Museum Lesson Plans

For use in the galleries. Contact the Teacher Resource Center at (312) 443-3719 or trc@artic.edu for information about gallery locations.

Joan Miró. Personages with Star, 1933. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice E. Culberg.

Art Guide
A journey through the Art Institute for teachers, students, and chaperones (grades 1–12)

Medieval and Renaissance Art (grades 6–12)

Modern and Contemporary Art (grades 3–6)

You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print the documents.

Classroom Lesson Plans

Art Access (grades K-12)
This section has multimedia programs that examine objects from various areas of the Art Institute's collection. The following links go directly to the lesson plans for each area of Art Access, which is continually expanding to cover more areas of the collection. Lesson plans in the fine arts, English, language arts, and math are included in these areas:

African American Art

American Art to 1900

Ancient Indian Art of the Americas

Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

India, Himalayas, and Southeast Asia

Modern and Contemporary Art

Renaissance and Baroque Art

Henri Matisse. Bathers by a River, 1909, 1913, 1916. Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection.

Camel with Rider, Tang dynasty, first half of 8th century, Chinese (grades K–12)
This ceramic sculpture of a camel and rider is an example of a type of mingqi (pronounced ming-chee), or tomb figure. During the Tang Dynasty, whenever a rich or powerful person died, they were buried with clay objects depicting people, animals, and fantastic creatures. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Chicago: The City in Art (grades K–12)
This collaborative of the Art Institute of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools used one of the city's hidden cultural resources--Depression-era murals in public school buildings--as a means to integrate the arts into classroom curriculum. The lesson plans are designed to provide teachers with interdisciplinary activities that will enhance students' understanding of the murals in their schools, but can easily be adapted for classroom use anywhere.

Cleopatra: The Ancient World (grades 4–12)
The three ancient Mediterranean cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome are represented with 135 lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students, broken into subject areas of art, math, science, social sciences, and language arts.

Joseph Cornell. Untitled, 1957 (grades K–12)
A wonderful example of the many shadow boxes Cornell created in his lifetime, this box combines whimsical found objects including a wooden bird, a ball, bingo chips, stamps, and newspaper clippings. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Dancing Ganesha, 10th century, India, Uttar Pradesh (grades K–12)
This sculpture of Ganesha, Hinduism's Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles, posed mid-dance, is sure to engage with his oversized elephant head and rotund belly. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Philip Guston. Green Sea, 1976 (grades K–12)
"I wanted to tell stories!" This is how painter Philip Guston explained the radical transformation of his paintings from delicate abstractions early in his career to surreal, apocalyptic narratives later on. The works executed in the last decade or so of his life depict a world populated by hooded figures, disembodied body parts, clocks, light bulbs, and various tools and materials found in a painter's studio. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.


Winslow Homer. The Herring Net, 1885 (grades K–12)
Homer captures the conflict between man and nature in his depiction of two fishermen hauling in a herring net amidst a stormy and powerful seascape. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Japanese Interior, Traditional, Thorne Miniature Room (grades K–12)
This is the main room of a traditional Japanese home, complete with alcoves to display art, tatami mats, and a writing desk. Sliding doors lead to a Japanese garden, considered a form of art and an integral part of the home's beauty. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

René Magritte, Time Transfixed, 1938 (grades K–12)
This well-known work depicts a steam train emerging from a fireplace. Magritte's realistic portrayals of images that do not seem to belong together align him with the French Surrealists. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

MAPS Curriculum (grades 2–6)
Thematic units from the Museums and Public Schools (MAPS) curriculum. Guided by the Illinois Learning Standards, hands-on lesson plans integrate collections and resources from nine world-class Chicago museums. MAPS is an educational partnership between the Museums in the Park and the Chicago Public Schools.

