Resources for Educators
Use the resources on this page to explore art concepts, vocabulary, genres and techniques. Lesson plans and videos developed by Maryhill Museum of Art’s curator of education are adaptable to a variety of grade levels and can be used as a stand-alone classroom lesson or in conjunction with a school tour of the museum. Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to online exhibitions, visual art vocabulary lists and national standards for art education.
Lesson Plans
Click links below to download lesson plans.
Support for this initiative was provided by Judy A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow.
Exploring Rodin
Looking closely at Rodin sculpture, understand the role Rodin’s innovations played in creating a “modern,” emotive experience; make your own tinfoil sculpture in minature.
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Maryhill’s Chess Collection
Chess sets are sculptures in miniature, representing the many countries, cultures and periods in which chess has been played. Explore some of the hundreds of chess sets in Maryhill’s collections.
Visit Online Activity
Exploring Chess
Explore one of the most popular and longest-lived games on the planet; then using personal experiences or current events, imagine and create chess pieces and a board made of any materials available.
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You may also be interested in using this Power Point: A Brief History of Chess
Exploring Portraits
Learn how portraiture conveys information about the subject through details like pose, props and expression. Use an inquiry method to gather information about a painting or other works of art, then create a self-portrait or portrait.
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Ekphrastic Poetry
Art inspired by art, or “ekphrastic poetry.” Learn about Haiku and other poetry forms, then create your own ekphrastic poem inspired by works in Maryhill’s collection.
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Ekphrastic Poetry Project
Maryhill Museum wants to inspire the art of poetry! We invite YOU to view objects from the museum’s collection and then write, and/or perform, an original poem inspired by one of our artworks. Upload and share the submissions; we’ll post them to our website.
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More Resources!
Definitions & Visual Art Vocabulary List
Art terms and terminology to help guide your lessons.
State and National Arts Standards
We’ve aligned our lessons to state and national benchmarks so that you can see how the projects meet curriculum standards.
Explore Maryhill’s Collections
Visit Google Arts & Culture to see a variety of objects from Maryhill Museum of Art’s collection.
Explore Online Exhibitions
Explore a range of online exhibitions highlighting Maryhill’s diverse collections, from textiles and sculpture to regional history and Indigenous culture.
Video Resources
DISCOVER: Icons
Maryhill Museum of Art houses an exceptional collection of Orthodox Icons. This collection began with a gift from Queen Marie of Romania. DISCOVER: Icons is a short video that uses an Icon of St. John the Forerunner, or St. John the Baptist, to help you understand and appreciate this heavenly world.
DISCOVER: Sculpture
Diana, Goddess of the Hunt is a marble sculpture by Albert-Ernst Carrier-Belleuse that is on view at Maryhill Museum of Art. Carrier-Belleuse considered it one of his best and submitted it to the French Salon of 1887. Watch the video below to discover more about the sculpture.
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Sign up to receive periodic e-newsletters tailored especially for educators, with information on school programs and tours, resources for the classroom and more.