war Soldiers & Sailors System * Famous Missourians * Fort Davidson State Historic Site Online Research Library * Missouri Historic Review * Museum of Missouri Military History * The Oliver Anderson House * Civil War Battle Summaries by State * Missouri Civil War Museum * Jefferson Barracks Heritage Foundation * Ulysses S. Grant's Home, White Haven * The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation * Dred Scott Case Collection * The Old Courthouse * Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Dedicated * The Civil War in Missouri * National Park Service * History.com * Digital History *

Sesquicentennial Websites and Events: Other States and Territories: Alabama  * Alaska Civil War’s last shots were fired in the Bering Sea  * The Civil War in Arizona Territory  * Arkansas  * California and the Fugitive Slave Act  * Colorado Territory Formed  * Connecticut  * Delaware  * Florida  * Georgia  * The U.S. Navy in Hawaii, 1826-1945: An Administrative History  * Idaho Territory  * Illinois  * Indiana * Iowa  * Kansas  * Kansas City Pages  * Kentucky * Louisiana * Maine * Maryland  * Massachusetts  * Minnesota * Michigan * Mississippi * Civil War’s legacy still reverberates in Montana * Nebraska In The Civil War * Nevada Territory’s 150^th anniversary comes and goes * New Hampshire: Strawbery Banke Museum * New Jersey * The Civil War in Arizona and New Mexico Territory * New York  * North Carolina  *  Ohio  * Oklahoma * Pennsylvania * South Carolina * Tennessee * Texas Heritage Online – Events Celebrate 150th Anniversary ofCivil War * Utah Civil War Before the Civil War * Vermont * Virginia * Civil War was a footnote in Washington state history * West Virginia * Wisconsin *

max beckman's titanic: classroom presentation

Teachers may click on the above images to download the largest file version. Then insert each frame into your own version of Power Point for classroom discussions. The jpgs. are in order of the presentation top to bottom. This presentation is made available for the lesson plan based upon Max Beckman's "Sinking of The Titanic."

portrait of a survivor lesson plan

(Max Beckman's "The Sinking of The Titanic" was completed in time for an exhibition in 1913, approximately one year after the ocean liner was lost at sea. The giant painting will again be on display at the St. Louis Art Museum in the Fall of 2011.)

Title of Lesson: “Portrait of A Survivor”

Topic: What motivates a painter? A portrait assignment integrated with eyewitness accounts of the historical sinking of the Titanic and the incredible artwork of the world-renowned artist, Max Beckman.

Integrated Subjects: Art History, Fine Art, Communication Arts

Grade Level: 6^th – 12^th

Length of Class Period: 55 min.

Time Needed: 4-5 days

Goals & Objectives:

• Students will read the eyewitness accounts that influenced Max Beckman’s artwork, “The Sinking of The Titanic.”
• While reflecting upon the feelings of others, students will gain a greater understanding of the struggles between man and nature.
• Students will learn the significant details of an important event in maritime history.
• Students will use hands-on, collage techniques to demonstrate the elements: value and shape and the principles: unity, repetition and emphasis. 
• Students will write a descriptive, personal narrative that is influenced by the newspaper accounts, painting by Max Beckman and their small and large group discussions.

Show-Me Standards: Fine Arts -In Fine Arts, students in Missouri public schools will acquire a solid foundation that includes knowledge of

1. Process and techniques for the production, exhibition or performance of one or more of the visual or performed arts

2. The principles and elements of different art forms

3. The vocabulary to explain perceptions about and evaluations of works in dance, music, theater and visual arts

4. Interrelationships of visual and performing arts and the relationships of the arts to other disciplines

5. Visual and performing arts in historical and cultural contexts

National Standards:

VA 1 ,  VA 2 , VA 4

Grade-Level Expectations: Visual Arts

Strand I : Product/Performance : 3. Communicate ideas about subject matter and themes in artworks created for various purposes.

A. Subject Matter: Fine Art:

• Grade 6 - Create original artwork using a realistic or abstract portrait
• Grade 7 – Create original artwork using a human figure
• Grade 9 – Create original artwork using a portrait
• Grade 10 – Communicate ideas through the creation of a portrait
• Grade 11 – Combine subject matter in original artworks to communicate ideas about the human figure
• Grade 12 – Select subject matter to communicate personal ideas through a series of original, related works (This means that if you are using the lesson plan here for 12 graders, teachers must use both combinations of creative writing and artworks to meet this standard.)

