Alexandra Bunuan

TLPL 433
Art Discussion

Art Discussion

For my Art discussion for Middle Schoolers, I chose the model, “See, Think,

Wonder” from Project Zero’s Artful Thinking techniques. As for the artwork, I chose

“Gloucester” (1916) by Maurice Prendergast. I chose this artwork to be the most fitting for

middle schoolers as it is not too complex, but also complex enough to stimulate their

thinking and curiosity.

The educator is simply a guide and the facilitator for the students—the goal is to

deepen their thinking—it is also important to make a safe space for students to actually be

able to participate in the discussion. In the model I chose, the educator asks three main

questions to achieve that goal. The questions are “What do you see?,” :What do you think

about that,” and “What does it make you wonder?” With this model, I designed an art

discussion for this piece.

I would hand out a worksheet with the three main questions without showing the

students the piece and go over the questions beforehand. I will also make sure that they

know and acknowledge there are no wrong answers and all opinions are welcome. For the

first question, the students would be required to write down at least 10 things or words that

they see on the artwork. Then they will proceed and share with the class with that they have

written and discuss with their peers. This will allow the students to see aspects of the piece

that they might not have noticed but a peer has. Question two, they will write at least three

thoughts/opinions about the things they saw, and once they finish writing, they will share

discuss with their peers. I would encourage complex thoughts not just “I think it was pretty”
Alexandra Bunuan
TLPL 433
Art Discussion

answers. By doing so, they will deepen their thinking and look closer, not only to painting,

but also how it makes them feel, think about, or maybe even remind them of something.

Lastly, for the third question, I’d have them write down a question and each student will

share that question and discuss together as a class for possible answers or just simply have a

conversation about it. This can open up topics, such as symbolisms and themes. With this

discussion, it will motivate the students to apply complex thinking to their work. By writing

them down, students will have a record of their thoughts and be able to use it as a tool to use

for their own art.

The worksheet example could look like:

What do you see?

- Pastel colors, Houses, People, Beach or body of water…

What do you think? (or even feel—what does this make you feel?)

- I think the painting looks peaceful

- I think one of the people looks like a ghost…

- It makes me feel like I want to go to the beach

What does it make you wonder?

- What could have inspired them to paint this landscape?

- What is happening in the scene?

Alexandra Bunuan
TLPL 433
Art Discussion

“Gloucester” (1916) by Maurice Prendergast

RESOURCES/CITATION

“American Landscapes.” American Landscapes | The David C. Driskell Center, https://

driskellcenter.umd.edu/american-landscapes.

Center, David C. Driskell. “Prendergast, Maurice (1858–1924).” Flickr, Yahoo!, 12 May 2021,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/driskellcenter/51175573805/in/
album-72157719169945767.

“See Think Wonder_2.Pdf.” Project Zero, 2019. http://www.pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/

See%20Think%20Wonder_2.pdf