Picture/ Artist Study- Ansel Adams

ARTIST & PICTURE STUDY

The Milkmaid by Johanes Vermeer recreated by GEN

Each term we study a different artist for 10 weeks.  In this time we get to know about 5 different pieces by the artist.  I usually have prints done at Kinkos that we then hang up in our kitchen to be able to view regularly.  Engaging with the artwork and artist each term has looked a little different depending on the artist.  When we first began picture study--with Monet and Van Gogh, we painted or used crayons to re-create the different pieces we were getting to know.  But once we got to Johannes Vermeer, I noticed that my daughter's interest in recreating the pieces was dwindling.  So we changed it up that term and re-created different pictures by dressing up and setting up the scene for a photo.  This was an amazing way to engage and get familiar with Vermeer's works.

Woman Reading Letter by Johanes Vermeer
recreated by GEN

This past term we have been studying Ansel Adams.  I have loved the art of photography since I took my first high school photography class in 1997.  That was before digital photography was king and film was still cool.  I chose Ansel Adams specifically because we will be visiting many National Parks on our road trip this summer.  He was commissioned in the 1940's by the National Parks Service to capture images of the parks.  So becoming familiar with his famous works, of various parks we will visit seemed like the perfect preparation to get to know and appreciate both Adams and the parks we will be experiencing.  One freshly snow fallen day, I let my daughter use our SLR digital camera to try to take "Ansel Adams" photos while hiking around our property.  We also got out some old and very old film cameras and the kids got to pretend they were photographers.  I pulled out some old film I had for my oldest to see and touch- which she was pretty impressed by.  In this age of instantaneous photos, children don't even have any concept of film anymore.  

taken by GEN 6yrs old

taken by GEN 6 yrs old

Some books we have enjoyed:
Antsy Adams by Cindy Janson-Elliot and 
Eye on the Wild: A Story About Ansel Adams by Julie Dunlap

While on our journey of getting to know the life of Ansel Adams, I made the connection that we live in the city so well know for the beginnings of photography for the common folk- Rochester, New York.  Home of George Eastman, the founder of Kodak.  I have always known this was the home of Kodak, but I had since lost touch with my love of film photography.  Learning local history is always a great way to engage children with things and people of the past.  

Once we finished up reading about Ansel Adams, we started reading a book I picked up at a book sale, Click! A Story About George Eastman.  In the book we read about George Eastman's mansion and Kodak Park- the Kodak Factory.  Both of these places I have been to and am familiar with.  So we took a little drive by tour this past week and stopped by the George Eastman House and the George Eastman Memorial at Kodak Park.  His ashes are buried at this memorial site on the factory grounds.   Of course everything is closed, so we just looked from the outside.  Eventually, when life returns to normal and opens back up again, we will make a trip back for a tour of the George Eastman House. 

Then something cool happened this week.  While reading our local newspaper, the Democrat and Chronicle, I saw an article about an Ansel Adams photo in the obituaries this past Sunday!  Check it out.  Basically I learned that Ansel Adams came to Rochester in 1952 to shoot photos for a campaign to merge the men's and women's colleges at the University of Rochester.  While there, he photographed a woman by the name of Shirley Fien, who passed away recently.  The photo in her obituary was the one that Ansel Adams took of her at the UofR so many years ago!  There is a video about Ansel Adam's visit to the University of Rochester here!  I find it SO cool that Ansel Adams came to Rochester and photographed this area so many years ago.  It's amazing how many things you can learn when you allow connections to be made beyond the scope and sequence of what you're supposed to come away having learned from your lessons.  

Though my children may not fully appreciate the works of Ansel Adams or George Eastman, and the places in history they hold, I am confident that they have simply gotten to know the people that they were and the lives that they lived.  Connections will continue to be made throughout their lives- and that is a foundation of a lasting education.  As they see me loving what we're learning, they will join me.   History happened here!