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Cultural Council Offers Art in Public Places Cirriculum to Teachers and Home-Schoolers
The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville has developed a series of lesson plans for grades K – 5 featuring works in the City’s Art in Public Places (APP) collection. Lessons integrate themes from the artworks with the public school science curriculum. The APP Curriculum is available in the media centers of all Duval County Public Elementary Schools. Lesson plans and the informational DVD are available for download on the Cultural Council’s website www.culturalcouncil.org.
Working with local teachers and curriculum specialists, the Cultural Council developed 17 science lessons which correspond to Florida’s Sunshine State Standards. Each lesson features at least one work from the Art in Public Places collection. Teachers are provided curriculum notebooks, posters of the artworks, and a DVD which serves as an introduction to public art.
Lesson examples include a kindergarten lesson on parts of a tree featuring “Haven Creek,” by Jacksonville painter Alison Watson. “Haven Creek” is located in the Maxville Branch Library. For grade five, students learn about the water cycle through the work of Sarah Crooks Flaire whose mixed media construction “Circle of Life” is hung at the Mandarin Branch Library.
“The Art in Public Places curriculum integrates art and science in ways that will engage students in dynamic explorations of both subjects,” said Allison Graff, Cultural Council Art in Public Places Manager. “The tools for teachers make the instruction easy and the preparation manageable. We hope many will take advantage of these free materials.”
“This is a marvelous opportunity for both students and teachers, “said Jack Matthews, Visual Arts, Dance and Theatre District Specialist for Duval County Public Schools. “Children are exposed to the great art we have around our city while teachers are given tools to easily integrate art concepts with academic knowledge.”
The project was made possible through a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support provided by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the City of Jacksonville.