C. Theme:

• Grade 6 – Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about the function of art in culture or personal identity
• Grade 7 – Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about group identity or nature
• Grade 8 - Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about Environment or Time
• Grade 9 - Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about identity, power, time, nature, or illusion
• Grade 10 - Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about cultural identity, social commentary, reflection/transparency
• Grade 11 - Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about national identity, spirituality, vision, progress, human condition, narrative
• Grade 12 - Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about complex visual and/or conceptual ideas, imaginative or inventive approaches, and/or demonstrates risk taking

Strand II: Elements and Principles. 1. Select and use elements of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork

B. Shapes

• Grade 6 – Identify and use complex shapes such as people
• Grade 7 – Identify and use rhythmic shapes
• Grade 8 – Identify and use varied shapes
• Grade 9 – Differentiate between and use geometric and organic shapes
• Grade 10 – Identify and use complex shapes
• Grade 11 – Identify and use implied shapes
• Grade 12 – Use shapes expressively to communicate ideas

F. Value

• Grade 6 – Identify and demonstrate shades and tints
• Grade 8 – Identify and use a range of values
• Grade 9 – Identify and use a range of values to create the illusion of simple forms
• Grade 10 – Identify and use a range of values to create the illusion of complex forms
• Grade 11 – Identify and use a range of values to create the illusion of form through observation of transparent and reflective objects (In other words, students should also illustrate portrait of survivor and include a watery surface along with it.)
• Grade 12 – Use value expressively to communicate ideas

Strand II: Elements and Principles. 2. Select and use principles of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork

B. Emphasis

· Grade 7 – Identify and use center of interest (focal point)

· Grade 9 – Identify and create emphasis through contrast and convergence

· Grade 10 – Identify and use emphasis through isolation and location

· Grade 11 – Use emphasis to support the communication of an idea

· Grade 12 – Use emphasis expressively

D. Rhythm/Repetition

· Grade 7 – Identify and use regular rhythm

· Grade 8 – Identify and use progressive rhythm

· Grade 9 – Identify and use elements to create regular rhythm

· Grade 10 – Identify and use elements to create progressive rhythm

· Grade 11 – Use rhythm to support the communication of an idea

· Grade 12 – Use rhythm expressively

E. Unity

· Grade 9 – Explain how elements and principles create unity in artworks

· Grade 10 – Identify and create unity through elements and principles

· Grade 11 – Use unity to support the communication of an idea

· Grade 12 – Use unity to support the personal expression of an idea

Strand V:  Historical and Cultural Contexts. 1. Compare and contrast artworks from different historical time periods and/or cultures

A. Historical Period or Culture:

·      Grade 7 – Identify works of art from Europe

·      Grade 11 – Identify artworks from German Expressionism

Show-Me Standards: Communication Arts - In Communication Arts, students in Missouri public schools will acquire a solid foundation that includes knowledge of and proficiency in

3. Reading and evaluating nonfiction works and material (such as biographies, newspapers, technical manuals)

4. Writing formally (such as reports, narratives, essays) and informally (such as outlines, notes)

5. Comprehending and evaluating the content and artistic aspects of oral and visual presentations (such as story-telling, debates, lectures, multi-media productions)

6. Participating in formal and informal presentations and discussions of issues and ideas

FR: I 6a-c, 5-12

FR: I 1b, e, 5a-c, II 1c, f, III 2d, e, IV 2b-c, 5-8 and I 1b-d, 4a-b, 5a-c, 6d, II 1d, III 2c & d, 3e, 4e, IV 2b-c, 9-12

FR: I 1d-c, 3c, II 1b, 1d, 2a, 1e, III 1a, g-h, 2a-b, IV 2b-c, 5-8 and I 1a-d, 4a, 6d, III 1a,e & h, 2a-c, 3a-d, 1h, IV 2b, 9-12

FR: I 1c-d, 3a-c, f, III 3e, 5-8 and I 1d, 3a, d, f, III 1a, e, f, & h, 3h & IV 2a, 3a, 1f, 9-12

