Hello student docents. It was great working with you this week at the Housatonic Museum. You are definitely developing your creative and critical thinking skills, as you respond to questions about the art. You chose one work to study and write your reactions to. You can also research by googling the artist's name. I am posting here the Art Sheets so you can refer to them as you prepare for your Tours. The first art work is First World Woman by Rhonda Wall - you discovered it was full of images about a planet in distress. Contact me with your questions.
DOCENT INQUIRY METHOD – HMA - Werth Family Foundation Peer Docent Program
S.E.R.T.A.N. – See, Emotion, Remind, Think, Ask, kNow
Label: (Share this at end of discussion)
Artist: Rhonda Wall
Title: First World Woman, 1984
Media: Acrylic paint on canvas
Style: abstract, expressive
S. – SEE. “What do you see?”
What colors stand out?
Shapes? Lines? Size?
What kind of brushstrokes do you see?
Any objects clearly described by artist? Describe the details.
(After a few go-arounds, the docent can add what you see)
E. EMOTION. “How do you suppose the artist FELT while creating this?”
How are the people in the painting feeling? What’s your evidence?
“How does it make you FEEL?” Why?
R. REMIND. “Does this art work remind you of anything in your own life?”
Have you ever felt in danger?
T. THINK. “What do you think or imagine about this work?
Was the artist self-taught or trained at art school?
How do you think the artist made this? Was it planned?
Why does the artist create like this?
What meaning does it have for you?
What do you THINK - do you like it? Why or why not?
A. ASK For Questions. “What else do you wonder about or want to know?”
N. kNOW – “Would you like to know why I chose this?
Share what you like, feel, know, imagine, and what you wonder about.
Show LABEL and share information
(It may spark more questions, such as, “Do you think the artist’s birthplace or time period, or race or gender influenced the work? What title would you give it?
