Art Investigators: Faces and Places

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Art Investigators: Faces and Places
Ages 4 to 6, Kindergarten through Grade 3

As "art investigators," students will look for clues to help them understand portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes, and learn about people and places from the past. This tour will introduce students to the museum and show them how to look closely at works of art.

Looking and Learning Skills

During four or five tour stops, students engage in activities such as careful-looking exercises, simple art-making activities, and small group work, which foster conversations about works of art. The following skills are promoted:
• Observing, describing, and sharing ideas about the works of art.
• Developing interpretations about art by drawing on clues, prior knowledge, and imagination.
• Becoming familiar with the museum setting.

Examples of Works Featured on Tour

Examples of Works Featured on Tour

Jasper Francis Cropsey, Autumn - On the Hudson River, 1860, oil on canvas, National Galery of Art, Gift of the Avalon Foundation,1963.9.1

Examples of Works Featured on Tour

Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, plaster cast possibly 1920/1921, after original wax modelled 1878-1881, painted plaster, fabric, metal armature, on plaster base, National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.62

Examples of Works Featured on Tour

Claude Monet, The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil, 1880, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.45

Examples of Works Featured on Tour

Jan Steen, The Dancing Couple, 1663, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection, 1942.9.81

Logistical Information

Group Size: Up to 90 students
Length: 60 minutes
Meeting Location: West Building Rotunda

Additional Gallery Resources

"The Railway" by Edouard Manet

Download poster (PDF 522KB)

In Edouard Manet’s painting The Railway, we find ourselves in the vicinity of the Gare Saint-Lazare train station in Paris, France, in the 1870s. Manet, a native Parisian, was convinced that art should concern itself with modern life, and he painted the people and places of Paris that he observed firsthand.

The information and activities on the back of the poster encourage looking at, thinking about, and interpreting art. They can be used flexibly and are suitable for small-group or whole-class work.

Tour Request Form

Requests for winter/spring tours are no longer being accepted.

Request for Fall tours (September 24 – December 7, 2018) will begin on August 1 – November 3, 2018.

Important Information

Tours must be scheduled at least four weeks in advance. Groups must contain at least 15 students.

Once your tour has been scheduled, you will receive a confirmation letter via mail in 10 business days (14 days for Spanish-language tours).

Pre-Visit Information

Watch a video (grades 1-4) or download a presentation (grades 4-12) (PPT, 4MB) to show your students what to expect on their tour. Please review museum policies, location, parking, accessibility, security, lunch options, and other important visitor information.

Questions

Our tour scheduler, Jennifer Cross, is available to answer questions Monday through Wednesday (September through May). Please contact her at (202) 842-6249 or [email protected].

Also see our Frequently Asked Questions about School Tours.

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