Introduction
Whether or not you like to
watch videos, or to look at sculpture, paintings or crafts, the de Young museum
has something that you will find interesting. Recently re-opened, the de Young musem in Golden Gate Park proudly displays its collections of
art of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and textiles and crafts. In
addition to these holdings, the museum commissioned site-specific works by
artists and the first special exhibition featured art and artifacts from the
time of the Egyptian Queen and Pharaoh Hatshepsut.
Guiding Question
The new de Young: What's in
it for me?
Questions
1. Why did the de Young
need a new building? What does the new building look like? (you
decide)
2. When can you visit the
museum and how much does it cost to get in? When can you visit for free?
3. What San Francisco mural was re-located to the museum?
What site was it originally painted for and what happened at that site? What
was the controversy over moving the mural from its original location to its new
home?
4. What does
"site-specific" mean? What four site-specific works were commissioned
for the new museum?
The museum also offers an
online archive which is great for searching for an image of a particular work
of art. You can browse the museum's ImageBase and
check out the highlights of the collections in order to answer questions 5-11.
5. What is the current special
exhibition?
6. Where in the museum are you
most likely to find a painting?
7. Where in the museum are you
likely to find a mask?
8. What is there for the fan
of moving images?
9. What's there for someone
interested in fashion?
10. What does
"contemporary" mean when it is used to describe art? Does the museum
feature any contemporary works?
11. What is a sculpture
garden? What's in the sculpture garden at the de Young?
12. How can you get involved
at the museum beyond visiting the museum? What volunteer opportunities are
there for students?
13. What's in the tower?
14. Is there a place in the
museum for making art?
Internet Resources
The New de Young: the
Building
Planning a Visit
The
Mural Room
Site-specific
Site-specific
Commissions for the New de Young
Special
Exhibition
ImageBase
The Collections
and their Highlights
Contemporary
Sculpture Garden
The
Sculpture Garden at the de Young
Getting Involved
The de Young Tower
Making
Art
View of the Tower
Inside the Tower
Activities
1. Plan a visit to the musem for your friends. Map out a tour that includes at
least 5 stops in different parts of the museum. Be sure to describe what it is
about the building or the collections that you would like your friends to see.
2. Imagine that you are an artist commissioned to do a site-specific artwork
for the museum. Decide on the location for the work. Visit the site and write a
two-paragraph proposal describing your site-specific artwork.
3. Using the de Young's ImageBase,
create a virtual gallery for your own exhibition. Decide on a theme for your
show and select works from the deYoung collection
that fit your theme.
4. Select one of the four artists who created work for the new museum and invesigate his or her body of work. Collect some biographical
information about the artist and some images of the artist's other work for a
report on the artist. Consider whether or not the de Young work is typical of the artist's work.
5. Focus on one "collection" at the musem
to visit in person. Bring a sketchbook and sketch one piece from the collection
that you find particularly interesting.
Sharon Anderson, artist and teacher,
developed this web hunt.
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