DESCRIPTION: Students sort pictures of clothing, historical places, events, or pictures of art, into piles of distinct "styles" and discuss their choices.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of Style Piles is to teach students the meaning of individual and group style and to discuss ways that an artist's style reflects choices determined by his or her culture.

PROCEDURE: Here is a selection of photographs that depict various styles of clothing, accessories, architecture, design, or even art. Please look at them carefully and separate them into groups that represent a similar style. The styles may be very familiar or unknown. When you are finished separating the photographs into appropriate groups we will discuss your decisions. What clues did you use to make your decisions?

Now let's think about the styles that you choose in your daily lives. How do you make choices about what kinds of clothes to buy? Or how to wear your hair? Do your friends wear the same styles as you do? Does everybody make the same style choices? Do you generally choose a certain style? Does it have a name? Can you name other styles of dress and fashion? Would you choose the same style if you lived in New York City? Eli, Minnesota? What if you were living fifty years ago? Why would your choice change?

Even though there are group styles, each individual has his or her own style in what they wear, how they act, or what they produce. (No two people or buildings look exactly alike.) But our individual styles are determined by the time and place where we live. The same is true for art and artists. In art there are group styles as well as individual styles. Let's look at some paintings in the Walker Art Center's collection, and see if we can distinguish both the group style and the individual style.

MINNESOTA GRADUATION STANDARDS:
(1) Read, View, Listen
(2) Write and Speak
(3) Literature and the Arts
(7) People and Cultures

Age level: Appropriate for grades 3 and up.
Artworks used: Choose a section of the gallery where a number of works by an individual artist or school are present.
Props needed: Laminated photographs of fashions, architecture or art by artist represented in the gallery.
Related to Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: No
Notes: This activity facilitates understanding of style and personal or group identities.


© 1998 WALKER ART CENTER