Dissecting Works of Art

Description: This short assignment can be used in any exhibition in order to make students feel more comfortable discussing works on display. This exercise is primarily used with classes outside of art disciplines because it [...]

Poetry and Painting in the 17th Century

Description: In October 2015, Professor of English, Nicholas Jones asked students in his English Renaissance Poetry (ENGL 313) to write texts linking short selections from poems in the course anthology with paintings in the Allen’s [...]

Close Looking Activities from the AMAM

Description: Sample group activities designed by Liliana Milkova, Curator of Academic Programs, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College. These activities can be conducted with museum docents, pre-med students, or as part of class visits to [...]

Student Examples of Ways to Extract Meaning from Art

Description: Compiled from thirteen junior studio art majors, this list is the result of an assignment that asked the students to name various methods and ideas through which they might extract meaning from largely unfamiliar [...]

Questions for Unidentified Objects

Description: We often encounter objects about which there is no information. This list of questions can be utilized with students in an assignment where they are given unidentified objects from a collection to assess. Questions [...]

Response-Centered Peer Review for Extended Object Labels

Response Centered Peer ReviewDescription: Adapted from "Engaged Ideas," by John C. Bean, this assignment pairs students in a response-centered editing assignment. Using a clearly explained process, this warm-up exercise precedes the full class reading and [...]