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OUTREACH SU​​​ITCASES

The Education Resource Center is closed until further notice. The Outreach Suitcase program remains on hiatus.

SAM Outreach Suitcases contain artifacts that students can handle, examine, and discuss. Each suitcase has an Educator Resource Guide with descriptions of the objects, background information, and art activity suggestions. All suitcases include relevant Washington State, Common Core, and National Core Arts Standard Connections.


Thank you to SAM for offering such fantastic opportunities for us to enhance our art curriculum!

–Elementary Art Educator


Reserve a Suitcase​​​​​ Suitcase Connections

EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER

The Ann P. Wyckoff Education Resource Center (ERC​​​​) is SAM’s free lending library for educators, located at the Seattle Art Museum. The ERC is a robust teaching toolkit and offers over 4,000 resources related to SAM’s global collections.

VISIT THE ERC ​​
Outreach Suitcase: Africa

ART OF IDENTITY, EXPRESSION, AND ADORNMENT: AFRICA OUTREACH SUITCASE

This suitcase introduces students to art belonging to many different cultures across the African continent. Students will examine how objects can reveal a person's status, perso​nality, and customs while relating these objects to their own lives and experiences. This suitcase contains objects connected to the works of art from SAM’s collection as well as hands-on activities and a comprehensive resource guide.

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Outreach Suitcase: Asia

Art of Asia: Stories Across Time​ and Place

With objects representing stories from contemporary Korean art to ancient Indian sculpture, this suitcase allows students to explore the arts of Asia across cultures, countries, and time periods. Includes an educator guide with looking questions and activity suggestions, along with prints and a CD of images from SAM’s collection.

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Outreach Suitcase: Ancient Cultures

Bridging Ancient Cultures

Explore the diverse cultures and artistic traditions of the ancient world, including Latin America, the Mediterranean region, India, and China. This suitcase includes replicas of ancient art objects, background information, questions to consider, suggested activities, and images of works in SAM’s collection.

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Elements of Art Outreach Suitcase

Elements of Art

The Elements of Art Outreach Suitcase is a resource for investigating how the elements of art are applied to the creation and und​erstanding of visual art. Drawn from SAM’s collection and featuring many Pacific Northwest artists, a wide range of media and cultures demonstrate the individual elements of art. The suitcase includes artist's color and value tools, a ceramic plate and va​se, native carving, texture and 2D and 3D shape items, and prints of supporting images.

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America Outreach Suitcase

Made in America: Exploring American History Through Art

SAM’s American art suitcase​ focuses on works of art from the 17th through the 21st centuries. Using replicas of works of art and cultural items students can touch, this suitcase is a perfect introduction to material culture and history from American colonialism to the present. The suitcase includes an Educator Resource Guide, replicas of artworks and other touchable items, images from SAM’s collection, and materials for hands-on art activities.

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India Outreach Suitcase

Origins: Myths, Histories, ​and Stories of India

This Outreach Suitcase uses objects related to SAM’s collection to help students think critically about how we can understand Indian power structures through myth and stories. The suitcase includes an Educator Resource Guide with background information, looking questions, and activity suggestions introducing Indian stories and art-making practices.

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China Outreach Suitcase

Passing Down Traditions: art of china

Use an embroidery panel, shadow puppets, a calligraphy kit, scroll, and a porcelain bowl to explore how traditions from Imperial China still impact Chinese culture today. Additional resources include an Educator Resource Guide, prints and a CD of related images from SAM’s collection, books, and stencils.

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Japan Outreach Suitcase

Tea in Japanese Culture: A Window into the Arts

Explore Japanese art, history, and culture by handling various objects associated with tea ​and the tea ceremony. This suitcase contains objects from the traditional tea ceremony, along with items from Japan today, to illustrate the lasting impact of this important cultural activity. The suitcase also includes books, prints and a CD of images from SAM's collection, and an Educator Resource Guide with activity suggestions.

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Modern & Contemporary Sculpture Outreach Suitcase

Places, Spaces, and Faces: modern and contemporary sculpture

This Outreach Suitcase inspires students to learn about sculpture from the late 19th century to the contemporary period. With materials samples, tools to make sculptures, hands-on activity suggestions, and images from SAM’s collection, this suitcase discusses sculptures in and out of the museum setting and explores how this art form reflects ourselves and our place in the world.

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Phillipines Outreach Suitcase

Trading Traditions: History, Culture, and Exchange in Philippines  art

This suitcase uses art and cultural objects from SAM’s collection to discuss how the history of the Philippines can be used as a tool to teach concepts of trade, geography, immigration, and cultural heritage. The suitcase suggests engaging activities from Philippine objects such as textiles, musical instrum​​ents, games, baskets, and folk music and dance CDs, along with images from SAM’s collection.

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Native American Outreach Suitcase

Values to Live By: Northwest Coast Native American Art and Culture

Examine the traditional and contemporary art and culture of the Northwest Coast peoples through thought-provoking activities. This suitcase includes a portrait mask, a button blanket, a hand-painted drum, a basket, a wool blanket robe, a model canoe, prints and a CD of images of objects from SAM’s collection, and an Educator Resource Guide.

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Australian and Oceanic Art Outreach Suitcase

Ways of Seeing: Australian and Oceanic Art

This Outreach Suitcase brings SAM’s collection of Aboriginal Australian and Oceanic art into your classroom. Focusing on the cultural traditions of Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia, this collection of images and objects will open students’ eyes to the diverse ways that cultures view their worlds through map making, nature activities, and shared histories. This classroom resourc​​​e builds connections across disciplines and encourages students to think critically about their own understandings of global cultures.

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Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM