Visiting museums at home and in classrooms.

Time is a critical factor in our lives. While teachers, although hard-pressed, are able to fit the daily curriculum into the hours allotted for the school day, their own learning needs are all too often put aside. It would seem that trips that once refreshed and energized are a thing of the past as lack of time, increased costs, frozen salaries, and anxiety related to travel loom large. This column will bring to viewers experiences that enrich and inform at very minimal cost by centering on museums. Museums around the world can be visited through videos and DVDs.

Museums are not simply repositories for materials from the past. They are living, exciting laboratories that stimulate thought, imagination, and actions. Taking the time to take a virtual trip is an investment worth making, providing viewers with the groundwork for inquiry, interpretation, and reflection--all constructs of teaching. Many museums offer resources to schools and teachers through their education departments that are incomparable and available on request.

Enriching Children's Classroom Experiences

ERIC CARLE: Picture Writer. VHS 27 min. Museum Shop, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Young viewers, teachers, and parents can explore the new Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts. On this award-winning video, Eric Carle, noted children's book author and illustrator, is seen creating artwork for several of his books. His collage work is beautiful and inspiring. Visual lessons in technique focus on the artist's precision in slicing and cutting colored-paper strips and charcoal etchings of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other favorite characters. Viewers can relate to Carle's books in new ways as he tells personal stories and reveals that "picture making is my joy." A must-see for all early childhood personnel and children.

Extensions: Follow up with an Eric Carle picture book series. Prepare a bibliography to share with parents. Class discussions can center on story making; researching a particular animal, insect, or bird; and "making a story." Other extensions include developing class storyboards, making tissue paper collages, and making collages from magazine illustrations.

PLEASE DON'T EAT THE PICTURES. 1987. VHS 60 minutes. Previously reviewed, Childhood Education, 2004, Vol. 80(5), p. 286. THE HIDEAWAYS (FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER). 1972. 105 minutes. VHS Time Warner Productions, Burbank, CA 91522.

FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER. 2000. 92 minutes. DVD Pioneer Video. Two versions in different formats are available of the popular Newbery Award winner, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg. The video is truer to the book than is the DVD version. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City takes center stage when Claudia decides to run away, taking her younger brother with her. Their adventures in the museum allow viewers to see impressive works of art, including artifacts from ancient Egypt, the armor collection, and other masterpieces. The children's imagination and resourcefulness will resonate with elementary school level viewers. Claudia becomes obsessed with verifying a Michelangelo angel sculpture, which leads them to Mrs. Frankweiler. The children learn lessons that will serve them throughout their lives. This is an excellent family film and merits a "special occasion" school viewing.

Extensions: Read the book as a class chapter treat and/or independently. The story can inspire discussions of family life, running away, and sibling relationships. A class could conduct research related to artist's marks and signatures or pick an artist of the month and research that artist's life and works. Children could even design their own museum, making shoebox galleries.

Extending Teachers'/ Parents' Horizons

CITIZEN BARNES: An American Dream. 1993. 57 min. VHS. Home vision, 1-800-262-8600.

This not-to-be-missed video features a jewel of a museum in Merion, Pennsylvania, that displays the finest of Impressionism paintings. The Barnes Foundation's unique private collection also honors African art as part of the culture of American blacks. Alfred Barnes, a believer in art as a means of developing people, saw education as the basis of democracy and stressed the need for an educated citizenry. Beginning with a school to serve the workers of his pharmaceutical factory, Barnes also set up an education center that offered teachers incomparable art courses. John Dewey was the Foundation's first director of education. Together, Barnes and Dewey determined themselves how the artwork should be hung; Barnes even stipulated in his will that the arrangements could not be changed! The act of "seeing" becomes an exciting experience as we view paintings by Renoir, Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso, as well as wonders of African art and a great deal more. This is a long video and could be viewed over two sessions.

Extensions: This sweeping view of great Impressionist and African works can be integrated into classroom language as well as art experiences. The video can be an excellent tool to help teachers take a second look at how work can be arranged. Envisioning and reflection become integral parts of what goes on in a room. This video could be used with middle school children as well as with teacher and parent groups, in segments or as a whole.

