Quilting Party  and Farming in Toscana - by Pauline Jackson

Goals:   1. Genre: Scenes of everyday living

             2. Perspective: Where was the artist when she painted this? Things are drawn bigger in front and smaller in the back.

             3. Pattern: Repeated shapes, lines and colors form a pattern.

SETUP: 5 Minutes

Let children come close and examine both prints for a few moments. Then ask questions and discuss painting. Allow a half hour for craft. Each student will make a quilt square design on paper. These squares will be joined and made into a "quilt" to hang outside their door.

QUESTIONS: 10 Minutes

1. Does the picture have a part that seems to be more important than another part? (Quilt)

2. What do you think the ladies are doing in this picture? (Quilting)

3. Is this a scene of everyday life in your grandmother's time? Farming...?

               (This kind of painting is called genre.)

4. Where was the artist when she painted this picture?

               Introduce perspective. (Foreground - middle ground - background)

5. If you could be any person, young or old, in this picture, who would you be? Why?

6. What are some of the children in the picture doing?

7. What sounds might you hear if you were in the picture?

8. Where do you think the quilting party is taking place?

9. What clue does the artist give you to let you know this? (Church pew, piano, windows)

10. What time of day do you think it is? (Clock, light outdoors)

11. What season of the year do you think it might be? What's the weather?

12. What kind of lines do you see in this picture? (Vertical-potential for action, diagonal-action, horizontal-resting)

13. What colors do you see? Are they bright or dull? How do they make you feel?

              Can you follow one color around the picture?

14. What shapes can you find? (Circle, square, diamond, hexagon...)

15. Are any shapes repeated around the picture? Shapes inside of shapes?

16. What do repeated shapes make? (Pattern)

17. Which of these paintings shown took longer to paint? Why?

Artist:

Can not find anything on the internet for this artist or prints.  I have asked the Cincinnati Art Museum to provide information, but if you have anything to share, please let me know. 

My advice would be to focus more on the friendship aspect of the craft instead of the artist history.  Maybe emphasize that people got together rather than email or telephone.  The friendship quilt was very important get together. 

CRAFT:  35 Minutes

1. Each child designs his own quilt square. Put name and homeroom # on back.

2. Give each child a square of paper, and some patterns to trace.

3. Have them begin their design in the center of the square and leave room around the edges.

4. Encourage them to be imaginative and colorful.

5. Collect squares and make a quilt to hang by their door by joining with colored tape. 

(Quilt Patterns Pattern A, Pattern B, Pattern C, Pattern D, Pattern E and Crossword Puzzle, Crossword Puzzle Answers in Booklets and Website)          

Quilt Instructions - Two Suggestions to Choose From

CLEANUP: 5 Minutes