ART DETECTIVES
SKILL AND CRAFT:
WHAT WE MAKE
ART DETECTIVES
Skill and Craft: What We Make
Inventiveness, necessity, and beauty: the art objects that comprise the What We Make
crate showcase the talent of artisans with unique skills. Some of these pieces—functional
objects like tools or household items—were created because they were necessary to
daily life. Other pieces serve as objects of celebration and beauty and, in doing so, reflect
the cultures and environments that gave rise to them. All of them, however, are made by
people like you and me—people who have, through time and practice, mastered difficult
and fascinating art-making techniques. Examining both the how and the why behind
these objects, we can better appreciate these artists’ varied and considerable talents.
Key Concepts
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Works of art reveal a range and variety of skills that people possess.
Some works of art—and the skill it takes to craft them—are shaped by the
cultures from which they spring.
The works of art we make tell stories about a culture’s time and place.
Learning Targets
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I can collaborate with my peers to make observations about works of art.
I can share my understanding of certain art processes and mediums.
I can write or draw to make connections between another culture and my own.
Standards Addressed
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Listed on each activity.
21st Century Skills
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Think Creatively
Reason Effectively
Communicate Clearly
Collaborate with Others
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ART DETECTIVES
How to Use These Materials
The following pre- and post-visit materials are designed to extend the What We Make
program beyond the Art Detectives classroom visit. While these activities complement
one another and function as a longer curriculum for What We Make, we know that every
classroom has different needs; for that reason, we’ve designed these materials so that
teachers might pick and choose which particular activity (or two, or three!) might best
enrich their students’ experience.
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ART DETECTIVES
SKILL AND CRAFT: WHAT WE MAKE
PRE-VISIT
MATERIALS
ART DETECTIVES
Vocabulary and Crossword Fun
Grade Level: 3 and above
Time: 20 minutes
Materials
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Pencil
Puzzle that follows
Process
Use the vocabulary below to complete the crossword puzzle on the following page.
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Aluminum is a silver metal used to make common objects.
An anklet is a piece of jewelry worn on the ankle.
Bamboo is a giant woody grass that grows in the tropics.
Bronze is a gold-colored metal used to make sculptures.
Cane is a tall plant that can be used to weave objects like baskets.
Carving is the process of using a sharp tool to create an object or designs on an
object in materials such as wood or stone.
Casting is when liquid metal is poured into a mold to make a sculpture.
A ceremony is an act of importance usually performed during a special occasion.
Cowrie shells are small, smooth shells that are often white and look like
porcelain. In many cultures, like some in Africa, the shells were used as money.
Medium is the material used to make a work of art. For instance, the medium of
an oil portrait is oil paint, while the medium of a sculpture might be metal, glass,
wood, or clay.
A mold is used to give a sculpture its shape.
Raffia is a dried grass that comes from certain types of palm trees. It is woven to
make a wide range of objects including hats, bags, baskets, and other items we
might wear or use.
Weaving is the process of making fabric by lacing threads together.
To winnow is to separate the outer part of grain from the part you can eat.
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ART DETECTIVES
Name: __________________________________
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Across
Down
3. Dried grass from certain types of palm
trees
1. Tall plant used to weave objects like
baskets
5. Small, smooth shells
2. Giant woody grass that grows in
the tropics
6. Gold-colored metal used to make
sculptures
8. Using a sharp tool to create objects
or designs
9. The material used to make a work of art
12. Process of making fabric by lacing
threads together
13. Used to give a sculpture its shape
4. Silver metal used to make common
objects
5. Act of importance
7. When liquid metal is poured into a mold
to make a sculpture
10. Piece of jewelry worn on the ankle
11. To separate parts of grain
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ART DETECTIVES
Visual Arts: Make Your Perfect Place—
A Cardboard Collaboration
For this project, students will work on teams to create their ideal place, environment,
planet, or town. Their guiding question: If you could create the perfect community—real
or imaginary—what would it look like?
