NC Museum of Art

Today I visited the North Carolina Museum of Art. I was quickly reminded of past visits I had taken to the museum when I was a child. The building was old, brown, and relatively small, so it didn't take long to get through all of the exhibits. I remember when I was in elementary school I didn't have a huge interest in art, so this was probably one of my least favorite field trips of the school year. I know I'll have students in my classroom like me, not interested in art, but I'm hopeful I find ways to integrate art with the other subjects, in order to engage all of my students.

As many of you know, the NC Museum of Art recently expanded. I thought the building looked a little bit like a warehouse when we were walking up, but come to find out, the design is actually very scientific. The new building is 48-percent glass, which actually makes it a piece of art in itself (that's more my own opinion). Because of the large percentage of glass, the building allows enormous amounts of natural light in - it's actually northern light. When the sensors on the roof detect that too much light is coming in, sensors inside the museum, trigger curtains, which fall and protect the specific part of the museum that is exposed to the light. I had a hard time picturing this from the outside, so it was awesome to walk through the museum and see some of the curtains drawn.

We did a quick tour through the museum, about two hours, and received a lot of valuable information about the various featured exhibits. I'm intrigued by art - by its complexity and simplicity. It’s interesting to me how something so simple, like brush strokes on a canvas, can be featured in a notable museum. In one of the exhibits, we learned about math and art integration. Some of the pieces in this exhibit were really detailed and complex, while another, a simple blue parallelogram, stood out by itself because of its simplicity. I couldn't figure out how that figure was considered a piece of art or why it was featured in the museum. But that's how art is and that's why it's so awesome. One painting or picture can be considered art to someone and to another, it's just a few brush strokes on a canvas.

Ownership of the different pieces featured in the museum is interesting to consider as well. Try wrestling with the idea of actually owning a piece of art. What does that look like? How much does it cost? And where would the piece be housed? This is where the curator of the museum comes into the picture. They have an awesome job. Getting an opportunity to travel around the country/world looking for pieces of art to feature in the museum sounds like a great way to live. But again, cost intrigues me. I can't even imagine what a Monet costs. Or a Picasso. Bottom line, it's all about having an eye for art.

I also love history and seeing history through paintings and photographs. The exhibits that integrate social studies and the arts include the Egyptian, American, Ancient American, and European (there may be others). Giving students an opportunity to walk through the different exhibits and explore the cultures on their own is a great way to get students to think about the different cultures they've learned about throughout a specific lesson or unit. When students have the power to explore and learn certain things on their own, they are more likely to internalize the material, making it more personal and memorable to each student. I also think it's important to do activities post-field trip, in order to incorporate the new concepts and cultures back into the classroom setting. (This is important for any field trip)

After my visit, I'm also interested in various artists that I'm sure many of you have heard of. The museum features a Picasso, several paintings by Monet, and sculptures by Rodin. I never knew our Raleigh museum would feature such esteemed artists. 'The Thinker' is a sculpture by Rodin and is actually on loan from Stanford. There are a bunch of smaller sculptures by Rodin in various places within the museum as well. If you don't know anything about him, you should look him up. He's an intriguing man!

My impression of the NC Museum of Art has obviously changed. Now as a graduate student and adult, I see the importance of the arts and integration of art with other subjects. I look forward to watching the students in my class question the different pieces in the museum. I want them to be moved by the art in various ways because art is full of culture, emotion, and history. As with anything, it's important for students to have the opportunity to form their own opinions about art and it's importance, before we, as teachers, tell them anything about the piece. I'm looking forward to challenging my students to think about art in complex ways - giving them the chance to see how art fits with the other subjects learned in the classroom.

Please consider visiting the museum if you haven't been since the expansion. Visits to the permanent exhibits and the museum park are free. Check out the museum website to plan your visit - http://ncartmuseum.org/.



(Wikipedia images - The Thinker, Auguste Rodin)