Visit an Art Museum from the list provided and summarize your experiences and ways to incorporate the museum in your work with children and their families.
1. Visit at least one art museum from the list of approved museums.
2. Spend ample time at the museum in order to thoughtfully view as many pieces of artwork as possible and to get fully explore your senses. It may be helpful to take notes during your visit to remember what you saw, how you felt, etc.
3. In a professionally written paper that is typed, summarize your experiences and impressions of the museum and the artwork in the museum. Summarize how your senses were impacted during the visit. Summarize your reactions to the artwork, your feelings and emotions while viewing the artwork and in the museum in general.
4. Continuing in your paper, outline the logistical details of the museum you visited. Describe the museum including these details: physical layout, aesthetics, location, hours, fees,
5. In the last section of your paper, create a handout with families, introducing them to the museum you’ve toured and sharing 5 activities they can do with their young children while they are at the museum (include any information about how the activities relate to children’s development – NC Foundations works!)
Sound: The acoustics of the Great Hall and the Temple of Dendur were striking. The sheer size of these spaces created a pervasive hum of collective silence, punctuated only by the echo of footsteps on marble floors and the hushed, respectful whispers of conversation. This atmosphere demanded a slower pace and deeper reflection.
Touch/Smell: While physical touch is restricted, the textures—the smoothness of marble statues, the roughness of ancient stone—were powerfully suggested visually. The only noticeable aroma was a faint, clean scent of polished wood and stone, suggesting history and meticulous preservation.
Reactions, Feelings, and Emotions
My reactions to the artwork spanned awe, contemplation, and deep historical connection. Viewing masterpieces like Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat evoked a sense of melancholy and immediate intimacy, contrasting sharply with the awe and monumental grandeur felt when standing beneath the colossal Egyptian statues. The museum, in general, fosters a feeling of intellectual humility—a profound awareness of the centuries of human creativity. I felt energized by the density of human history and creativity concentrated in one place, yet also a sense of peaceful contemplation due to the mandated slow pace and quiet environment.
Sample Answer
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Journey of Sensory and Pedagogical Reflection
I. Summary of Experiences and Impressions
Sensory Impact
My visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art was an overwhelming yet inspiring experience, primarily impacting the senses of sight and sound.
Sight: The vastness and sheer scale of the museum's collection were the dominant sensory input. The rich, saturated colors of the Egyptian funerary artifacts contrasted sharply with the subdued, earthy tones and dramatic lighting of the 19th-century European painting galleries. In the Arms and Armor section, the metallic sheen and complex detail of the suits created a powerful visual texture. The interplay of natural light streaming through the large windows of the Great Hall and the carefully directed spotlights on specific sculptures controlled the viewer's focus and emotional response.