<p dir="ltr">Have you ever brought an artwork to life? Meet marionette maker, William Buckner, who brought his art to life and used them to tell stories. Those he taught marionette making learned woodworking, engineering, painting, sculpting, sewing, and playwriting.</p> <p dir="ltr">William N. Buckner, Jr. (1888-1984) was an artist who made drawings and art from wood and metal. He became an artist at M Street School where he studied drawing, woodworking, and metalworking. Later he studied to be a teacher at Miner Normal School, Howard University, and Columbia University. He taught his students to make connections between art and other subjects and provided opportunities for his students to gain hands-on experience. For nearly 50 years, Buckner served as an educator and administrator in DC public schools including Phelps Vocational High and Armstrong High. After retiring in 1957 he continued to mentor his students and support artists in Washington, DC.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meet William N. Buckner, Jr. is part of a series of lessons highlighting the biographies and artwork of artist educators featured in Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition <a href="https://anacostia.si.edu/beautifulvision">A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC, 1900-2000</a>. These lessons are designed for educators and students of grades 4-12. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Art Lessons</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Comic Strips</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Jointed Puppets</p></li></ul> <p><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Thinking Routines</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Beginning%20Middle%20End_1.pdf">Beginning, Middle, End</a></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/reading-portraiture-a-guide-for-educators/AkwthxLAbBPpTY8r#r/1558334">Strike a Pose</a></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/parts-people-interactions">Parts, Purposes, Interactions</a></p></li></ul> <p><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Clas</strong><strong>sroom Connections</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Visual Arts: use this lesson to teach about marionettes, proportions, and pose</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Science: use this lesson to teach about balance </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Social Studies: use this lesson to teach about early twentieth century art and education in Washington, D.C.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Language Arts: Use this lesson to support conversations about playwriting</p></li></ul>

<p dir="ltr">Meet the founder of African American art history, James A. Porter (1905-1970). Porter was an artist, educator, and art historian whose groundbreaking books changed the way the world viewed Black artists and art history. During his forty year career at Howard University, he mentored generations of artists and educators who continued his legacy in preserving the stories and artworks of Black artists.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meet James A. Porter is part of a series of lessons highlighting the biographies and artwork of artist educators featured in Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition <a href="https://anacostia.si.edu/beautifulvision">A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC, 1900-2000</a>. These lessons are designed for educators and students of grades 4-12. </p> <p><br><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Classroom Connections</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Visual Arts: Art Journalism</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Social Studies: Art History, Twentieth Century African American History </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Language Arts: Reading, Writing</p></li></ul> <p><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Thinking Routines</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Modified <a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Slow%20Complexity%20Capture%20-%20Exploring%20Complexity.pdf">Slow Complexity Capture</a> + Blind Contour Drawing</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Lenses%20for%20Dialogue_0.pdf">Lenses for Dialogue</a></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Projecting%20Across%20Time.pdf">Projecting Across Time</a></p></li></ul>

<p dir="ltr">Meet Georgia Mills Jessup (1926-2016) an art educator, arts advocate, artist, and mother who inspired generations of young people to make art in their communities. Throughout her life she made mixed media artworks that reflected her identity and her hometown, Washington, D.C. As the Anacostia Community Museum’s first ever artist-in-residence she believed that everyone was an artist and created space and supplies for artists young and old to record their stories and think of the world as their museum.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meet Georgia Mills Jessup is part of a series of lessons highlighting the biographies and artwork of artist educators featured in Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibition <a href="https://anacostia.si.edu/beautifulvision">A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC, 1900-2000</a>. These lessons are designed for educators and students of grades 4-12. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Classroom Connections</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Visual Arts:</strong> mixed media</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Social Studies: </strong>20th century art</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Language Arts: </strong>Reading and writing</p></li></ul> <p><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Thinking Routines</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/See%20Think%20Make%20Discuss_1.pdf">See, Think, Make, Discuss</a></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Values%20Identities%20Actions_1.pdf">Values, Identities, Actions</a></p></li></ul>

<p>Follow the clues to uncover the mysteries of the Lansdowne portrait at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Each correct answer will help you learn something about George Washington and the portrait!</p> <p>#NPGteach</p>