SISTER WENDY'S GRAND TOUR: Discovering Europe's Great Art. 1994. 86 min. Video BBC Worldwide Americas Inc., Twentieth Century Fox, Beverly Hills, CA 90213.

This "tour de force" Grand Tour brings viewers to museums in Paris, Venice, Rome, Florence, Vienna, Amsterdam, Madrid, and St. Petersburg. Sister Wendy, a popular art critic, takes the viewer on an aesthetically rewarding and intellectually challenging journey. With insightful comments, she "opens up" a work of art (e.g., Michelangelo's "Pieta," Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne," Rembrandt's "Jewish Bride") by encouraging viewers to pay attention to details in the artwork itself and how it is displayed in the museum and to think about what is being seen. Sister Wendy's persona and love of art come across so strongly that viewers cannot help but feel enthusiastic, provoked, and engaged.

Extensions: This is a very good art appreciation video for inservice level, study group, or independent viewing. The "time and place" in which a particular work was created would be a good theme for discussion. Readings in mythology related to some of the paintings will heighten interest.

THE MUCH LOVED FRIEND? Portrait of the National Gallery. 1991. 57 minutes. VHS. Home Vision Arts, Chicago, IL.

An unusual museum trip, thoughtfully made to engage and inform the viewer, can be found on this video. It has much to offer teachers. One is given a beginning-to-end tour of a great museum with collections that date back to war reparations made by Napoleon. Through skillful guidance and with a narration that includes the words of poets (Terry Gillian, Wordsworth, etc.) and writers (Iris Murdoch, etc.), great works come alive and history is revealed. Sister Wendy Beckett also appears. The heartfelt comments of a museum-seasoned senior citizen visitor are particularly telling. What we see and how we see it become especially important as we focus on how works are displayed and galleries arranged.

Extensions: Upper middle grade students, teacher education students, and inservice level teachers for art appreciation will find this video effective. Viewers will learn about how the eye focuses in limited space (galleries) and the importance of arrangement of material for maximum effectiveness; such insights can enable teachers to rethink their classroom space.

* The following two films are produced by: Films for Humanities & Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, 1-800-257-5126.

THE WALLS OF MEXICO: Luis Barragan. 2003. 56 minutes. VIDEO/ DVD

The "wall" as a place for art that involves everyone on an everyday basis is featured in this important video. A tour through Mexico's urban, country, and rural settings shows that this universal method of art, reflective of Mayan times and dating back to pre-historic times, is very powerful in both art and architecture. The works of muralists Diego Rivera, Juan O'Gorman, and Jose Clemente Orozco are beautifully displayed on the walls of public buildings and along roadways. These works are amazingly vivid, and depict the culture of present-day hardworking people and the common life of an ancient society. The second half of the video, which is devoted to Luis Barragan and other contemporary architects, is breathtaking.

Extensions: Teachers and parents could make good use of this video in learning about the importance of mural artwork for children. The development of collective themes and decision making on materials and techniques provides excellent class and group project activities. A parent meeting could center on creating a mural for the class. Another good outcome would be a project that involves students in designing homes and schools.

ARTFUL ARCHITECTURE: The Getty Center and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. 2003. 29 Minutes. DVD/VIDEO.

This two-part program depicts the work of architects Richard Meier, of the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and Frank Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain. The Getty Center houses special collections of photographs, including the work of Julia Margaret Cameron; manuscripts dating back to medieval and Renaissance times; and a world-class renowned art preservation program. Viewers can see how works of art that are sent to the Getty Center undergo a lengthy process of restoration, as they are retouched, cleaned, and reframed. The Center sponsors an educational outreach program in neighboring high schools and elementary schools and 32 national sites. Children can participate in art programs that include neighborhood studies and explorations of master art pieces, and teachers have an opportunity to use art with children at all grade levels.

The unique Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, made of limestone and titanium, resembles an abstract boat. The boat style reflects the historical background of Bilbao, a significant trading port in Spain. The museum's structure of large spaces and enclaves works well for displaying large works of art, including metal structures that weigh over 40 tons. An interview with architect Gehry is informative.

Extensions: Extensions could include development of restoration skills (e.g., use of scanners to restore and repair family pictures), study of architecture and architects, and redesigning one's school.