A primer on MoMA's collection and creating a conversation around a work of art.

1. Do now
What is your biggest concern about
presenting a piece of artwork to the class?

2. Why we’re doing this project

3. “Speak loud! Be fun Don’t
be boring , endlessly
talking: make a joke, even if
it’s a bad joke. ESPECIALLY
IF IT’S A MORNING CLASS!”
-Nicole, Gissell, and Jackie
“SOMETIMES..give
your own opinion or
play devil’s advocate
so to stir the pot of
conversation…”
Leo and Nicole
“Remember what
students say, build up
their ideas... actually
RESPOND to their words”
-Vania, Leonor, Kate (killin it)
“Ask provocative and controversial
questions to help spark a debate
and build on a conversation”
-Cierra (good morning)
“start with something that doesn’t
seem related to the full
topic…then transition to the
topic.”
-LEO
“Don’t force your own
ideas into the
conversation
State the facts, not your
opinion.
Connect the students
ideas to progress to the
next topic. ”
Joe, Killin it-Kate,
Tasnim
INQUIRY METHOD ADVICE - 2015

4. “If everyone is
agreeing, it’s not fun.
There’s something
riveting about an
argument! ”
Greg and Sam G-
THANG
“Restate what people say
and turn that into
another question.”
-Luis
“move around and make
eye contact. Make sure you
LOOK INTERESTED. Don’t
“act” but HAVE a real
conversation.”
-Kylana and G-THANG
“If you
understand what
you’re doing you
aren’t learning
anything.”
Sam A’s fortune
cookie
Advice From 2014

5. INQUIRY METHOD ADVICE - 2018

6. moma.org/explore/collection
The work of art you select must be ON VIEW
Free Teen Fridays: 4-8pm
March 23
March 30
April 6
April 13
BRING YO ID!

7. Do you like…absurdity? Conflict?
Confusion?
Some Dada artists…Marcel Duchamp
Jean Arp

8. Do you like…pixelation?
Geometry?
Some Cubism
artists…
Geoges Braque
Pablo picasso
Alberto Giacometti
David AlfaroSiqueiros
Diego Rivera
Wifredo Lam
DO YOU LIKE…LATIN AMERICAN
ART? SOCIAL MESSAGES?
SOME SOCIAL REALISM
ARTISTS…

9. Do you like…pretty landscapes? Bohemian
lifestyles? CoffEe and Cigarettes?
Some Impressionism and Post-
Impressionism artists…
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Claude Monet
Georges-Pierre Seurat
Henri Matisse
DO YOU LIKE…DREAMS, PSYCHOLOGY,
SEX, FEAR, AND
STRANGENESS?SOME
SURREALIST ARTISTS…
Francis Picabia
Max Ernst
Meret Oppenheim
Joan Miró

10. MINIMALISM
4 or 5?
• Agnes Martin!!!

11. Do you like…uncharted territory? Artwork that defies
viewer understanding?
More contemporary
stuff…
Adrian Piper’s “A Synthesis of Institutions”
Being: New Photography 2018 (Various artist)

12. moma.org/explore/collection
The work of art you select must be ON VIEW
Email artist name &
Title of artwork to
kozakartclass@mhshs.com
By WED, April 11th @11:59pm

13. For Today…
Pay attention to the way I ask questions
how I respond to your answers.

14. There’s a method of analyzing artwork called “Visual Thinking
Strategies” where the teacher starts with “WHAT DO YOU SEE?” is
great...it's non-threatening, and you don't need any previous
knowledge to answer it.
You'll also be able to tell what the class is most interested in based
on their answers...if they are sticking to the most literal and obvious
things in the painting, then you have a very easy jumping off point.
A good follow up for this is “WHAT DO YOU SEE THAT MAKES YOU
SAY THAT?”
More resources: wikihow.com/Ask-Open-Ended-Questions

15. Another method teachers use to start discussion is called
“Inquiry Methodology” which is uses questions (inquiries) as a
way to build student understanding. It aims to be more active
than traditional methods of learning (chalk/talk or
textbook/worksheet). This is where the questions lead viewers
to understanding. As students respond to the ideas being
discussed, the teacher becomes a facilitator, slowly introducing
new information as it becomes relevant to the discussion.
More resources: wikihow.com/Ask-Open-Ended-Questions

16. Do now:
Drop your ID,
get a laptop,
turn it on,
log in,
leave it half-open

18. Question
Techniques
How to build a
discussion around
a work of art

20. What do these questions
have in common?
• What do you see?
• Could you describe the
environment in the painting.
• What type of country do you think
this is taking place in?
• How are the people in the painting
interacting with each other?
• Could you describe how these
people are dressed.
• Why do you think the man
is on the ground?
Agrarian Leader Zapata
Diego Rivera
Fresco on cement, 1931

21. Remember to listen to what your audience says…
Questions that can be
answered in idiosyncratic, or
personal, ways.
Open Ended Questions don’t
have a single answer...but
multiple types of answers.
Open-Ended Questions
Use phrasing like “Do you
think…” or “Describe…” or
“How…”
Use conditional language like
“could” and “would” to get your
audience to think hypothetically.