<p>This Learning Lab complements the National Portrait Gallery's student program, Portrait Detectives.</p> <p>Students will be transformed into Portrait Detectives, searching portraits for and analyzing clues to learn more about significant Americans.  Through interactive discussions and sketching and writing activities, students will read, compare, and contrast portraits across the collection. This module is divided into the following themes to best support your curriculum and student interests: Presidents, Activists, Icons, and Scientists.</p> <p><strong>Objectives:</strong></p> <p><strong></strong>After completing this lesson, students will be better able to: </p> <ul> <li>Identify important Americans and analyze their contributions to U.S. History <br> </li> <li>Identify key components of a portrait and discuss what we can learn about the sitter through these components.</li></ul> <p><a href="https://npg.si.edu/teachers/school-groups">Schedule</a> a virtual Portrait Detectives program with National Portrait Gallery educators.</p> <p>#NPGteach</p> <p><br></p>

<p>Visualizing a Portrait of a Graduate is aligned with Fairfax County Public School's 6th grade standards and curriculum. This Learning Lab collection complements the National Portrait Gallery's student program of the same name.</p> <p>The Visualizing a Portrait of a Graduate student program explores prominent Americans who embody communication, collaboration, resilience, creativity, and global citizenship, while investigating how these traits led to the individuals’ significant contributions to American history and culture. During their visit, students will communicate, collaborate, and engage in critical thinking as they consider portraiture. The program strives to inspire, connect, and provide relevance to the students as they complete/grow into their own self-portrait as a graduate.</p> <p>After completing this lesson, students will be better able to:<br></p> <ul><li>Identify key components of a portrait and discuss what we can learn about the sitter through these components, as well as investigate how these components reveal the viewpoints (of artist, sitter, and viewer) represented through the depiction of the sitters</li><li>Identify important Americans from colonial times to the present and analyze their contributions to US history and determine how they exemplify Portrait of a Graduate attributes</li><li>Analyze the various perspectives that artists bring to their work and examine the intended messages of the artists to discover a variety of ways to represent identity while determining if the portrait is realistic or idealized, representational or abstract, or if it fits on a spectrum</li><li>Utilize critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and citizenship skills.</li></ul> <p><a href="https://npg.si.edu/teachers/school-groups">Schedule</a> a virtual Visualizing a Portrait of a Graduate student program with National Portrait Gallery educators.</p> <p>#NPGteach #FCPS</p> <p>Keywords: Portraits, Attributes, Communicator, Collaborator, Ethical, Global Citizenship, Creative, Critical Thinking, Goal Directed, Resilient Individual, Significant Americans, FCPS, Sixth Grade</p> <ul></ul>

<p>In this lesson pack, students will learn how to research and document their communities through photographs and oral histories. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the social, cultural, political, and historical contexts of their own communities and develop important research, communication, and critical thinking skills. The goals of the project include: <br></p> <ul> <li>Students will build visual literacy, critical thinking, analyzation, interview, and discussion skills by working with primary sources. </li> <li>Students will use new skills to make connections with other students and their community, by creating portraits of their community through oral history, photography, and video. </li> <li>Students will be able to define what community is to them and have a greater awareness of their local community. </li> </ul> <p>Creating Portraits of Community, A Together We Thrive Initiative, was created by educators from the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), National Museum of American History (NMAH), Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), and SI Affiliates. Project authors include: Elizabeth Dale-Deines, Orlando Serrano, Eden Cho, Briana Zavadil White, Jocelyn Kho, and Abbie Hitzemann. </p> <p>View student work at the Creating Portraits of Community webpages: <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/education/k-12/resources/creating-portraits-community">https://americanart.si.edu/edu...</a></p> <p></p>

<p>This Learning Lab collection complements the National Portrait Gallery's student program, <em>Portraiture and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).</em></p> <p>The <em>Portraiture and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)</em> student program approaches portraiture with a social-emotional lens. Students will consider how reading portraiture can lend itself to exploring social-emotional qualities such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.  This collection strives to provide opportunities to explore emotions and values in the context of portraiture.<br></p> <p><strong>Curriculum Connections: </strong>This lesson plan is suitable for students in grades 4-12 in multidisciplinary classes.<br></p> <p><strong>Objectives:</strong> After completing this lesson, students will be better able to: </p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Identify key components of a portrait and discuss what we can learn about the sitter through these components.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Investigate how these components reveal the viewpoints (of artist, sitter, and viewer) represented through the depiction of the sitters.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Identify social emotional qualities and analyze the connections that can be made to portraiture.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Utilize the museum’s collection and portraiture as a springboard to explore the range of social emotional qualities that include self-awareness, self- management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.</p></li></ul> <p></p> <p>#NPGteach<br></p> <p></p>

