In a program with educators at New York State Historical Association, students will learn about the political process of choosing a new United States President, learn some interesting facts about former Presidents and political parties, and understand how art can help to teach us about our nation’s history. Students will view the Fenimore Art Museum’s extensive collection of American folk art, focusing on pieces which depict former Presidents and political symbols. Students will learn about the artworks while playing a fun Presidential trivia game with a museum teacher, and they will be led step-by-step through the process of elections, from primaries to the Electoral College.
Program Format:
Students will be welcomed by a museum educator. He/she will introduce Fenimore Art Museum using photographs and video. The educator will show the students objects from the museum’s folk art collections (paintings and sculptures) that depict former U.S. Presidents, political figures, and patriotic symbols. Some examples of artworks students will view include: a painting memorializing George Washington made before 1810; a life-size wooden statue of Abraham Lincoln; a series of life masks of early Presidents including Thomas Jefferson; a Whig party political banner from 1840. The students will view the artworks and learn about how they were made and used, and will learn about the importance of the Presidents and symbols within the artworks. They will also learn about the political process of choosing a President, including how candidates are selected in primaries to how the Electoral College works. At points during the program, students will take part in a series of trivia games where they have an opportunity to interact with the museum teacher.
Students will be welcomed by a museum educator. He/she will introduce Fenimore Art Museum using photographs and video. The educator will show the students objects from the museum’s folk art collections (paintings and sculptures) that depict former U.S. Presidents, political figures, and patriotic symbols. Some examples of artworks students will view include: a painting memorializing George Washington made before 1810; a life-size wooden statue of Abraham Lincoln; a series of life masks of early Presidents including Thomas Jefferson; a Whig party political banner from 1840. The students will view the artworks and learn about how they were made and used, and will learn about the importance of the Presidents and symbols within the artworks. They will also learn about the political process of choosing a President, including how candidates are selected in primaries to how the Electoral College works. At points during the program, students will take part in a series of trivia games where they have an opportunity to interact with the museum teacher.
More information and registration can be found on the CILC website at http://www.cilc.org/search/content-provider-program.aspx?id=1916
Sarah Loveland
5798 State HWY 80
Cooperstown, NY 13326
(607) 547-1414
(607) 547-1414