Introduction
Welcome students to the museum, introduce curator, spokesperson for the Gallery.

Interactive Activity
View work in Gallery by Artist, Pat Steir, Painted Rain, 1994-5

• Students will engage in an activity designated to solicit responses to the work that will lead to an analysis and appreciation of the artist's work (NYS Standard 4)

• Students will be asked to respond to the following suggestions (distribute small pieces of paper to write individual words to each question):

What Sound might you hear?  (ex. loudness, silence, rumbling, tapping, etc.

What Feelings do you associate with this image?  (ex. Peacefulness, irritation, confusion, pleasure, etc.)

What type of Movement or Rhythm do you associate with this painting?  (ex. racing, stillness, pulsating, melandering,etc.)

Describe a Sensation (smell, taste, touch) that you might related to this image. (ex. fuzzy, burnt, sour, sweet, smokey, flowery, sharp, etc.)

From these responses, the students will be asked to create a poem that incorporates all of the words they have compiled from the above activity.

Examples of the poems will be read aloud, shared among the group for responses and interaction.
--------

View  second work: Artist Jackson Polock's 1952 painting, entitled "Convergence."

Students will be asked to respond to the same questions, as in the poem activity, however they will not use the words compiled to create a poem, but will save their responses to later compare and contrast the lists of words that they created for each of the works viewed.  This portion of the session will be continued in the Post Conference Activity.

Conference Related Activity continued back in the classroom:
Download images by each of the artists;
Jackson Pollock's 1947 Oil on canvas, entitled "Enchanted Forest"

1948 painting, entitled "Uncensored"

Pat Steir's 1996 Color Aquatint, entitled "Sunlight On Water"

1996 aquatint, entitled Starry Night:  September, 1996

Presentation:  Project images for critical analysis and discussion (NYS standard 3)

• Students will be presented with an image of works by each of the subject artists.  Teacher will solicit responses from the group, to the works in regard to the artists' use of line, shape color, textures, etc. guiding the students in revealing their individual readings of the works.

Discussion:  Speak to the differences observed between artwork that is representational and those that are abstract.