Classroom Activity

Art Starters: Joseph Cornell

Part of Art Tales for Pre-K

Joseph Cornell liked to make art at his kitchen table. He never went to art school, and he didn’t draw or paint—instead, he made boxes. He filled these boxes with pictures and objects that he found on his walks around New York City.

The sculpture appears to be a shadowbox featuring several images and objects. The back wall of the box is mostly occupied by a blue-tinted image of a man in a dark suit with a high ruffled collar, surrounded by a thin white border. There appear to be transparent vertical slats over the image, creating a grid pattern. On the left and right, this same image appears to have been reproduced multiple times in a much smaller size, with these smaller images stacked to form vertical columns. There is a horizontal glass shelf towards the bottom of the box, and on it rests a small orange spherical object. Below this shelf, on the bottom of the box, is a larger purple spherical object. These images and objects are surrounded by a dark brown frame carved with thin lines.
Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Medici Prince), c. 1953, construction, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1982.54.1

Grade Level

Subject

Language

Look

What colors do you see? What shapes?

Do you see any patterns that repeat in the artwork? Point them out.

Does this artwork remind you of anything? What do you see that makes you say that?

What would you ask the child in this work of art? What would you ask the artist who made it?

What title would you give this artwork?

Read

Not a Box (Spanish language version: No es una caja)
by Antoinette Portis

A bunny explores how a box is not always just a box.

Mr. Cornell’s Dream Boxes
by Jeanette Winter

The book tells the story of Cornell's life and asks you to imagine living as a child with Cornell as your neighbor.

Make: Build a story box

You Will Need

  • Shoe box or box lid
  • Found objects such as shells, buttons, or small toys
  • Assorted papers, magazines, and/or photographs
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Small pieces of cardboard
  • String or wire
  • Paint and paintbrush (optional)

To start, you might want to paint your box a solid color and let it dry. Then, think about the pictures and objects you want to put in your box. Which ones seem to go together?

To build your box, first create a background by gluing printed or patterned paper to the inside of the box. Then arrange your objects until you are happy with where they are. For example, you might hang things from the top of the box with string or wire or use small pieces of cardboard to raise them up. When you are finished, glue the objects in place. What will you name your box?

Vocab Bank

  • arrange
  • object
  • pattern

Download

Art Tales: Coloring and Cut-Outs booklet (PDF, 3.5 MB)

Art Tales for Pre-K (PDF, 7.2 MB)

Primeros Pasos En El Arte (PDF, 7.5 MB)

Primeros Pasos En El Arte: Colorear y Recortes (PDF, 3.7 MB)

Visit

Register for the Art Tales pre-K school tour

Submit Student Work

Send images of your students' projects that follow these activities - email [email protected]

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