<p>This Learning Lab complements the National Portrait Gallery's student program, Visualizing Democracy. </p> <p>Students will visualize democracy from the colonial era to the 21st century by analyzing portraits of major figures who played a critical role—as government officials, engaged citizens, or both—in creating a democratic society for the United States. Students will investigate how portraiture can convey democratic ideals and how, as a cultural institution housed in a historic building, the National Portrait Gallery has been and continues to be relevant to American democracy.</p> <p><strong>Objectives</strong></p> <p>After completing this lesson, students will be better able to: </p> <ul><li>Identify key components of a portrait and discuss what one can learn about the sitter through these components. </li><li>Analyze the history of portraiture and understand how it has evolved from a means to document wealthy individuals to an accessible art form used to represent people from all walks of life. </li><li>Understand the nuance of the word democracy, to comprehend how portraiture’s evolution (the democratization of portraiture) has helped democratize society by giving voice to individuals who have historically been underrepresented. </li><li>Discuss the three branches of federal government and the value of citizen involvement in a democracy. Analyze the legacy of individuals who have been instrumental in creating, improving, and maintaining American democracy. </li><li>Recognize and analyze how cultural institutions, like the National Portrait Gallery, are important components of a robust democracy. </li></ul> <p><a href="https://npg.si.edu/teachers/school-groups">Schedule</a> a virtual Visualizing Democracy student program with National Portrait Gallery educators.</p> <p>#NPGteach<br></p> <p></p>

<p>This Learning Lab collection complements the National Portrait Gallery student Program, Explore!</p> <p></p> <p>The Explore! program introduces young students to portraiture. They will be exposed to what makes up a portrait and search portraits for clues to learn more about themselves and significant Americans.  Through interactive discussions and hands-on activities, students will read, compare, and contrast portraits across the collection.</p> <p></p> <p>After completing this lesson, students will be better able to:<br></p> <ul><li>Identify key components of a portrait and discuss what we can learn about the sitter through these components.</li></ul> <p>#NPGteach</p>

<p><em>What can you do to make a difference?</em> Introducing <a href="https://npg.si.edu/visit-home/digital-engagement">Our Struggle for Justice</a>, a digital collaboration between the <a href="https://npg.si.edu/">National Portrait Gallery</a> and <a href="https://www.capitalone.com/">Capital One</a> that explores activism and social justice through biography.<br><br></p> <p>How can you use your skills to spark conversation, create agency and inspire change? In this collection, meet individuals, past and present, from the museum’s collection whose thoughts and actions have made our nation better. Each featured individual is accompanied by thought-provoking questions, educational resources, and additional portraits to reframe the way we view activism and the causes closest to us.<br></p> <p>Join us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/smithsoniannpg/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/smithsoniannpg">Twitter</a>, follow #OurStruggleForJustice for the latest updates, and look out for new posts each Tuesday. </p> <hr> <p>Through our Twitter and Instagram, we will delve into the museum’s collection to contextualize the pursuit of freedom and activism in the United States, sparking conversation and inspiring action. </p> <p>Our country was established on two basic principles: freedom and the pursuit of happiness. However, over the course of our history, these ideals have been broken, tested and reconstructed. Many times, the onus for upholding the nation’s moral foundation has fallen to the individual rather than the majority. </p> <p>American activism guides our nation toward its true vision, one that acts upon the ideals of its founding and celebrates the entirety of its population. And while many before us defined what it means to strive for a better America, there is no question that this work is ongoing. </p> <p>Through Our Struggle for Justice, we will meet individuals, past and present, whose thoughts and actions have made our nation better. Though their experiences and causes vary, these people have one thing in common: they fought tirelessly against injustice, using their time, strengths and sheer will to create meaningful change. </p> <p>In telling these stories, we aim to spark conversations around agency. Look for thought-provoking questions to reframe the way we think about activism and the causes that are closest to us. <br></p> <p>The campaign draws inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection, including the permanent exhibition The Struggle for Justice, which celebrates pioneers and change-makers in the fight for social equity. </p> <p>One person can make a difference. In learning about these figures, we hope that you can, too.    <br></p>

<p>The National Portrait Gallery tells the story of the United States by portraying the people who shape the nation’s history, development, and culture. These individuals understand who we are and remind us of what we can aspire to be.</p> <p>In this guide, you will discover how to teach students to spot visual clues in portraits and then analyze them, similar to dissecting a historical document. Teaching students to use close reading skills with portraiture will produce a rich and memorable investigation of both the sitter and the artist. Use the close looking strategies in this collection as a springboard for classroom conversations. Portraits present insights into history and biography, prompt writing in the classroom, inspire students to create self-portraits, and even offer great ties to science and mathematics.<br></p> <p>The Learning to Look strategies in this guide offer unique ways to engage in close looking and portraiture with your students. The Elements of Portrayal provide more guiding questions to help you and your students learn how to read portraiture.</p> <p>#NPGteach</p> <p>#SummerSessions<br></p>