Grades 7–12 Educator Professional Development: Michelangelo Lovelace

The Museum invites teachers, grades 7–12, to a professional development workshop designed to develop interactive skills and strategies for teaching with and through works of art. This workshop will center on the newly opened exhibition, Art Saved My Life, featuring drawings, paintings, and sculptures by American artist Michelangelo Lovelace (1960–2021).

Register for one of the sessions

TWO SESSIONS AVAILABLE
Friday, October 9, 12:30–3:30, or
Tuesday, October 14, 2:30–5:30

This workshop is most applicable to grades 7–12 educators teaching art, English, or social studies, as well as any teacher interested in using strategies for looking closely at and responding to visual art ways to explore themes with students. No previous knowledge of or experience with art, artists, or museums is necessary—curiosity is the only prerequisite.

a bald black man with a goatie sits reading at a table, behind him a window flanked by royal blue curtains; through the window, a view of a city block
Michelangelo Lovelace, Self Portrait, 1996, acrylic on textured canvas, 50.5 x 37.75 in., © Michelangelo Lovelace Estate. Courtesy of the estate and Fort Gansevoort, New York.

OBJECTIVES

Participants will:

» Gain background on artist Michelangelo Lovelace and contexts for this exhibit.

» Practice multiple close-looking strategies that build students’ observation, analysis, interpretation, and storytelling skills.

» Understand the Museum’s commitment to K–12 outreach and the range of ways in which the MCMA can support your students, including free class visits.

» Explore ways to integrate creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and art into your curriculum!

Download workshop agenda as a PDF

AGENDA

(5 mins): Welcome! Brief introduction to the Museum, staff present, and commitment to K-12 outreach

(20 mins): Who is Michelangelo Lovelace, and what themes did he explore through his art? Context for this exhibit and PD goals. Open exploration of the Lovelace exhibit.

(45–55 mins): Close Looking: Introduction to several interactive close-looking exercises that use discussion, writing, and sketching to deepen students’ analysis and interpretation of artworks and their themes. Group Debrief: How might you use close looking exercises with your students? What questions do you have?

(15 mins): Break

(10 mins): Scheduling class visits to the museum

(40 mins): Time in the gallery to consider and/or collaborate with colleagues on curriculum integration for your students

(30 mins): Closing, exit survey, and PD certificates


For questions about this professional development, please contact Deborah Barkun at dbarkun@middlebury.edu.