22. Agrarian Leader Zapata
Diego Rivera
Fresco on cement, 1931
• What type of hat is he wearing?
• What type of tool is that?
• What country is being
represented here?
• Who is this a painting of?
• Who is holding the horse?
• What kind of plant is that?
• When did this painting take
place?
• What kind of horse is that?
What do these questions
have in common?

23. COMPARE THESE QUESTIONS:
HOW ARE YOU FEELING? VS. ARE YOU FEELING WELL?
THESE TYPES OF QUESTIONS
USUALLY RESULT IN EITHER A
“YES” OR “NO” ANSWER.
Close-Ended Questions
Close-Ended questions aim at a
specific single answer.
Example: When was the war of
1812?

24. Agrarian Leader Zapata
Diego Rivera
Fresco on cement, 1931
• Refer to what people have said and USE
THEIR NAMES.
(This validates their opinions!)
• Give the audience information when
they ask for it!
• Turn THEIR questions into YOUR
questions
• Listen for contrasting opinions…if you
sense that there’s two different points of
view emerging in the audience…
…Polarize the class: ask who agrees with
which point of view.
Uniting the Discussion

25. Final considerations for your
audience…
Look for the different
types of answerers
in the room.
Some people you can rely on
being more verbose...others
may be more succinct or brief.
BOTH types of answerers are
important for building a
conversation!

26. Final considerations for your
audience…
Watch out for "designated
answerer syndrome”
When the same person
continues to answer
questions first...and the
people around them start
to respond less and
less....since they now
expect that person to
answer FIRST.

27. To make matters worse, the
class usually starts to believe
what the Designated
Answerer says, simply
because they're the first to
say it.
Avoid the Designated
Answerer Syndrome!
An audience is easily
conditioned to expect that
person to answer first to
"test the waters" or see what
kind of answer the teacher is
looking for.

28. Library Card for Tomorrow!
• Pin Number!

29. Slide #1 of 4: Intro slide, with selfies and/or images of the work

30. Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
Make sure your selfie game is
STRONG
Slide #1 of 4: Intro slide, with selfies and/or images of the work

31. Avoid random colors
Use a large image of your
artwork…but DON’T DISTORT THE
IMAGE!
Slide #2 of 4: Title of work, and a bit of information
Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas
1889
29”x36”

32. Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas
1889
29”x36”
Slide #2 of 4: Title of work, Basic Question, and a bit of information
Vincent Van Gogh
painted this while
living in Rémy-de-
Provence, France.
What kind of place do you think Rémy-de-Provence is?

33. Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”
Potential Slide #3 of 4: Title of work, and a bit MORE information
Use that first
question to
get the
audience
used to you
asking them
stuff.
Make it
simple and
direct.

34. “I don't know
anything with
certainty, but
seeing the
stars makes
me dream.”
(SOURCE)
Potential Slide #3 of 4: Artist Quote to begin to build the conversation…
Starry Night Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”
How do you react when you see the stars?

35. How is this
“landscape”
painting
different
from others
that you’ve
seen?
Slide #4 of 4: Guide the conversation to your final question
Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”

36. Don’t simply
ask what
makes this
“unique” or
“creative”
But get to the
heart of ‘why
should we
bother looking
at this??’
Slide #4 of 4: Guide the conversation to your final question
Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”

37. TRUST IN THE MOMA WEBSITE

38. Make that
Presentation!
(DO IT!)
• Add a Selfie
• Double check the facts about your artwork.
– Artist Quotes from interviews
– Materials
– Historical context
– Geography/political context
• Generate open-ended questions that you
think will create a conversation!

40. What do these questions
have in common?
• What do you see?
• Could you describe the
environment in the painting.
• What type of country do you think
this is taking place in?
• How are the people in the painting
interacting with each other?
• Could you describe how these
people are dressed.
• Why do you think the man
is on the ground?

41. P8 Schedule
WEDNESDAY
,
THURSDAY
.
FRIDAY
.
Wednesday
.
THURSDAY
.

42. P6 Schedule
WEDNESDAY
,
THURSDAY
.
FRIDAY
.
Wednesday
.
THURSDAY
.