Art Volunteers in the Classroom— November 5, 2009,
Susan Kuliak, Assistant Director of Family Programs
The Art Institute of Chicago
skuliak@artic.edu
Surreal—is(ME): Playing with Art
Unravel the mystery of Surrealism through a lively discussion of art by René
Magritte and Joseph Cornell, learn about more resources to extend the
connection in the classroom, and try out a related art activity.
Resources
Children’s Books
Browne, Anthony. Changes. London: Julia MacRae Books, 1990.
A young boy is told to expect changes around him, and he begins to notice
gradual transformations, as the everyday objects in his world begin to morph into
unexpected things. The “change” in his life, revealed at the end of the story, is
that his parents are bringing home his new baby sister.
Garland, Michael. Dinner at Magritte’s. New York: Dutton Children’s Books,
1995.
This picture book tells the imaginary story of all the strange and amazing things
that happened when the two Surrealist artists René Magritte and Salvador Dali
had dinner at the home of a young boy names Pierre.
Ross, Michael Elsohn. Salvador Dali and the Surrealists: Their Lives and
Ideas. Chicago: The Chicago Review Press, 2003.
This book includes biographical information on several Surrealist artists,
including René Magritte. It puts Surrealism into a historical context, and also
contains 21 ideas for activities that could be adapted for the classroom, including
writing, poetry, drawing, and sculpture.
Wiesner, David. June 29, 1999. New York: Clarion Books, 1992.
This picture book is a story about the amazing results of a young girl’s science
experiment. Holly Evans launched vegetable seedlings into the sky, and strange
occurrences were seen shortly afterward, as mammoth vegetables appeared in
the landscape, as “all over the country, the skies fill with vegetables.”
On-Line Resources—in The Art Institute of Chicago website
The Art Access educator resource includes information on “Time Transfixed”:
http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_6.shtml
Poster Packet (as a downloadable pdf) on Time Transfixed by René Magritte
http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/trc/Magritte.pdf
Poster Packet (as a downloadable pdf) on a collage box by Joseph Cornell:
www.artic.edu/aic/education/trc/Cornell_Poster_Packe.pdf
“Surrealist Games”, a lesson plan designed for grade level 3-5, that includes
writing and drawing games
.http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_lesson1.shtml#
“Surrealist Games” Family Activity, that includes writing and drawing games
designed for a family
http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_FamAct1.shtml
“Curious Corner” is an interactive module where children (ages 3-12) can learn
about art through dynamic and entertaining interactive stories and games, on
selected works from the Art Institute’s Collection, including a collage box by
Joseph Cornell:
http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/CC/index.html
Additional Web Resource
This interactive module from the Peabody Essex museum is beautifully designed,
and includes information on Joseph Cornell and his work. It is written on an adult
level, so it would be appropriate for grades 6-12. The site also contains many
other bibliographic sources on the web for information on this artist.:
http://www.pem.org/sites/cornell/