Introduction
Have you ever wondered, "can everyone create art, even if they think 'they're not good at drawing?'"
Pretend your class has been invited to re-imagine and decorate a new children's' museum, in this case, our classroom! The museum director (your teacher), believes that every child has something special to contribute, but first your team must discover that there isn't just one way to be an artist.
Your mission is to explore different kinds of art, learn about artists with unique styles, and work together to create one amazing piece of artwork that shows everyone's creativity.
This is called a 'Mixed Media' piece. This means it consists of different materials and or styles used, to create it!
Task
Learn about 3–4 different kinds of art
- Painting (acrylic or oil)
- Sculpture (clay)
- Collage (cut outs from magazines)
- Digital art (try canva ;)
- Nature art (here you can collect leaves, twigs, or other materials of certain colors, to arrange in a depiction)
Discover a famous artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Frida Kahlo
- Pablo Picasso
- Salvador Dali
Decide as a group:
- What message do we want our artwork to share?
Create one collaborative artwork.
Present it to the class.
*Your piece can either be on a flat surface and contain 3D elements such as clay or cloth embedded into it, or it can be a 3D piece such as a sculpture, (papermaché or clay).
Process
Process
- Explore several art movements. Look up the artists online, lool at images of their work, find someone that 'speaks to you'.
- Research one artist. Go in depth, see what moved them to create. Does it resonate with you?
- Discuss what you learned as a group. See what your peers feel!
- Brainstorm ideas. Decide which direction you want to go in; painting, sculpture, collage, etc.
- Assign each member a role. Maybe someone will choose the colors- someone else might create another aspect of the piece, etc.
- Create the artwork. Together! Remember, art is every growing, you can change anything or add/take away as the piece progresses, don't fear change!
- Present your finished project.
Resources - Museum websites
- Short videos
- Virtual museum tours
- Artist biographies
- Google Images of pieces
Evaluation
Students are graded on:
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Research
- Presentation
- Reflection
Conclusion
Students reflect on:
"Did this project change the way you think about artistic talent?"
Congratulations, artists! Throughout this WebQuest, you discovered that art comes in many different forms and that creativity looks different for everyone. By working together, exploring different artists and art styles, and creating your own collaborative masterpiece, you learned that being an artist is not about being perfect—it is about expressing ideas, trying new things, and sharing your unique perspective. Remember, every great artist started by learning, practicing, and believing in their creativity.
Enrichment Activity
Choose one famous artist whose work inspired you during this WebQuest. Then, create a new piece of artwork at home using that artist's style or technique. Write 3–5 sentences explaining why you chose that artist and how your artwork was inspired by their work.
Explore more famous artists and fun art activities on the Tate Kids website.