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1. Sheldon Museum of Art 4th Grade Tour START

2. Click on a picture to learn more. Museums Preserving 1 Collecting Visiting Collecting Interpreting

3. What is a museum? Which of the following is a museum? If you answered, “All of them!” you are correct. A museum is defined as collecting, preserving, and interpreting the things of the world. 1 Morrill Hall The Sheldon is a museum that has been collecting artwork since 1963. Have you been to any other types of museum? Sheldon Lincoln Zoo

4. The museum is built of precious materials like Italian travertine, gold leaf, and bronze. Can you locate these three things in this photograph? These valuable materials have a history of being used in art. Because of this, the museum itself is like a work of art!So don’t forget to look at the building like you would a painting or sculpture. How does the museum compare to your home? Does the museum remind you of any other type of building?

5. Collecting 1 Many people collect things, not just museums. Do you have a collection? Look at the images. What type of art do you think the museum collects? The Sheldon Museum of Art collects American art. When you visit the museum you will see paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures.

6. This sculpture by Isamu Noguchi is one of the first pieces of art that a visitor to the Sheldon sees. It’s called Song of the Bird . . . is it a realistic or abstract object? How else would you describe the sculpture? Think about color, texture, lines . . . Which do you think is the bird and which is the song? Why do you think that? Isamu Noguchi Song of the Bird Marble and Granite 1958

7. Preserving Why do you think the woman in the picture is wearing gloves? The museum needs to preserve and protect the art in its care for everyone. Our hands contain many oils that are harmful to artworks. Only museum staff can touch works of art, and they must be very careful and wear gloves! 1 Where’s all the art we don’t see? The Sheldon has over 12,000 works of art with less than 2% being shown in the galleries at a time. The storage facilities help keep the work safe when it is not on view. The art is kept at a constant temperature between 68and 72 degrees Farenheit. Special crates are used to transport the artworks safely.

8. What is a Docent? A docent is a person who is your tour guide to help you see and learn about great art and explore the building. • Some questions they’ll ask you are: • What’s going on in this painting? • What do you see that tells you that? • Feel free to ask them questions too! • Sit on the floor • Listen • Look • Relax • Study • Enjoy • Learn

9. Interpreting What do you think it means to interpret a work of art? Answer the following true/false questions about interpretation. 1 On your visit you will have a docent—a person who is your tour guide—to help you see and learn about art and explore the building. TRUE Wall labels appear next to works of art and can tell you who the artist is, the date the work of art was made, and its media. A good way to think about a work of art is to ask questions about it! What do you see in this painting? TRUE TRUE

10. Visiting Sheldon We can’t wait to see you! When you come to Sheldon you will When you come to Sheldon do not Push or shove other students Run Touch the artwork Remember, one way to preserve art is to not touch it. Our hands, no matter how much we may wash, have oils that can damage artwork overtime. Is there anything at your home that you’ve been told not to touch? Have you ever noticed that if you touch a window with your hand, you leave a handprint? Now imagine if every visitor to the Sheldon touched one painting…that’s a lot of handprints! Look at different paintings, photographs, and prints! 1 Talk about what you see! Think about artworks!