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 Art Central Application
2015-2016 Academic Year
Congratulations! You are invited to apply to Art Central for the 2015-2016 academic year at the
Blanton Museum of Art. This long-standing multi-visit program began in 1977 and was developed in
partnership with AISD to teach visual arts curricula, as well as foster deep engagement with works
of art.
What You Receive
Schools:
• Free bus transportation and museum admission.
• The option to choose one of five multi-visit program curricula.
Teachers:
• An Art Central in-service, including lunch.
• Classroom curriculum sets to teach pre- and post-visit lessons that align with TEKS.
• Program support from education staff.
Students:
• One in-class visit from Blanton staff (to take place before museum visits).
• Three museum visits, taught by Gallery Teaching Fellows who are graduate students at UT.
Families:
• Multi-Visit Passes, providing free admission for ten adult visitors.
Before You Apply
Participation in Art Central requires a large time commitment. In addition to the in-class and museum
visits, teachers are required to attend the Art Central in-service, teach the pre- and post-visit
lessons, and respond to program evaluation components such as periodic surveys and interviews.
Administrative and grade-level support also contributes to success within the program. Specific
expectations for teachers and administrators are further outlined on page three of the application.
Before applying, discuss the commitment with your administrator for approval and coordinate with
teachers at your school to determine interest. Applications will be considered from individual
classrooms as well as grade levels. If multiple classrooms at your campus wish to apply, each
teacher must submit a separate application.
How to Apply
Email pages 2, 3, 4, and 5 of your completed application to Sarah Abare, Education Coordinator, at
sarah.abare@blantonmuseum.org. For questions please contact Sarah by email or at 512.471.5512.
Applications are due no later than May 15, 2015.
Art Central Application
Page 2
General Information
School:
District:
Teacher name:
School email:
Alternate email:
Best contact number for you at school:
Cell phone:
Principal name:
Grade you intend to bring (circle one):
4
Total students your campus intends to bring:
MVP choice (check one per school):
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Art and Feelings (SEL)
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Inquiring Minds (STEAM)
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Artists and Society (Social Studies)
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Between the Lines (ELA)
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Art Odyssey (A mix of the above)
5
Both
Art Central Application
Page 3
Art Central Teacher Commitment
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Attend the required in-service, in-class lesson, and all museum visits.
Select students to participate in the program.
Schedule in-class and museum visits by September 15 based on school and testing
calendars.
Schedule and confirm bus transportation in advance.
Teach pre- and post-visit lessons to participating students.
Communicate pre- and post-visit lesson extensions to families of participating students.
Communicate the value of the Art Central program to families and staff.
Promote use of Multi-Visit Passes to students and their families.
Ensure chaperone attendance and understanding of the Blanton’s chaperone guidelines.
Prepare students for each trip by reviewing museum etiquette and behavioral expectations.
Maintain students in the same groups for the three museum visits.
Provide the museum with copies or documentation of students’ work related to the program,
as requested.
Communicate as needed with museum staff regarding program.
Participate in pre- and post-program surveys and evaluative processes.
Art Central Principal Commitment
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Enable staff and students to fully participate in all facets of program.
Provide funding for substitute teachers, as necessary.
Communicate importance of program to parents.
Participate in pre- and post-program surveys and evaluative processes.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge and agree to the above commitments.
Teacher signature, date
I, the undersigned, acknowledge and agree to the above commitments.
Principal signature, date
Art Central Application
Page 4
School:
Teacher:
For us to best understand how participation in this program would support your students’ learning,
please answer the following questions as fully as possible.
1. Have you participated in Art Central or other Blanton school or teacher programs in the
past? If so, which and when?
2. Do your students participate in a Spanish bilingual program and if yes, would you like to
participate in a Spanish bilingual co-teaching model during your visits to the Blanton? If yes,
please explain the impact of bilingual education on your students and their learning.
3. How will your students benefit from participating in Art Central?
4. How will you ensure that the museum experiences will be integrated into classroom
curriculum and learning?
Art Central Application
Page 5
5. How will you and your students share museum experiences with other teachers, students,
and parents at your school?
6. Will you be able to teach the pre- and post-visit lessons to your students before and after
museum visits? How will you schedule this?
7. How will your school administration support your participation in all aspects of this program?
8. Does your school receive Title I funding? Does your school include a high number of
students that demonstrate financial need? Please explain.
Multi-visit Programs (MVP) Descriptions and Details
Art and Feelings
Works of art from the Blanton’s collection will evoke empathy and inspire thoughtful conversation
about social emotional learning (SEL) topics including responsibility, respect, safety, self, and
collaboration. Art and Feelings’ three museum visits and pre- and post-visit lessons address
relationship skills, self-awareness, self-management, and responsible decision-making. Students
examine objects that demonstrate these concepts, participate in visual analysis, and consider artists
from the past and present that grapple with ideas relevant to the students’ daily lives. The Austin
Independent School District’s Office of Social and Emotional Learning will review curriculum and
provide collaborative support for this important program.
Visit 1: Bodies
Younger students will learn how to interpret and read body language in both works of art
and in their interactions with others. They will use these interpretations to consider what
messages their body language can provide. Older students will think about body image and
how interpretations and valuations of body image have changed over time, as demonstrated
by works of art in the Blanton’s collection and in contemporary visual culture. These students
will have an opportunity to critically discuss the relevance of body image in their everyday
lives, developing self-confidence and accurate self-perceptions.
