Art Goes to School

Program 1: En Plein Air: Painting in the Tradition of the Connecticut Impressionists

During this in-class lesson, students will identify the tools and techniques of the American Impressionist painters who painted in Old Lyme as part of the Lyme Art Colony. From portable easels and paint boxes to brushes and palettes, students will increase their artistic vocabulary and appreciate how paintings are put together. Students will make their own paintings using authentic art-making materials.

Program 2: Curtain Up on a Day at the Griswold Boardinghouse for Artists

During this in-class lesson, students will participate in an improvised one-act play about a day in the life of the Griswold boardinghouse, taking the various roles that enlivened the house during the first decade of the 20th century. Students will play artists, domestics, visitors, and VIPs using historic dialogue mixed with their own creative voices to act out a skeleton script that is enriched through your students’ imaginative interpretation.

Program 3: Name That Style!: Tonalism vs. Impressionism

During this in-class lesson, students will identify the characteristics of the two dominant art styles practiced at the Lyme Art Colony, namely Tonalism and Impressionism. Through a fun and energetic lesson, the students will become impassioned about how artists can paint the same subject matter (primarily landscapes) using similar tools, but have the outcome look very different. A great way to build an artistic vocabulary and art appreciation!

Book Your Art Goes to School Program Today!

Contact Mollie Clarke, the Museum Educator for more information and scheduling at (860) 434-5542, ext. 113.

The development of these off-site lesson plans was made possible through grants from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut.