How the in-depth study of a single work of art enriches visual arts education.
An Immersion Approach in Arts Education
The interdisciplinary curriculum units featured here demonstrate that devoting significant instructional time to a single work of art in K-12 classrooms can achieve important education standards and curriculum goals while fostering students’ appreciation for the arts through deeper personal connections and meaning-making.
These curriculum units were developed by teachers who participated in the Portland Museum of Art’s professional development workshops, A Place for Art: Summer Institute for Teachers. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Summer Institute for Teachers modeled the immersion approach of an in-depth study of an anchor work and provided classroom support for curriculum implementation.
Using the Portland Museum of Art’s masterpieces, Weatherbeaten by Winslow Homer and Mount Katahdin from Millinocket Camp by Frederic Edwin Church, these curriculum units explore the theme of “a sense of place in art,” establish the immersion approach as a foundation of interdisciplinary study, and develop students’ engagement with and understanding of art and culture.
A Place for Art: Summer Institute for Teachers and this website are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the NEA in partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Maine Arts Commission.
