Emulating Artists with a lunch tray and milk carton.
Lunch With Vincent van Gogh
A great way for students to experience art history is to create a work of art inspired by a particular artist. My “If Picasso” book series does this with animals, landmarks, and Christmas Trees in the style of artists throughout history. They can be a fun resource for this project to help students understand the idea of emulation.
I was inspired for this project by the work of my independent student who started drawing and painting on her used lunch trays. I thought her work was cool, and the students seemed to really appreciate her work. So I paired her concept with my annual art history unit for this fun mash-up. The reaction of both students and staff over our display was enthusiastic.
Our first step was to choose artists with unique visual styles. I posted a list with some artists to choose from, but students were able to select artists not on the list if their work was in a museum somewhere. Some students chose artists tied to their own cultural background. They know this will positively impact their grade when the rubric calls for making personal connections to our work. At the end of the assignment, students researched three interesting facts about their artist to display with the finished tray.
I was inspired for this project by the work of my independent student who started drawing and painting on her used lunch trays. I thought her work was cool, and the students seemed to really appreciate her work. So I paired her concept with my annual art history unit for this fun mash-up. The reaction of both students and staff over our display was enthusiastic.
Our first step was to choose artists with unique visual styles. I posted a list with some artists to choose from, but students were able to select artists not on the list if their work was in a museum somewhere. Some students chose artists tied to their own cultural background. They know this will positively impact their grade when the rubric calls for making personal connections to our work. At the end of the assignment, students researched three interesting facts about their artist to display with the finished tray.
| List of Artists |
I allowed students to interpret the assignment broadly. They could use the tray “as if” if was the canvas, or they could choose to make some items 3D. We had acrylic paste available for textures, thick water color paper, and even plaster mâché if it was needed. While most worked in acrylics, our Basquiat tray was spray painted and drawn on. Some students emulated the work of the artist, others created a kind of parody.
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I found a template on the internet for our milk cartons and printed it onto index paper. (Above) While some students washed out an actual carton from the lunchroom, most created on the back of the template which was cut, folded, and glued together. A few students used paper cups instead and one used a juice can for her James Rizzi-style tray. She did her meal as food from India to make a personal connection between her own culture and the artist to exceed expectations!
For students who finished early, they were asked to do extra milk cartons based on artists not yet selected. They found this to be fun and kept them actively engaged in the assignment while others continued on their trays. We had enough extra milk containers that we made a mini “Moo-Seum” display for our school atrium that was a real hit!
For students who finished early, they were asked to do extra milk cartons based on artists not yet selected. They found this to be fun and kept them actively engaged in the assignment while others continued on their trays. We had enough extra milk containers that we made a mini “Moo-Seum” display for our school atrium that was a real hit!
Click image for poster
If time was short, this lesson could easily just focus on the milk containers and still be successful. It was pretty amazing the diversity you can achieve with such a simple yet iconic form.
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