Visit 2: Relationships
Participants will consider the relationships they have with others and contemplate their
relationship skills through thoughtful dialogue and the investigation of objects in the
Blanton’s collection. Concepts of communication and conflict resolution might be addressed.
Students will also have time to continue developing the self-awareness skills they discussed
in their first visit.
Visit 3: Difficult Situations
With the knowledge about self and others as a foundation, the third and final visit will talk
about difficult situations. Possible topics include loneliness, courage, bullying, moving,
difficult friends, language difficulties, socioeconomic difficulties, and difficult family situations.
Conversation will be developmentally appropriate and will emphasize responsible decisionmaking. Facilitators will assist students with analyzing situations and making ethical choices.
Inquiring Minds
Look at art through the lens of science! This STEAM-focused MVP will present the Blanton as a
laboratory for learning. Students will experiment, problem-solve, hypothesize, and derive conclusions
while developing critical thinking and visual literacy skills transferable to all curricular areas.
Visit 1: Experimentation in the Art Museum
How might students use an art museum as a site for scientific investigation? How do artists
experiment when making their work, and how do museums conserve art objects? Students
will examine and explore the Blanton using scientific methods.
Visit 2: Design and Engineering
Products of design and engineering are everywhere we turn- including in an art museum.
The second visit in the Inquiring Minds program will move from thinking about the museum
as a site for experimentation and investigation to considering its elements of design and
engineering. Students will be fascinated to learn insider secrets about the Blanton’s
architectural design. Discussion will center on geometric configurations of the museum’s
space and exhibition design, as well as carefully selected art objects.
Visit 3: Art and the Natural Sciences
Participants will learn how artists in the Blanton’s collection and special exhibitions reference
the natural sciences in both concrete and surprising ways. These findings will build upon
knowledge gained in their first two visits, as students enter into conversations about biology,
geology, astronomy, ecology, mathematics, recycling, chemistry, and ethics.
Artists and Society
Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Consider the role artists have played in describing and
shaping their society, and how this tradition continues today. Aspiring artists may discover their own
voice while all students will develop an appreciation for the powerful impact of art throughout the
world.
Visit 1: Art and Traditions
Students will begin their three-visit program by gaining an overview of important traditions
and artistic movements in the Blanton’s collection, including medieval art, Renaissance art,
Modernism, and Abstract Expressionism. They will be asked to think carefully about the role
that artists played in these traditions and the time and place in which they lived.
Visit 2: Art and Identity
With the groundwork of a historical overview, participants will be primed to discuss works of
art in the Blanton’s collection within the framework of identity. Questions students might
consider include: How do artistic choices for traditional portraiture communicate a sitter’s
identity? What types of contemporary media might be used to express ideas about identity?
How might a work of art help viewers talk about identity?
Visit 3: Art and Social Issues
The final visit of the Artists and Society MVP will ask students to think about how artists
grapple with the social issues of their time. Students will relate what they have learned from
their discussions about the art and artists represented in the Blanton’s collection to today’s
social issues and to their own lives.
Between the Lines
A picture, or a sculpture, is worth a thousand words. Draw connections between the visual language
of art and the power of the written word while experiencing the Blanton’s diverse collection. This
MVP will develop students’ literacy skills as they uncover multiple meanings, discover new
perspectives, and create rich narratives through the shared creative experience of art and language.
Visit 1: Reading W orks of Art
Students will begin their three-visit program by learning how to “read” a work of art. Literacy
skills will be addressed and developed as students move through the galleries writing and
responding to objects in the Blanton’s collection. Vocabulary will be developed throughout
all three visits, with an emphasis on adjectives.
Visit 2: The Beauty of the Everyday
What can participants learn from artistic depictions of everyday life? Students will be invited
to ponder how what is ordinary is often extraordinary. The essential question for this visit will
be: How might we find beauty in our everyday lives?
Visit 3: Looking for the Hidden
What can viewers learn by slowing down to look longer? Participants will experience the
reward of close looking during writing and discussion activities that build observational skills.
Mysteries might be unveiled and stories revealed during the final chapter of Between the
Lines!
Art Odyssey
Does an individual’s perception of art objects change through the application of different viewing
strategies? In this MVP, students will develop an understanding of the methods artists use to make
meaning through the close examination of formal, narrative, and symbolic devices. They will also
construct and articulate their perceptions of art and the world around them.
Visit 1: Discovery
Art Odyssey will begin like many voyages, with a sense of discovery and adventure.
Students will be guided throughout the Blanton’s galleries to explore its collection and
practice investigative viewing strategies. Participants will also think about experimentation
from an artist’s perspective and learn about the many materials used to create works of art.
Visit 2: Storytelling
The adventure continues as students hone their skills of observation to craft exciting
narratives about works across genres and time periods. Storytelling in many forms is
encouraged during this visit, and students might use drama, poetry or prose to communicate
their interpretations.
Visit 3: Translations
Objects of art are tools that can help viewers better understand others, the world, and
themselves. This visit will build upon the previous two, utilizing investigative viewing
strategies, the SEL strategy of perspective-taking, and storytelling. Students will translate
concepts discussed in the galleries to issues they deal with in their daily lives.
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