Grade Level: K and above
Time: 60 minutes
Materials
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Base for the town on a large table (dismantled cardboard boxes work well)
Recyclables of all shapes and sizes including: boxes, paper towel rolls,
toilet paper rolls, yogurt containers, other Tupperware-type containers,
milk cartons, etc..
Markers
Construction paper (multiple colors)
Scissors
Glue
Standards Addressed
Arts and Humanities: AH-P-SA-S-VA2, AH-6-SA-S-VA2, AH-7-SA-S-VA2,
AH-8-SA-S-VA2, AH-HS-SA-S-VA2
Writing: W.3.4, W.4.4, W.5.4, W.6.4, W.7.4, W.8.4, W.9-10.4, W.11-12.4
Process
For this collaborative project, the class will plan, map, and make a “recycled” version
of their ideal community—real or imagined. Discarded objects will be transformed via
markers, construction paper, scissors, and glue.
1) B
efore they begin the creation of their perfect place, the class should discuss the
following questions:
a) Is this place real or imagined?
b) What makes it perfect?
c) What does the environment look like?
d) In what order do we need to create elements of our imagined city? Do we
need to map out key structures, bridges, and rivers? Do we need to paint
roads and grass? In what order do we need to assemble these pieces?
e) Who would like to make what?
2) Vote on the five key elements the class agrees will make the place perfect.
3) After discussing these questions and deciding on five components, students will
begin making their town.
4) Students in grades 3 and above may complete the writing activity that follows.
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ART DETECTIVES
Writing the Perfect Place
Name: __________________________________
In the space below, write the ten rules people must live by in your perfect place. These
should address the ideas of community, how people contribute, and what would make
the place ideal. You can be both playful and serious!
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ART DETECTIVES
Language Arts: Response to a Poem
Grade Level: 3 and above
Time: 60 minutes
Materials
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Pen or pencil
Worksheets
Paper
Standards Addressed
Reading: RL.3.2, RL.4.2, RL.5.2, RL.6.2, RL.7.2, RL.8.2, RL.9-10.2, RL.11-12.2
Writing: W.3.4, W.4.4, W.5.4, W.6.4, W.7.4, W.8.4, W.9-10.4, W.11-12.4
Process
Please read the poem on the following page. Ask students to summarize the situation
presented in the poem. You can also ask them to think about feelings the poet evokes
and which images stand out most to them.
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ART DETECTIVES
Art Detectives: Making Connections
Directions: Please read the poem below and respond to the prompts on
the following page.
Street Painting
By Ann Turner
I watched him a long time
and this is how he did it:
Stand in front of the wall
like it’s a bad dream.
Make faces.
Jam your hat down.
Pull it off.
Pop your fingers—walk
around the block and come back,
start up like you surprised
the wall’s still there.
Then sigh.
Take out your paints.
Doodle around with them,
stirring and humming.
Dip a brush in,
stare at it,
take a rush forward
and dab-dab-dab
at the wall.
Soon’s you know,
you got faces
and bodies and trees
like they were locked up
in that old brush
and all you had to do
was stare at it
to get a picture.
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ART DETECTIVES
Art Detectives: Making Connections, continued
Name: __________________________________
Analyze
What is the speaker in the poem observing? Please be specific and use examples to
support your answer.
What point do you think the poet might be making about the process of creating art? Is
the poet saying it’s easy or difficult? How do you know?
Respond
This poem describes an artist’s art-making process. Think about something you know
how to make or once made in the past. You may choose anything from a work of art
you created to a cake you once baked. Once you choose your subject, think back to the
moment of making it. Write a poem in which you narrate what that process felt like, what
was hard about it, and how it felt to finish. Use details to paint a picture in the reader’s
mind! (If you wish, you may use the brainstorming worksheet on the following page.)
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ART DETECTIVES
Brainstorming Worksheet
Name: __________________________________
What I made...
When?
Why?
The fun part?
The hard part?
Words that
describe it?
How I felt at
the end?
Why I remember it?
Why it still matters?
