This resource pairs visual and written primary resources. The works of art with have been chosen from the American Art collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The written selections include poems, speeches, and other historical documents.
Combining images with words provides students with multiple learning pathways for explorations of art, history, and language.

Who were the ancient Egyptians? Explore objects from ancient Egypt to discover how the Egyptians lived and what they believed in this Interactive Exploration featuring works of art from the VMFA's collection.

This resource consists of background information on Egyptian geography and climate, Egyptian life and society, role of the pharaoh, the purposes of ancient art, the role of scribes, hieroglyphics, the afterlife and mummification, Nubia (Egypt's southern neighbor), comparisons/contrasts to art from other parts of Africa, and a discussion on the legacy of Egyptian art (Egyptomania).

Woven throughout the informational narrative are several different types of looking, thinking and learning activities, all of which call on students' observation and critical thinking skills as they closely examine selected art and artifacts. Reflection questions that encourage deep thinking are featured, along with clickable popups on images that further explain Egyptian art and society. Activities like "Look At This," "What's the Story," "Be the Scribe," will bring student engagement, reflection, and critical and creative thinking to any ancient Egypt lesson!

Who were the Ancient Greeks? Explore more about the Ancient Greeks and what they valued as a society in this Interactive Exploration.

This resource consists of two different types of looking, thinking and learning activities. These activities call on students' observation and critical thinking skills as they closely examine selected objects from Ancient Greece. The activities explore the themes of mythology, religion, sport, and trade.

The "Look at This" activities provide close-up views with guiding questions and background information. Students will learn more about what the ancient Greeks valued as a society.

The "Surprise Me" activities offer pop-up hot spots on selected objects to reveal intriguing information about Greek religion, gods, goddesses, trade, sport and mythology. Students will investigate how these objects relate to Greek religion and human need for protection from harm and healing from disease and injury.

Smarthistory is a free resource developed for art and art history instructors full of academic essays and videos. This lesson guides students through synthesizing materials in Smarthistory to create short video presentations on artist techniques, art movements, artists, and artist statements. The products can become a classroom video library resource for students by students that builds over time.

This lesson guides students to carefully observe of works of art, leading to deeper understanding of cultural and historical background. This lesson introduces thinking and analysis strategies that students will use frequently in art class and beyond. This lesson is also great to way to formatively assess student skills related to language acquisition, critical thinking, analysis, and communication.

Art objects made and used in the past can offer clues to the ideas and attitudes that may have been prevalent at the time of their creation. Spending time to thoughtfully examine and explain their own ideas about such an object encourages students to become curious and open lines of inquiry about historical context. This interactive exercise guides students as they document their thinking about an 18th century American artwork.

This activity activates prior knowledge while developing insight into historical perspectives. Use this activity to help students broaden their horizons and explore diverse ideas.

Artworks can offer an opportunity to consider different perspectives. Artists are intentional about how they depict people alone or in groups. Spending time to look carefully at expressions, body language, and contextual clues in figural artwork can help students consider ideas about identity, community, and belonging. Use this interactive exercise to guide students as they explore a work by Kehinde Wiley, creatively document the ideas it presents to them, and consider how their thoughts connect with the artist's own ideas and intentions.

Spending time with a work of art can be an opportunity for thoughtful inquiry and ideation. For students, documenting their ideas as they work to interpret an artwork offers the chance to exercise metacognition. With this interactive exercise featuring an artwork by Congolese artist Sammy Baloji, students are can gain insight into how they process information and formulate ideas.

Spending time with a work of art can be an opportunity for thoughtful inquiry and ideation. For students, documenting their ideas as they work to interpret an artwork offers the chance to exercise metacognition. With this interactive exercise featuring an artwork from the Mughal Empire, students can gain insight into how they process information and formulate ideas. This activity is good practice for formulating research questions and synthesizing ideas.

Students practice engaging with art, making meaning from that interaction, and considering how art can connect us to people and ideas across time and place. Use this before a museum visit to set the stage for a rich in-gallery experience that is inquiry-based.

Structure this simple activity in a way that makes sense for your class. Make a game of it, use written responses to augment discussion, frame it in the lens of your academic discipline, etc.

This simple, scaffolded discussion activity fosters creative and critical thinking and communication skills. Citizenship skills are encouraged as well: making personal connections with art, students are invited to extending these ideas by considering the common and divergent values of the whole group.

Explore objects from Ancient Rome and discover how Romans portrayed themselves and wished to be remembered. This student-facing resource includes text, images, maps, as well as interactive exercises that call invite students to closely examine authentic objects from Ancient Rome.

The first three activities provide close-up views with guiding questions and background information. What will you learn about the connections between power, status, citizenship, and images in ancient Rome? How do these objects relate to identity and how people are portrayed or remembered? Who is represented and who is not?

The next three investigations offer pop-up hot spots on selected objects to reveal intriguing information about Roman culture, gods, goddesses, and mythology.

How do these objects relate to what the Romans thought was important?

Why look at art? Art is one way humans communicate ideas to one another. Sifting through the information art presents takes careful and purposeful looking. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has a resource that can foster close-looking and thoughtful analysis of artworks from any period or culture. Use this resource (see link) to practice looking at art before a visit to the art museum or to document thinking about art as a primary source of insight into a culture or time period. Included in this resource are: a) Works of art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a link to find more.b) Simple framework and prompts to help students document their analysis and thinking. c) Discussion prompts.  

In this Thematic Exploration, students will explore the different ways artists represent individuals in portraits. They will learn to gather clues about the time period in which the portrait was created, the lives of the subjects, and the thoughts of the artists.

Using portraits from the VMFA's collection, students will explore the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of portraiture. Guiding questions are woven throughout the activity, alongside a close examination of seven different portraits from a variety of different eras and cultures. Students are encouraged to observe, interpret, analyze, and reflect thoughtfully in each step. This activity also includes summative reflection questions to wrap up the conversation, as well as an optional "Create Your Own Portrait" activity.

Trans-regional exchange through routes such as the Silk Road across Asia to the Mediterranean basin, maritime routes across the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and Trans-Saharan routes across North Africa allowed groups of people to exchange goods, knowledge, and ideas. Conflict and cooperation, economic pressures and political alliances, as well as conquest, migration, and trade have all resulted in rich cultural interchange. Use this resource set to explore how art can illustrate various ways in which technologies, forms, images, symbols, beliefs and concepts are adopted, adapted, and/or reinterpreted by communities across the globe until 1500.

Ten works of art from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts are presented with contextual information. Suggested inquiry-based activities paired with each object can be used in the galleries or classroom to promote discovery, critical thinking, and authentic engagement with art.

This dynamic exhibition features artwork and artifacts that portray the spirit of Virginia - its past, its present, its landscape, and its people. The Art Experience at the Executive Mansion was designed in collaboration with artists, museums, and curators throughout the Commonwealth to educate, excite and inspire those who visit. The exhibition highlights works from a mix of genres and mediums with particular focus on Virginia artists and themes. It is a living display which will evolve and change over time as additional works of art become available and as different parts of the Virginia story become the focus.

Ready, Set, EXPLORE! Use this guide to lead students on an exploration of ancient Egyptian culture! Six works of art are presented with contextual information and suggested activities to spark inquiry-based exploration of each object.