Kerry James Marshall. Many Mansions, 1994 (grades K–12)
Our eyes are first drawn to the sign above the colorful flower garden, announcing the eight towers of Chicago's Stateway Gardens projects seen in the distance. Marshall combined the real and the ideal to portray the residents' efforts to preserve their community. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Kids Shop. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Tosa Mitsouki. Flowering Cherry with Poem Slips, c. 1675 (grades K–12)
This Edo period screen celebrates the Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms to mark the arrival of spring. The tree's blossoms and hanging poem slips create an elegant design against the gold of the silk. You will need Adobe’s Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Archibald J. Motley, Jr. Self-Portrait, c. 1920 (grades K–12)
This painting depicts a self-portrait of the dignified Chicago-based artist. The traditional composition and lively colors that hint of his future Bronzeville paintings offer a glimpse into the complexity of Motley himself. You will need Adobe’s Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Nudity in Art (grades 1–12)
These notes summarize a teacher workshop that introduced methods for approaching nudity in art in museum and classroom settings. Comments and lesson plans were suggested by participating K–12 teachers, museum educators, administrators, and parents. The lesson plans are for elementary, middle, and high school students. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Pablo Picasso. Portrait of Sylvette David, 1954. (grades K–12)
While living in the small town of Vallauris on the southern coast of France, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso encountered a young woman named Sylvette David. Her stunning features fascinated Picasso so much that over the course of the next three months, he composed more than 40 paintings and drawings in a range of styles. In this particular image of Sylvette, her features are greatly distorted as Picasso began to examine her facial features and characteristics as closely and specifically as possible. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Kids Shop.  You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Science, Art, and Technology (grades 9–12)
Science and art naturally overlap. Both are a means of investigation, and both involve theories and hypotheses that are tested in places where mind and hand come together-the laboratory and studio. These lessons explore such cross-disciplinary topics as dilutions, chemical reactions, pigmentation, chromatography, and the effects of acid rain.

Screens of Southern Barbarians, 1568–1603, Japan (grades K–12)
This screen portrays a ship arriving in Japan from Portugal with European merchants in pantaloons and broad-brimmed hats bearing exotic products. The Japanese, in long, flowing patterned robes and sandals, are on the shore picnicking and watching the arrival of the Portuguese with curiosity. You will need Adobe’s Acrobat Reader to view or print this document. 

Taoism and the Arts of China (grades 1–12)
The classroom applications in this section are designed to enhance students' understanding of the works of art and exhibition themes related to the past exhibition Taoism and the Arts of China, which explored the material culture of this ancient faith. Included are lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students in the fine arts, sciences, language arts, and social sciences.


Thangka of Bhaishajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha, 14th century, Tibet (grades K–12)
This colorful thangka, or scroll painting, represents the Buddha as the master of medicine and teacher of healers. As the patron deity of Tibetan medicine, he is a healer of both the body and spirit. Not only is this painting rich in meaning, it is a beautiful aesthetic achievement, and the harmonious use of bold, vibrant colors is characteristic of Tibetan art. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.


Alma Thomas (grades K–12)
Starry Night and Astronauts, 1972
This abstract painting evokes the excitement of the first space flights in the 1960s and 1970s. Inspired by the Apollo missions, Thomas's thickly painted patches of vivid color against a white ground creates a sensation of flickering light, which suggests the mysterious beauty of outer space and inspires a sense of wonder. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Three-Quarter Field Armor from a Garniture, 1570–80, Italy (grades K–12)
This suit of ceremonial armor includes more than 22 pieces that could be mixed for parade and sporting tournaments. Students will learn about the production and functions of armor and about the role of the knight in 16th-century Europe. This lesson plan accompanies a poster packet sold in the Teacher Resource Center. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Charles White. Harvest Talk, 1953 (grades K–12)
White depicted the dignity of rural labor with two powerful figures. The contours of scythe, hat brims, and forearms echo the curves of the horizon and clouds, portraying these workers in harmony with the landscape. You will need Adobe’s Acrobat Reader to view or print this document.

Give us your feedback. Did you use a lesson plan in your classroom? What obstacles did you encounter before, during, or after? Thank you!