Artful Conversations

The following guide is intended to help the non-art teacher lead a discussion about the paintings used in Combining Voices. It is a general guide and may be used with any work of art. Since the goal of this discussion is to provoke student response, we suggest that you do not state the artist's name, the title of the artwork, or any other information until after the students have engaged in careful looking and thoughtful discussion about their discoveries. Your role is to focus the student's attention on the painting and force them past a superficial reading of it. The activity can be varied so that it may be used with the whole class, several small groups, or individually as a written exercise. I have estimated the time each step takes though this, of course, could vary greatly.