Seattle Art Museum: Learn Online

The Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness Educator Resource Guide is an interactive resource to enhance your classroom's study of American history, art and culture through primary visual resources. Using images of works of art from the Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness exhibition, historical photographs, articles and letters, this interdisciplinary resource encourages teachers and students to think critically about how American history is taught in the classroom, presenting alternative narratives and using material culture as an inroad to critical discussion.

S’abadeb—The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists

Below is a list of teacher resources developed for the special exhibition S’abadeb—The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists. Each Newspapers in Education chapter features one work of Coast Salish art. The Educator Resource Guide provides general background information on the history, art and culture of Coast Salish First people through in depth exploration of eight works of art. The activities suggested in all of these resources can easily be adapted to other works of art found online, in books or in the permanent collection of the Seattle Art Museum.

Japan Envisions the West: 16th–19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum

Presents suggested activities and ways for educators to facilitate dialogues about art and cultural exchange with students in grades 3–12. Although this content was originally created to accompany a visit to the exhibition Japan Envisions the West: 16th–19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum, the activities and questions to consider can easily be adapted to other works of art found online, in books or in the permanent collection of the Seattle Art Museum.

Song, Story, Speech: Oral Traditions of Puget Sound's First People

August 5, 2004–December 11, 2005

Explore the elemental beauty and sophistication of the time-honored oral traditions of Puget Sound’s First People through Coast Salish song, art, and storytelling.

Spain in the Age of Exploration, 1492–1819

October 16, 2004–January 2, 2005

This bilingual online CD-ROM—produced to complement the exhibit Spain in the Age of Exploration, 1492–1819—covers the artistic and cultural achievements of Spain’s Golden Age, focusing on topics relevant to classroom subjects, such as botanical drawings, map making, Native Northwest cultures, exploration and science. Lesson plans, art activities, a glossary, maps and resources are included.

Minimum viewing requirements: Flash 6 plug-in, JavaScript enabled and 1024 x 768 screen resolution.

Over the Line: The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence

February 6–May 4, 2003

To accompany the retrospective exhibition of Jacob Lawrence's work, SAM partnered with the Whitney Museum of American Art to provide their excellent teacher packet, adapted for use with the SAM exhibition, online. Click on the link below for the Whitney Museum's web site, as well as additional web sites with free, downloadable teacher materials featuring the art and life of Jacob Lawrence.

Art From Africa: Long Steps Never Broke A Back

February 7–May 19, 2002

African artists and scholars worked on this exhibition featuring SAM's African art collection. They spoke directly about the works of art from the perspective of their own cultures. Three of these scholars helped us develop lesson ideas you can use in your classroom.

Treasures from a Lost Civilization:
Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan

This exhibition featured a spectacular discovery in 1986 of an ancient Bronze Age civilization in Sichuan, China. The show highlighted Chinese art from this era, as well as works of art from two better-known ancient Sichuan peoples. The lessons focus on art objects from all three eras.

John Singer Sargent

December 14, 2000–March 18, 2001
This exhibition was the first West Coast viewing of the artist's work and featured his portrait paintings, as well as watercolors and charcoal sketches. The lessons contain both art and language arts activities.

Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe

February 17–May 7, 2000
Featuring SAM's decorative arts collection, this exhibition traced the worldwide evolution of porcelain in China and Western Europe. The lessons focus on three main themes: trade and cross-cultural exchange, cultural context and use, and process and techniques.

Explore Korea: A Visit to Grandfather's House

October 23, 1999–October 20, 2002

An interactive exploration of a traditional Korean house. Lesson plans focus on art and architecture, writing Korean words, and illustrating a folktale.

An American Century of Photography: From Dry-Plate to Digital
The Hallmark Photographic Collection

The lessons introduce photography as an art form and explore its connection to history, art, science, and literature.

Egypt: Gift of the Nile

October 15, 1998–January 10, 1999

This exhibition showcased the Egyptian art collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The lessons cover four themes in ancient Egyptian daily life and they include transparency images.

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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery