ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM | RAM TALKS ART | GALLERY ACTIVITIES AND MORE

RAM Talks Art: Visit RAM: Gallery activities and more

By Elizabeth Dailing, Education Director, Rockford Art Museum

So, it's time to be honest. If it's been a while since you've walked through the Rockford Art Museum (RAM) galleries, there are some changes that may interest you.

Many times, parents hesitate to bring their children into art galleries—too many things to touch and possibly break. However, I urge you to walk in the doors with your children and let them have some primary object art experiences. And we've even created some materials to help you guide them through the visit.

If you want to give them some information about what they will see on their visit, go to our Web site, rockfordartmuseum.org. Go to the Teacher Resources section, under Education, and download the Vera Klement: Paint Into Icon Teacher Guide. This document will give you didactic information, images and extension activities from the current exhibition. Also, download the Vera Klement exhibition activities—you can do these at home pre- or post-visit!

Once you walk in the doors, ask for the “I Spy” exhibition activity at the front desk. This activity is created for each exhibition, and allows children to walk around the galleries, looking for details in the artwork that may not be noticed on a quick walk-through. This will help direct their interest toward the exhibition and allow you to do a fun activity while surrounded by art!

And, we're not just doing this for the featured exhibition. If you want your children to experience pieces from the RAM Permanent Collection exhibitions, ask for those activities as well!

Say you have a student enrolled in Spanish. We have a worksheet available with Spanish vocabulary related to Mexican photographer Manuel Carrillo's pieces on display. And hey, even if you don't know Spanish—never hurts to learn a few new words!

If you're interested in showing your children, friends or visitors to the area some work by local artists, show them “Close Range: RAM Celebrates Illinois Artists.” This exhibition features work by artists from all over Illinois in RAM's Permanent Collection. And, if you have the kids with, don't forget to get the “I'm from Rockford, too” worksheet that gives them clues to discover the pieces in “Close Range”—created by artists from their hometown.

Keep an eye out for exhibition-related programming. It exists for both adults and children. These classes can provide an amazing opportunity to reinforce concepts seen in an exhibition in a hands-on way.

We still have two upcoming children's classes for “Vera Klement: Paint Into Icon.”

“Symbols of Me” (for ages 7 and older), will be Saturday, Nov. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. Klement's iconic images have an impressive impact. Tour the “Paint Into Icon” exhibition, and then head to the RAM Art Annex to create your own iconic painting by creating symbols that represent you! In this class, kids will get an opportunity to paint themselves into icon!

“My Own Series” (for ages 12 and older), will be Saturday, Dec. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. Students will tour “Paint Into Icon” to see how Klement uses diptychs as a mainstay of her work. After the tour, in the Art Annex, students will begin working on canvas boards with acrylics to create their own representative diptychs, using symbolism and color as their forms of expression.

So, just to entice you a little bit more, RAM's donation day is Tuesday, each week, where there is no fee for admission, but donations are appreciated.

And in the near future, look for the following exhibitions and all of the related programming they will have to offer:

“Visages: Face Revised,” Jan. 16-April 5, 2009;

“68th Young Artist Show: High School Division,” March 15-April 19, 2009;

“Moby Dick: Heart of the Sea,” April 17-July 5, 2009; and

“68th Young Artist Show: Youth Division,” April 26-May 24, 2009.

Contact Rockford Art Museum Education Director Elizabeth Dailing at edailing@rockfordartmuseum.org.

from the Nov. 19-25, 2008, issue

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