Look
- Invite students to spend time carefully observing one portrait.
- Ask students to begin by looking silently for one minute, then spend another minute writing everything they notice about the portrait. Encourage them to focus on details, visual elements and artistic choices.
- Invite students to circle their top three words. These will be used as a prompt later. Optional: repeat this process for all portraits.
Discuss
- Invite students to discuss their observations as a class while viewing the portraits side-by-side.
- Ask students to compare perspectives and begin to explore possible meanings, stories and themes within the works.
Discussion prompts:
- What stories are being told in these portraits?
- How are the works similar and different?
- Which portrait has piqued your interest and why? What more do you want to find out?
Connect
- Invite students to investigate one portrait more deeply through research.
- Ask students to explore the work, how it was made and how it connects to the artist’s broader practice.
- Students could present their findings through a presentation, artist file or slide deck.
Inquiry prompts:
- Read the artist’s statement and any judges’ statements. What do they reveal about the artist’s intentions?
- Is the portrait part of a series or ongoing body of work?
- What inspires or influences the artist?
- How does the artist’s experiences shape their work?
- How does the artist describe their style, techniques, process and ideas?
Create
- Invite students to create an artistic response inspired by their observations.
- Ask students to return to the words they circled earlier for each portrait and use one or more as a starting point for their work. Encourage students to experiment with materials and techniques.
Creative prompts:
- Create a photographic response or work in a medium of your choice.
- Consider how your chosen word(s) could guide your ideas, mood and/or composition.
