Format
Videoconference presenters show American artworks from the museum’s collection and engage students with questions and discussion.
Objectives
After an introduction to American art of the 1930s through a pre-visit activity, participation in the videoconference, and a post-visit lesson to cement concepts, your students will be better able to:
• Understand the historical context of 1930s America, including the Great Depression and agricultural hardships
• Understand the effect the stock market crash, unemployment, and the Dust Bowl had on American life
• Discuss the role the New Deal played in providing relief, recovery, and reform during the 1930s
• Reflect upon and discuss artworks created during the 1930s and under the programs of the New Deal
• Use vocabulary to articulate observations and interpretations of artworks
Standards Alignment
National Standards
Visual Arts
K-12.3 Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas;
K-12.4 Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures;
K-12.5 Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others;
K-12.6 Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
US History
K-4.3 The history of the United States: democratic principles and values and the peoples from many cultures who contributed to its cultural, economic, and political heritage;
5-12.8 Era 8 The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945).
Civics
K-12.1 Civic life, politics, and government.