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Tecumseh Elementary Students Tackle Getty Museum Art Challenge

Tecumseh Elementary School Art Teacher Loriann Christian collaborated with colleagues in the Art Department across Eastern Suffolk BOCES to create a lesson to get students involved in the Getty Museum’s Art Challenge. This activity soared to instant popularity on the internet where quarantined folks recreated masterpieces featured in the famous museum’s online collection using ordinary household items. Tecumseh is an Eastern Suffolk BOCES school that provides services to students with special education needs.

Christian and a colleague co-authored the lesson, which she shared with her students using an online student engagement platform suited for distance learning. She provided information about the museum, instructed students to visit it online, choose their favorite piece of art, and then recreate it using anything at their disposal from home. To provide an example, Christian recreated King Tut’s Golden Mask by dressing up as the pharaoh himself.

Christian was thrilled at how well all the students incorporated everyday objects into the task. However, what surprised her most was the positive responses she received from parents. “So many of them emailed me to say that the challenge was a wonderful family activity,” she said. “Students and family members took it upon themselves to recreate multiple images, which went beyond the scope of the assignment.”

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