FR: I 6a, 5-8

FR: II 6d, III 4c, IV 3f, 5-8 and II 4e, 3a, 9-12

Grade-Level Expectations: Communication Arts: Reading

1. Develop and apply skills and strategies to the reading process

H: Post-Reading: Grades 6-12 – Apply post-reading skills to comprehend and interpret text: question to clarify, reflect, analyze, draw conclusions, summarize, and paraphrase

I: Making Connections: Grades 6-12 - Compare, contrast, analyze and evaluate connections between: information and relationships in various fiction and non-fiction works, text ideas and own experiences, text ideas and the world by analyzing and evaluating the relationship between literature and its historical period and culture

2. Develop and apply skill and strategies to comprehend, analyze and evaluate fiction, poetry and drama from a variety of cultures and times

C: Text Elements: Grades 6-12 – Use details from text to : identify plot and sub-plot, theme and various types of conflict, analyze cause and effect, Identify and explain point of view and mood, determine how an incident foreshadows a future event, evaluate the problem-solving processes of characters and the effectiveness of solutions

3. Develop and apply skills and strategies to comprehend, analyze and evaluate nonfiction (such as biographies, newspapers, technical manuals) from a variety of cultures and times

C: Text Elements: Grades 6-12: Use details from text to: evaluate adequacy of evidence presented by author, determine author’s purpose based on text analysis, analyze the text for word choice and connotation, selection of details, organizational effectiveness, accuracy of information, analyze multiple texts, compare and contrast, determine importance of information, analyze author’s viewpoints, identify problem solving processes and explain the effectiveness of solutions

D: Understanding Directions: Grades 6-12: Read and apply multi-step directions to perform complex procedures and/or tasks

Grade-Level Expectations: Communication Arts: Writing

3. Write effectively in various forms and types of writing

A: Narrative and Descriptive Writing: Grade 6: Write a personal narrative that: chronicles a sequence of three or more events and includes sensory detail and dialogue

A: Narrative and Descriptive Writing: Grade 7: Write about personal experiences and revise by adding details and literary devices such as metaphors, analogies and symbols

A: Narrative and Descriptive Writing: Grade 8: Write about personal experiences and revise by adding details and literary devices such as metaphors, analogies and symbols

A: Narrative and Descriptive Writing: Grade 9-12: Write a personal narrative for real-life experiences (e.g., scholarships, applications and post-secondary/ college essays)

Grade-Level Expectations: Communication Arts: Information Literacy

2. Develop and apply effective skills and strategies to analyze and evaluate oral and visual media

A: Media Messages: Grades 6-12: Analyze, describe and evaluate the elements of messages projected in various media (e.g., videos, pictures, web-sites, artwork, plays and/or news programs) Facility & Equipment Requirements:

• One computer lap-top
• Room with good lighting
• Large tables, approximately ten, each seating four students
• Two sinks
• Dry erase board
• Drying racks
• Cabinets for storage
• Projector for viewing computer video, CDs and DVDs Resources Needed:
• Eye-witness graphic organizer
• Newspaper accounts
• Power Point about Max Beckman’s “The Sinking of The Titanic” called “Portrait Of A Survivor”

Vocabulary:

1. Eyewitness account – An account of events from those who watched them unfold personally.
2. Portrait – To ‘portray’ or represent a person or idea in a artwork, photograph, film or piece of literature.
3. Profile – Either the depiction of a person from the side or an article describing a person in the contemporary verb usage of the word
4. Survivor – Is a person who adapts to a circumstance or environment in which others have died
5. Scenarios – Scenes depicting a sequence of events in a work of art, play, movie or literature.
6. Environment – In art this describes the conditions in which a person, place, or thing exists.
7. Narrative Artwork – Artwork that illustrates a specific story.
8. Maritime –People, places or things having relationship to the sea
9. Tragedy -A misfortune or tribulation

Looking & Talking Activity: Teachers may download the free jpgs. for a Power Point depicting Max Beckman’s painting, “The Sinking Of The Titanic.” 

Literacy Activity: Teachers may download and print out the eyewitness graphic organizer; each student will need two identical sheets. Students should be divided into small groups and be given a newspaper account of one survivor from the Titanic. I choose create packets about the following survivors of the Titanic tragedy. In each packet I collected three to four newspaper articles, personal facts and sometimes photographs.

