Benson/Massey
AP U.S. History
THIRD QUARTER OPTIONAL PROJECT
Directions: This project is optional. If you choose to complete it, it will be graded
holistically on a 50-point scale and counted as an additional grade in the major
assignments category. If the project grade does not statistically improve your overall
third quarter grade, then the project grade will not be counted. You may choose to visit
the museums or memorials with friends or family, but the student must complete the
written responses and artwork individually. The deadline to turn in a project is
Monday, March 23rd. You have nine weeks to complete the assignment; no late work
will be accepted.
OPTION 1: A SURVEY OF 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN ART
Location:
National Gallery of Art
West Building, Sculpture Garden, and East Building Atrium (the rest of the East Wing is
closed)
Located at the northeast end of the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets NW and
flanked by Constitution and Madison Avenues
Hours: 10am – 5pm, Monday – Saturday; 11am – 6pm on Sunday
Admission is free
Directions:
1. Have your picture taken in front of (1) a required painting in the West Building,
(2) the Calder sculpture in the East Wing, and (3) in the sculpture garden
2. View ten of the eleven paintings/sculptures listed on the reverse side to observe
and journal a brief description along with one or two personal insights. ***The
NGA continually updates their exhibits and sends works of art out on loan;
therefore, one of the works listed may not be available for viewing on the day of
your visit.***
3. Choose one painting to sketch. Take detailed notes about the content, composition
and color, as you will need to replicate the painting.
4. Later, type your responses. Each entry should include the title and artist followed
by a 2-3 sentence description of the painting and 2-3 sentences of your own
comments regarding the painting. No research on the paintings should be done.
All descriptions and comments must be in your own words.
5. Staple or bind your typed responses along with the three photographs of yourself.
6. Create a replica of one painting that you sketched. Use a canvas size 9” x 12” or
12” x 14” (available at any craft store) and either oil or tempura paints. Your
painting must be completely dry before turning it in. Be certain to put your name
on the back of the canvas.
West Wing, main level
Gallery #86
Mother and Child, Mary Cassatt
Gallery #71
The City from Greenwich Village, John Sloan
The Lone Tenement, George Bellows
Wind from the Sea, Andrew Wyeth
Cape Cod Evening, Edward Hopper
Gallery #65
Biglin Brothers Racing, Thomas Eakins
West Wing, ground floor
Gallery #39
Number 1 (Lavender Mist), Jackson Pollock
Untitled, Mark Rothko
East Wing
Central Atrium, ground level (then look up!)
Untitled, Alexander Calder
Sculpture Garden (outdoors)
House I, Roy Lichtenstein
Chair Transformation No. 20B, Lucas Samaras
OPTION 2: A VISIT TO THE 20TH CENTURY WAR MEMORIALS
Choose two of the following locations:
The National World War II Memorial
Located on the National Mall between the Lincoln and Washington Memorials and
flanked by Constitution and Independence Avenues (Foggy Bottom metro station)
Hours: 8am – midnight, daily. Admission is free.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial
Located on French Drive, SW (Foggy Bottom Metro station)
Hours: 8am – midnight, daily. Admission is free.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Located at Bacon Drive and Constitution Avenue (Foggy Bottom Metro station)
Hours: 8am – midnight, daily. Admission is free.
Directions:
1. Choose two of the three memorials to visit. They are all located within walking
distance of the Foggy Bottom Metro station.
2. Journal a detailed description of the memorials, along with your personal
impressions. Take time to stop and ask the park rangers questions. They are on
duty from 9:30 am to 11:30 pm.
3. Take multiple photographs along the way, including a picture of yourself in front
of each memorial you visit.
4. Create a photo-journal of your visit. The journal must include a minimum of ten
photographs and ten written entries. The entries should include some factual
information about the wars and the monuments, but it is more important to
include personal commentary. Each entry should be approximately 5 – 7
sentences.
5. Make certain that all of your photographs and entries are neatly organized and
securely bound together.
6. Include a title page with your name and which monuments you visited.
OPTION 3: A TOUR OF THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL HOME
Location:
217 Edwards Ferry Road, NE
Leesburg, VA 20176
(703)777-1800
Parking available at 312 East Market Street
Limited Hours:
Open starting March 7, 2015
Saturdays 10-4; Sundays 1-4
Admission:
$5 for students with ID; $10 for adults
Directions:
1. Take multiple pictures along the way both inside and outside of the home to
include in your final project.
2. All guests will be taken on a guided tour. The tour starts upstairs in the meeting
room where you will watch the fifteen minute introductory video. Journal a
summary of the film as well as what you found interesting or informative.
3. The tour will proceed back downstairs. While on the tour, journal answers to the
following questions. Ask the docent for assistance if needed!
a. When was the original home built? What modifications were made in the 20th
century? The house is currently restored to what decade?
b. Notice the watercolor of fish hanging in the front hallway. This painting was
a gift to the Marshalls from whom? When you enter the living room, discern
what other item was a gift from the same Chinese family. How is it that the
two had become friends?
c. In the living room there is copy of a painting by Winston Churchill. In what
capacity did General Marshall work with both Churchill and President
Roosevelt?
d. Next is the dining room. Ask the docent what famous Americans dined here
in the 1940s and 1950s. Identify at least three.
e. After visiting the kitchen, breakfast room, and north hallway, you should
make your way into the library. In the library, among the many books, is a
two-volume memoire of a general from WWI, who was very much a father
figure in Marshall’s life. Who was this man?
f. Also in the library is a General Electric television. What were some of the
Marshall’s favorite programs in the 1950s?
4. Either before, or after your visit, go online to www.georgecmarshall.org. Under
the tab “Meet General Marshall,” read about both the man and the Marshall Plan.
Write a one paragraph summary, in your own words, about each.
5. Later, type your responses, print out your pictures, and bind them together with a
title page.
OPTION 4: ATTEND A HISTORY CLUB FIELD TRIP
The BWHS History Club is sponsoring two field trips this quarter. You may attend either
one. Both trips carry a cost and require a signed parent permission slip. Visit the History
Club webpage under the Activities tab of the BWHS website for more details.
A) February 18th trip to the Mary Bethune House and African American Civil War
Museum
B) March 9th trip to the Holocaust Museum
Students attending either trip should bring a camera or camera phone with them and take
several pictures to be included in the submitted project. Further details to follow.