Learning Guides
Learning Guides
We believe great art can, and does, change lives. That’s why we think it’s always an exciting time when a school bus arrives at a host gallery to view one of our touring exhibitions. This common event has the potential to cultivate a lifelong enjoyment of contemporary art, craft and design.
We always want to make sure our touring exhibitions connect with a young audience in a meaningful way. That’s why we have built a reputation for publishing quality education resources that allow primary and secondary school groups to develop their ability to view, understand, analyse and explain the works of art on display. Along with being an invaluable resource for gallery visits, these publications include inspiring classroom and individual activities that address state and national curricula.
The Shilo Project learning guide
This education resource is intended for use as a starting point to generate discussion and activities before, during and after a visit to The Shilo Project.
Curriculum Links and Connections
Visual /Creative /Studio Arts
• Artist’s practice, ideas and inspiration
• Responding to artworks: formal analysis and interpreting meanings and messages
• Exploring psychological symbolism
expressed in artworks
• Exploring possibilities for materials,
processes and techniques
Visual Communication and Design
• History of album design
• Understanding principles of design such as balance, form, scale, focal point
• Overall exhibition design – interior
• exhibition design and graphics that reflect a consistent theme and create a specific ambiance
• Influence of art on graphics and vice versa
Media Studies
• Cross pollenation between art and popular culture
Music
• Study of pop music in the 1960s and ‘70s
• Structure of pop music
• Links between music, art and
Published: 2010
Format: PDF, 42 pages
Publisher: NETS Victoria
Education consultant: Kate Stones
Editing & Design: NETS Victoria
Objects to Live By / The Art of John Meade. Learning guide
This education resource is intended as a starting point for generating ideas and classroom activities before, during and after a visit to Objects to Live By / The Art of John Meade and is intended to complement and be used in addition to information provided in the exhibition catalogue, gallery wall text and on the NETS website.
The resource includes an introduction to the exhibition, suggested points for discussion and practical activities for secondary school students. It is suggested that teachers select relevant sections of this resource to compile their own exhibition response sheet for students prior to their planned visit.
Curriculum Links and Connections
Visual /Creative /Studio Arts
• Artist’s practice, ideas and inspiration.
• Responding to artworks: formal analysis and interpreting meanings and messages.
• Exploring psychological symbolism expressed in artworks.
• Exploring possibilities for materials, processes and techniques.
Visual Communication and Design
• Exploring the influence of graphic and industrial design on visual artists and vice versa.
• Understanding principles of design such as balance, form, scale, focal point.
Drama and Dance
• Exploring character development in response to artworks.
• Exploring the body form in space and its relationship to other forms.
• The influence of contemporary dance on other art forms.
• Developing a physical response to line, form, colour etc.
English and Media Studies
• Exploring narrative and character development in response to artworks.
• Using artworks as a starting point for poetic composition.
• Observing formal and historical relationships between film, design and visual art.
• Exploring the psychology of image and film making.
Published: 2010
Format: PDF, 37 pages
Publisher: NETS Victoria
Education consultant: Kate Stones
Editing & Design: NETS Victoria
Simryn Gill: Inland
This education resource is intended as a starting point for generating ideas and classroom activities before, during and after a visit to Simryn Gill: Inland and is intended to complement and be used in addition to information provided in the exhibition catalogue, gallery wall text and on the NETS website.
The resource includes an introduction to the exhibition, suggested points for discussion and practical activities for secondary school students. It is suggested that teachers select relevant sections of this resource to compile their own exhibition response sheet for students prior to their planned visit.
Curriculum links & connections:
Years 7 - 10 VELS levels 5 & 6
VCE Units 1 - 4 Art and Studio Arts
Visual / Creative / Studio Arts
The starting points for students to consider Simryn Gill’s work are multifaceted, and within the visual arts include photography, media, sculpture and inter-media approaches.
This resource reflects the focus of the exhibition on the artist’s photographic works, considering them in context with her practice more broadly.
English/ Humanities / Personal Learning and Thinking Processes
Published: 2010
Format: PDF, 25 pages
Publisher: NETS Victoria
This educational resource was written by Michael Nichols with contributions from exhibition curator and Director of Centre for Contemporary Photography Naomi Cass and the NETS Victoria team.
Other Side Art. Trevor Nickolls Learning Guide
This education resource is designed to be used as a starting point for generating ideas and classroom activities before, during and after a visit to Other side art: Trevor Nickolls, a survey of paintings and drawings 1972–2007 and is intended to complement and be used in addition to information provided in the room brochure, gallery wall texts and on the NETS Victoria web site www.netsvictoria.org.au
The resource includes an introduction to the exhibition, together
with suggested points for discussion and activities for junior and senior students.
Curriculum links & connections
As this exhibition is touring nationally, teachers are encouraged to adapt the curriculum links given in the list below to suit their school’s state curriculum. Use this list to generate ideas, activities and points for discussion, and where suitable, contact education staff at your local gallery for further ideas and suggestions. Teachers are strongly
urged to take students to your local cultural centre.
The exhibition can be used to explore:
• studies in Aboriginal art and culture
• the diversity of Indigenous styles and artistic practices
• symbolism and iconography
• figuration and abstraction
• techniques and production
• social and political issues
• cross cultural interactions
• spirituality
• social justice
• cultural heritage.
Curriculum links and connections:
Visual/Creative/Studio Arts
Published: 2009
Format: PDF, 35 pages
Publisher: NETS Victoria
Writers: Brian McKinnon & Rebecca Hicks
Hall of Mirrors Learning Guide
Hall of Mirrors: Anne Zahalka Portraits 1987-2007 explores the thread of portraiture through the prolific career of one of Australia's pre-eminent photomedia artists. Featuring many iconic images, this major survey exhibition toured by National Exhibitions Touring Support (NETS) Victoria and developed by the Centre for Contemporary Photography also introduce saudiences to previously unseen portraits. Zahalka's portraits reveal more than just the individual - with an ironic and critical voice the images cleverly subvert stereotypes while capturing subcultures and a spirit of the times with acute observation.
Visual/Creative/Studio Arts
- Artist's practice: ideas and inspiration, working in series.
- The role of the artist: artist as social commentator.
- The relationship between the artist, subject, artwork, art museum/gallery and audience.
- The figure and its representation in art.
- The diversity and range of media, materials and techniques used by contemporary artists.
- Postmodernism: use of appropriation, homage and humour.
- Art and politics: the way that artists can respond to and represent current political and or social events.
- Responding to artworks: analysis and interpretation using appropriate language.
English
- Responding verbally to visual images.
- Creative writing and responding.
- Critical essays and reviews.
Studies of Society and the Environment
- Artworks as commentary about interconnectedness between humans, society and environment.
- Social issues including immigration, representation, race, gender, diversity and difference.
- Visual arts as a reflection of contemporary culture and society.
Australian History
- Immigrant cultures and histories.
Published: 2007
Format: PDF, 16 pages
Publisher: NETS Victoria
Writer: Kate Barber