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ART DETECTIVES
Social Studies/Language Arts:
Family or Friend Interview
Grade Level: 3 and above
Time: 60 minutes
Materials
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Pen or pencil
Worksheets
Standards Addressed
Social Studies: SS-EP-2.1.1, SS-EP-5.1.1, SS-06-2.1.1, SS-HS-5.1.1
Speaking and Listening: SL.3.1, SL.4.1, SL.5.1, SL.6.1, SL.7.1, SL.8.1, SL.9-10.1,
SL.11-12.1
Process
For this assignment, students will show a family member or friend four different images,
each of which is an item from the What We Make crate. The student will ask their
interview subject some questions about the images; they’ll then record their answers
on the attached worksheet. When students return with their completed worksheets, the
teacher can ask students to report their data. He/she may ask students to raise their
hands to show whether the people students interviewed chose object A, B, C, or D for
each answer (and, if desired, record what they report).
The teacher will then facilitate a discussion about the class findings. The discussion might
address the following questions:
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Which answer from the person you interviewed surprised you the most?
Would you have answered any of the questions differently than the person
you interviewed?
Which object are you most curious to see in person?
Which object do you have a question about? (Students may wish to record
their questions; they can bring them up in discussion with the Art Detectives
facilitator!)
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ART DETECTIVES
What We Make: A Creative Conversation
Name: __________________________________
Directions: Find a family member or friend with whom you’d like to have a conversation
about art. Show the person the four images on the following sheet. You may talk
about which ones are most interesting to each of you. Record their answers to the
questions below.
1) Which object is your favorite? Why?
2) W
hich object looks to have the most interesting medium, process, and purpose?
Why do you think it is the most interesting?
3) Which object seems like the most difficult to make? Why?
4) W
hich object would you like to know more about? What would you like to know
about it?
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ART DETECTIVES
A
B
Box With Lid
Headband
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Winnowing tool
Bracelet
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ART DETECTIVES
SKILL AND CRAFT: WHAT WE MAKE
POST-VISIT
MATERIALS
ART DETECTIVES
Visual Arts: Strange String Bowls
The What We Make crate shows us just how inventive artists can be. Many of the objects
that we studied were made using common, everyday items. Similarly, this bowl-making
activity will show students how to transform ordinary materials into interesting—and
functional!—works of art.
Grade Level: K and above
Time: 60 minutes
Materials
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Newspaper to cover desks
Yarn and embroidery floss (multiple colors), cut into strands no longer than 12"
Scissors
White school glue, poured in bowls
Styrofoam bowls (one per student)
Plastic wrap
Standards Addressed
Arts and Humanities: AH-P-SA-S-VA2, AH-6-SA-S-VA2, AH-7-SA-S-VA2,
AH-8-SA-S-VA2, AH-HS-SA-S-VA2
Process
1) P
lace bowl upside down, coat with a layer of plastic wrap, and secure plastic
wrap to bowl with a rubber band around the bottom (the lip of the bowl).
2) Choose the color or colors of yarn/string to make the bowl. Possibilities include
a palette of warm or cool colors, a pattern, or a monochromatic bowl.
3) Coat yarn/string in glue by dipping it or soaking it in a bowl of glue.
4) Place piece of yarn/string on bowl, either wrapping it around in a circle or draping
it across.
5) Continue to place yarn/string on bowl, keeping in mind that the lip of the bowl will
be the top of the bowl once it has dried.
6) Let dry for 24 hours (or longer, if necessary). Carefully separate the dried string
bowl from the plastic wrap/Styrofoam bowl.
7) Fill bowl with something interesting!
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ART DETECTIVES
Language Arts: A Backwards Bronze Brancusi Poem
Grade Level: 3 and above
Time: 60 minutes
Materials: Attached worksheet; image below
Standards Addressed
Art and Humanities: AH-P-HA-U-1, AH-6-HA-U-1, AH-7-HA-U-1, AH-8-HA-U-1,
AH-HS-HA-U-1
Writing: W.3.3, W.4.3, W.5.3, W.6.3, W.7.3, W.8.3, W.9-10.3, W.11-12.3
Process
As a class, please watch this brief video about bronze sculptures and the artist’s
process. Then discuss this image of the 1913 work by French artist Constantin Brancusi.
