LACMA

Today was our field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. We walked there as did the students from room 16. It is not altogether easy walking 60 students and 10 or so adults two miles safely, but our students and our parent docents did an admirable job of ensuring student safety. We are so lucky at Third Street that such amazing attractions as LACMA are within walking distance from our school. At my old school, the closest place of interest was the Farmer John plant. Needless to say, we never went there for field trips!

At the museum, the students were divided into seven groups and assigned to a docent. Each docent picked slightly different pieces from the permanent collection to show their students. I went with one group. We started out by looking at and discussing David Hockney’s Mulholland Drive on the Way to the Studio, one of the museum’s signature pieces. 

To contrast this modern piece with an ancient one, we looked as this Assyrian bas relief from the ancient city of Nimrud. The students were intrigued to learn that the little marks in the center are actually writing in the ancient Akkadian script. Surprisingly, they never asked why this rather masculine god was carrying a purse. Most years I hear somebody ask that. 

We went to take a look a very different portrait, this time the Pompeo Batoni’s Portrait of Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham, a young English aristocrat just completing his Grand Tour. The guide explained this portraits like these were kind of like pictures they might take to help remember a trip to Disneyland and helped them see the significant details in it. 

We looked a very different port air, Amadeo Modigliani’s Woman of the People. The students discussed why the artist might have drawn her eyes in such a peculiar way and made her chapped hands so prominent. 

We looked at a kind of un-portrait, Rene Magritte’s The Liberator. 

Lunch, of course, is a highlight of the day. 

We returned back to school where we had some time for PE, a chapter from By the Great Horn Spoon! and a little study hall so they would have less homework tonight.

Homework:  (1) Read pages 698-701 in the Treasures book. Copy and answer the questions on page 701. There will be a quiz on this story and “Leah’s Pony.” (2) Do "Identifying Minerals" questions. (3) Do the social studies review questions. There will also be a test over chapter 6 in the History book on Friday. (4) Do the Factors review sheet.