1. Miss Margaret Bechstein Hays
2. Mrs. Eleanor Genevieve Cassebeer
3. Clara Jensen
4. Mrs. Sam Aks (Leah Rosen)
5. Mr. Olaus Jorgensen Abelseth
6. Rhoda Abbott

One student should read aloud the newspaper accounts and then all small group participants may work together to answer the following questions on the first graphic organizer. Make sure that each student fills out the worksheet as they discuss the newspaper account together about their survivor in their small group. The questions are as follows:

1. What was he or she thinking?
2. What did he or she see?
3. What did he or she hear?
4. What did he or she say?
5. How would you feel under similar conditions?

The fifth question doesn’t have a “right” or “wrong” answer. Students should be candid about how they answer the question. After small group discussions, teachers will then ask each team to share a summary of each newspaper account and a few answers to some of the questions asked of them from their graphic organizer. Students will then be asked to fill out the second copy of their “eye-witness” account as their own personal dramatic account of the Titanic tragedy.  Students may choose to be an adult or child passenger or even a crewmember. This second “eye-witness” account will be used to write a brief newspaper report that will be attached to the studio art assignment.

Eyewitness graphic organizer. Click on the image to 
download the largest possible file.

Art Supplies:

• Newspapers
• White glue
• Scissors

Below are teacher examples of the studio assignment.

Newspaper portrait of "Titanic Survivor"

Close-up of "Titanic Survivor"

Teachers may display artworks by mounting the students portraits 
onto an actual newspaper page. The student's account of their 
experience might be positioned beneath their portrait as well.

art education at the saint louis art museum

Original photo by Matt Kitces

The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.

   Located in Forest Park in St. Louis Missouri, the museum's three-story building was constructed as the Palace of the Fine Arts for the 1904 World's Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Architect Cass Gilbert was inspired by the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy. The British architect Sir David Chipperfield was selected to design a major addition to the museum. It will add 224,000 square feet (20,800 m²), including above ground gallery space and underground parking. Construction began in 2009, with completion planned for 2012. Michel Desvigne has been selected as landscape architect.

   In addition to the featured exhibitions, the Museum offers rotating exhibitions and installations. These include the Currents series, which showcases contemporary artists, as well as regular exhibitions of textiles, new media art, and works on paper.

   The collection (virtual tour) of the Saint Louis Art Museum contains more than 30,000 art works from antiquity to the present. The collection is divided into eleven areas and the museum offers education materials for educators under the following categories: African * American * Ancient Egypt * Islamic * Asian * Contemporary * Decorative Arts and Design * Early European * Modern Europe * Oceanic * Pre-Columbian and American Indian * Sculpture * Prints, Drawings, and Photograph.

   The modern art collection includes works by the European masters Matisse, Gauguin, Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. The particularly good collection of 20th-century German paintings includes the world's largest Max Beckmann collection. The museum has Chuck Close's Keith (1970).

    The collections of Oceanic and Pre-Columbian works, as well as handwoven Turkish rugs, are among the finest in the world. The museum holds the Egyptian mummy Amen-Nestawy-Nakht, and two mummies on loan from Washington University. Its collection of American artists includes the largest U.S.-museum collection of paintings by George Caleb Bingham.

   Teacher may access press releases, RSS Feeds, article listings, a calendar of events, frequently asked questions, a library for research, free newsletters and exhibition catalogues online.

   Below are lesson plans that I have specifically written for those teachers who wish to utilize both the collections at the St. Louis Art Museum and the web database generated by the museum's staff.

1. Portrait of A Survivor - is a lesson plan integrating both art history, the visual arts, and literacy. 
2. Tialoc Mask - is a lesson combining paper mache and mosaic methods. This one is still "under construction" I'll include the teacher's sample and photos soon
3. Drawing from Greek and Roman Pottery - is a lesson that focuses the student's attention on the elaborate design details used by ancient Greek potters.
4. The Egyptian Scribe and His Equipment - This art lesson includes a literacy activity describing the life style and routine of an Egyptian scribe along with an art activity. 
5. Egyptian Jewelry Design - includes instructions for making a press mold. I will include photos of this method at a later date.
6. Ancient Effigy Pot - made with an old paper mache method.