It is entitled Mademoiselle Pogany I and it is part of the Speed Art Museum’s collection.
Constantin Brancusi
Romanian, 1876 1957
Mademoiselle Pogany I, 1913
Polished bronze with black patina
Bequest of Mrs. Mabel Hussey Degen 1954.16
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ART DETECTIVES
A Backwards Bronze Brancusi Poem, continued
As you look at the image of the sculpture, discuss the following questions as a class:
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What would be most difficult about making this sculpture?
What feeling does the sculpture give you?
How would you describe the sculpture to someone who couldn’t see it?
What is most interesting about it?
Once you’ve discussed the piece, write a narrative poem on the following page.
Prompt
First, imagine Brancusi’s process of making this sculpture. Next, on the following page,
start with a description of the finished product and work your way back: what had to
happen before his piece was displayed in the Museum? What happened before he
cracked the plaster away and saw the bronze? What happened before he made the
carving from wood? What happened before he knew what he wanted to carve?
Use the video for ideas, but don’t worry about describing every part of the process—
that would be too many steps! Instead, think about the parts that are most interesting
to you. Your poem might end with Brancusi dreaming up the idea to make this
particular piece!
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ART DETECTIVES
A Backwards Bronze Brancusi Poem
Title: ___________________________ Name: ___________________________
Before the statue came to the museum _________________________________________________________________
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And before that ______________________________________________________________________________________
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And before that ______________________________________________________________________________________
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And even before that _________________________________________________________________________________
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And even before that _________________________________________________________________________________
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And before that ______________________________________________________________________________________
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And before it all, there was only _______________________________________________________________________
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ART DETECTIVES
Social Studies: Famous Makers
Grade Level: 3 and up
Time: 40 minutes
Materials
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Pen or pencil
Worksheet
Access to research materials (library or online)
Standards Addressed
Social Studies: SS-EP-2.1.1, SS-EP-5.1.1, SS-HS-5.1.1
Reading: RI.3.10, RI.4.10, RI.5.10, RH.6-8.4, RH.9-10.10, RH.11-12.10
Writing: W.3.4, W.4.4, W.5.4, W.6.4, W.7.4, W.8.4, W.9-10.4, W.11-12.4
Process
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ith the teacher’s help, students think about the objects they appreciate, use,
wear, and play with almost every day. These can be common items like pencils,
sneakers, bicycles, etc.
2) Students choose one that they feel is culturally and socially significant. This is the
item they’ll research.
3) Once students choose their objects, they should spend time doing quick
(twenty minutes!) research that gives them some background information on
their subject.
4) At the end, students share what they discovered about the maker and culture
behind their object!
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ART DETECTIVES
Famous Makers: Quick Research!
Name: __________________________________
My ordinary object is:
I chose it because:
It was first made by:
In the year of:
In the town of (write the name and mark on map!):
Here are three interesting facts about the maker:
Here are three interesting facts about how it is made:
Here’s why it was made:
Here’s how it has made us more productive:
Here’s why the maker (or makers) should be included in a history book:
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ART DETECTIVES
Context: Supplemental Videos, Links,
and Other Materials
Get to Know the Kuba People
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Encyclopedia Britannica: a brief description
Trip Down Memory Lane Blog: photos, culture, history
Governors State University Blog: history and discussion of objects
Discover Art-Making Processes
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Etching versus engraving: a brief article that explains the difference
How to Make a Bronze Statue: video that explains the process
Encounter Societies Across the Globe
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Newspaper Map: explore how cultures live across the world by clicking on
newspapers from various countries
If It Were My Home: website that lets you compare life in your country to life
in another
360 Cities: panoramic photos of cities across the globe
TED Talks on Making
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William Kamkwamba on building a windmill
Janet Echelman: Taking imagination seriously
Young-ha Kim: Be an artist, right now!
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