Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: African American Art
The Art Institute of Chicago's collection of African American art provides a rich introduction to over 100 years of noted achievements in painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Ranging chronologically from the Civil War era to the Harlem...
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Mummy Case
Examine an Egyptian mummy case and view three accompanying videos to learn how mummies were made, how we know the identity of the man whose remains are in the case, and how the symbols that decorate the case should be interpreted.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Impressionist and Post Impressionist Art
In the late 19th century, the Impressionists defied academic tradition in French art with their emphasis on modern subjects, sketchlike technique, and practice of painting in the open air with pure, high-keyed color. The Art Institute of...
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Romare Bearden: The Return of Odysseus
Analysis of a collage by Romare Bearden comments on its influences, both European and African.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Alma Thomas
A description and interpretation of a painting called Starry Night with Astronauts by American artist Alma Thomas, the last in her Space Series. The series was an artistic response to the Apollo space program missions.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Elizabeth Catlett: Sharecropper
Analysis of Sharecropper, a print by American-born Mexican artist Elizabeth Catlett, which includes a one-paragraph definition of the sharecropping system. Catlett's print, a commentary on sharecropping and the dignity of work, is one of...
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Archibald J. Motley, Jr.: Nightlife
Formal analysis of Archibald Motley's Nightlife explains the effect of the artist's use of color, line, and composition to suggest movement and energy
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Jacob Lawrence
A painting by American artist Jacob Lawrence entitled The Wedding, accompanied by a short biographical profile.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Walter Ellison: Train Station
Information and analysis about a painting by Walter Ellison, Train Station, held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago. It is a visual document of the Great Migration, a period in U.S. history when large numbers of African...
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: African American Art: Frederick Douglass
An original daguerreotype of abolitionist Frederick Douglass with a brief history of the former slave.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Surrealist Games
A fun introduction to surrealism geared towards younger audiences. Play this game for fun or use it as a lesson plan.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Traveling Above, Looking Below
Try drawing something from a bird's-eye view and change your usual perspective of that object. Relates this drawing-from-above concept to artist Georgia O'Keeffe.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Write a Short Story
Compare and contrast two works of art that show groups of people in two different settings. Then choose one of the paintings to write a short story.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Send a Postcard
Students develop an understanding of impressionsim by studying works of Claude Monet and then designing and sending their own postcards.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Finding Polygons in Cubist Art
This lesson plan has students identifying the use of polygons in cubist portraits.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access: Aaron Douglas: Aspects of Negro Life
This resource presents information about a preparatory gouache made by Douglas, in 1934, for a mural commissioned by the Works Progress Administration.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Selection of Watercolor Brushes
See what an assortment of watercolor brushes look like in this art making materials definiton page.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago: Watercolor Paints
See an example of watercolor paints in this image and description of the painting medium.