I found the teacher makes a difference in the behavior, attitude and responsiveness of the students. This teacher circulated among his various tour groups, and when he would pop in on my tour, I would ask him to be a docent and ask the students a question about the artwork on view. The kids enjoyed seeing their teacher participate and we had some fun discussions.
I think you would need to judge if this would work in your particular circumstance.
I let them watch the mandala video first, so I wasn’t competing with it during my explanation. I had a picture of a sand mandala which I explained represented the universe and was used as a Buddhist teaching tool. I then pointed out the different parts, and the N, S, E and W gates and the progression towards the center which represents enlightenment.
We talked a bit about Cai’s interest in Eastern religions and his desire to incorporate that in his work (use of symbols, Tibetan pigments, etc.), how the destruction of the sand mandala paralleled his destruction of the gunpowder mandala illustrating the Buddhist teaching re: impermanence. The kids seemed interested in discussing this, volunteering examples of impermanence.
I can still use the picture of the sand mandala since the video goes pretty fast, but simplify for younger kids.
If students are cooperative and well behaved, I find that it is useful to have them first explore a gallery by themselves, trying to figure out what is going on in the room. Then, I ask them to stand in front of their favorites and those are the ones where we spend our time.
Having them sketch in front of Hercules seems to work well.
Having them identify different things on the time line that they find interesting also works well.
I think it is important to be very firm if students are goofing around, not paying attention or wandering off.
Today, I toured with a group of quiet, sixth-grade students who, when they talked, had some very thoughtful responses. I only toured the 10:00 group. The students arrived late, so our tour was shortened. I started the tour with Palmyra because I wanted to connect the object to what the students were learning in class (Ancient Civilizations, Silk Road). I asked them to look closely at the work and write down what they noticed. Then they shared (very quietly); little discussion followed. I showed them pictures of Palmyra ruins before and after the most recent destruction.
Next, we looked at the Mandala and furthered the discussion of the construction (making something) and deconstruction (destroying something). I then asked: what happened here? A couple of boys ventured into this, basically saying that something was made, then destroyed, and then remade into a different form. Interesting.
Then, off to the permanent collection room. I let them explore on their own and ask questions about various works. We then discussed the Oracle Bones.
At this point, I moved to Room 6 and let them explore independently. I hadn’t planned to stop in this space, so I had no activity planned.
Finally, it was close to 11:00, and due to a prior commitment, I had to leave, and Jane graciously completed the tour.
Felt very uncomfortable with this tour for various reasons. The students were wonderful, my colleagues were the best, and Lonnie was, as always, accommodating. But circumstances beyond any of our control made this a challenging experience: the bus was quite late, there were only three docents rather than 4 (one did not show up), and there were those “pivoting” moments when one is prepared for one thing and is forced to another. Add to the fact that this was my first tour in a while, may I have been a bit “rusty?” Without a doubt.
This is the first time I tour Cai’s works with a younger audience, originally I planed to allocate sometime for them do some drawings , instead I carried a good and interesting conversation with both groups of students about the exhibition. The students were very excited about viewing and learning about oracle bones
Used a variation of Fran’s idea in the pyramid room. Separately, they walked around the room, stopping at each video, painting etc. and writing down two words that came to mind. Then, each student would read a word from their list and the group would try to guess what they were describing.
I tried the poem idea in front of the Hercules painting as it was explained to us at the Docent Council meeting. I found that the printed form was too complicated for the group and they had no interest in this activity.
The students enjoyed being able to free range in the galleries as they worked on pair/share activities or other things. However, it is very difficult to keep them from getting too close to the art. Also, they enjoy gathering in a group around a painting but it seems like there are always a couple who would like to lean on the walls. Next time I will ask a chaperone to help me monitor that they do not lean or get too close.
Drawing “Canvas on the moon” before showing Cai’s version. Ask students “what is the difference between your drawing and Cai’s artwork?”
For piramid art, I split students in “like the art group” and “not like the art group” then discuss why they like or dislike. They came up with many reasons.
I had a picture of a sand mandala so we could talk about what it represented (the video goes too fast):
means “circle”
spiritual symbol of universe
guide for meditation and the path to enlightment
Then we talked about the similarities between the actual sand mandala and Cai’s:
use of traditional/non traditional materials
customary destruction after completion
metaphor for impermanence
compared it to his other works
Kids gave thoughtful responses
High school students are used to dealing with “primary sources” so I thought it is a good idea to introduce some of Cai’s own words into the tour:
INVISIBLE POPPY
“Maybe my work, sometimes, is like the poppy flower. It’s very beautiful, yet because of circumstances, it also represents a poison to society.”
What did he mean?
“Gunpowder has always been used for human destruction. But Cai creates beautiful drawings for visual pleasure. He sed the poppy flower as a symbol in his work. The poppy is a beautiful flower to look at, but it can also remind one of the drug trade that is destructive for mankind. Here, the appearance of the flower is nice, but something sinister lurks in the background.”
This picture also lends itself to the question:
Why does Cai call his work paintings?
color, line, positive/negative space, etc.
MONTAGNE SAINTE-VICTORE
“Dragons have symbolized the power of nature on earth and in the universe. They are also an incarnation of the dreams of humans to fly freely through the skies and oceans beyond physical limitations. Now, the fire dragon ascends higher in the sky from the rock slope rising from the earth as an undulation of a dragon, carrying the hope of contact between humans and minds beyond the earth. In addition, it represents an action of the universal spirit of humans seeking a return to the embrace of the universe.”
NON- BRAND
Cai referred to some of the modernist artists (ie Rothko) as developing distinctive “brands” that gained them recognition and in doing so, became commodities.
How would you describe Rothko’s brand?
What other popular figures in our culture have developed brands?
In response Cai created a new technique to sandwich gunpowder (his “brand”) between a sheet of glass and a mirror. He says, “I used mirrors and glass to create a few large-scale iconic pieces. I deliberately placed their “brand” (referring to another artist) onto them and then used gunpowder to explode them. Actually, gunpowder has become a brand of mine.”
He titled his works “Non-Brand”
When Lonnie told me I had 2 minutes left, I stopped my tour and asked these 3 questions in conclusion:
What are your impressions of his artist?
What do you find most interesting?
If you could meet him and ask him a question, what would it be?
I really dislike the question, “Did you like the tour?”. It is a yes/no question with a predetermined, loaded answer. What is the person supposed to answer? It’s like fishing for complements.
USC PAM Docent Blog and Resource Site 