Tours and Programs for Art Students
The Arts
|
|
You’ll find much to interest your art students at the Genesee Country Village & Museum. The John L. Wehle Art Gallery--now closed for renovation--collection of 1000 works by internationally recognized artists is a wonderful resource for students in art, science and history, and it provides rich opportunities for analysis and reflection connected to work in English Language Arts. When open, the gallery is available for general tours and special student enrichment options. The interiors of houses in the historic village exhibit a variety of fine art, including paintings, prints, and sculptures, as well as folk art and crafts from the entire span of the 19th century.
The village includes an impressive variety of architecture, with styles ranging from log house, and cobblestone to Greek Revival and Victorian. The structures make fine subjects for sketching and photography. The Genesee Country Nature Center, with its trails and interpretive center, provides plenty of inspiration for student artwork. Its plants, animals, fossils and landforms are ideal for sketching and sculpting.
|
|
NYS Learning Standards:
A1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts
A2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
A3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
A4: Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts
|
Self Guided Tours of the Historic Village
Visit the historic village and take an exciting journey of discovery into the past. History comes alive as students spend time at homes, trades, businesses and public buildings that are most relevant to your curriculum plans and their interests. Use your Educator’s Preview Pass for a free advance visit, and then design a tour on which your students investigate, compare and contrast lives of 200 years ago with their own. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Mid-May through mid-October, Tuesdays – Fridays |
Enrichment Options
|
Enhance your guided or self-guided tour by scheduling a structured hands-on half-hour program lead by a museum educator.
|
Architecture
Genesee Country Village & Museum was originally founded as a museum of architecture. Buildings were carefully chosen from all over western New York for their architectural or historical significance and relocated to their present sites. Students will learn to recognize distinguishing characteristics of buildings in log house, salt-box, cobblestone, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian Italianate styles. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A2, 3, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fall and Spring |
| |
|
Art of the American Southwest
This museum educator-led tour highlights the gallery’s extensive collection of art of the American Southwest, featuring paintings, sculpture, rugs, jewelry and pottery. It is designed for integration into curriculum units addressing Native American culture and identity, natural and cultural environments of the Southwest, and art as a form of cultural expression. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A2, 3 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fall and Spring |
| |
|
Long May It Wave
In this educator-led tour of our exhibit, Long May It Wave: The Story of Our Star-Spangled Banner, students learn about the history and surprising global connections of the ultimate symbol of American pride – our country’s flag. Students also design and produce their own banners using guidelines similar to those provided by Congress in 1777. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fall and Spring |
| |
|
Nature Journaling
Join nature center staff for a fun and relaxing afternoon full of nature journaling activities including writing, drawing and collaborative journaling. Explore the natural world in a different way and discover new things about nature and yourself. We will supply paper and pencils, or students may bring their own journals and preferred writing/drawing supplies. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fall and Spring – afternoons only |
Museum Educator-Guided Tours of the Historic Village
|
Early 19th-Century Lifeways
Students will travel through a century of American life. Compare homes and children's lives from the beginning to the end of the century. Visit with a tradesman who will demonstrate the latest developments in 19th century technology. Find out how early residents relied upon local business to provide commerce and communication. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Early May and late October, Tuesdays-Fridays |
| |
|
Theme Tours
Do you and your students have a particular interest? We can design a tour around a theme, such as architecture, horticulture, kitchens, textiles and trades. Please call us at (585) 538-6822 x216 to discuss your particular needs and interests. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Early May and late October, Tuesdays-Fridays |
| |
|
Pioneer Chore Tour (Grades 7-8 only)
Your middle school students will expend excess energy on this custom guided tour! Select from physical activities, such as building a fence, churning butter, and sawing wood. Watch our tradesmen at work and make a tin ornament. Learn about 19th-century hygiene and make a sweet bag. There may even be time for lessons at the schoolhouse and games on the Village Square. Please call us at (585) 538-6822 x216 to discuss your particular needs and interests. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Early May and late October, Tuesdays – Fridays (Additional dates available by special arrangement) |
Abolition: African-American Life in 19th-Century America
This unit employs varied settings and techniques of engagement to introduce students to the issue of abolition and its impact on the lives of African Americans living in the Genesee Country. Students explore the working conditions of both slaves and freed men and women and connect to songs and stories of the Underground Railroad. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fall and Spring |
| |
|
Crafts and Trades in 19th-Century America
This unit facilitates students’ exploration of how 19th century Americans met their communities’ needs and wants and how this changed through time in concert with advances in communication, transportation and technology. Students in small groups visit trades or crafts to determine the resources and process required to produce an item, the basic needs the item met, and the modes of its distribution. In each case, students have opportunities to perform at least one step in the production process they observe. Later, students visit village buildings to identify examples of the trades and crafts they documented in the morning and to determine how they were used, by whom and how regularly. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1, 2, 3 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fall and Spring |
|
Home for the Holidays
This one-of-a-kind interdisciplinary program traces the evolution of winter holiday celebrations in America through the 19th century, with special emphases on the contributions of various cultural groups. Historic buildings decorated to period are staffed by museum educators who help students understand the cumulative and changing nature of holiday observances. Students are invited to join in holiday activities during their visit. You may opt to have students make a tin ornament of their own by working alongside the village tinsmith for an extra charge.
|
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1, 2, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Fridays TBD in December |
Movable Museum
Can't make it to the museum? Let us bring our “Moveable Museum” programs to you. These in-classroom learning experiences are excellent on their own or as a pre- or post-visit experience to enhance the lessons of your field trip.
Museum educators bring touchable, usable objects to your classroom in connection with standards-relevant themed programs specially designed to fit with your curriculum. Programs are designed for small class-sized groups and last 45-60 minutes.
|
|
19th-Century Music
All music in the 19th century was live and unplugged. With the guidance of a museum educator, your students will learn about musical instruments available in the 19th century, including the American reed organ, autoharp and pennywhistle, and they will discover the social and historical contexts of familiar patriotic songs and folk songs from America and abroad.
|
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1, 2, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Year Round |
| |
|
|
19th-Century Dance
In the 19th century, dancing was a great form of physical exercise as well as a good opportunity for social interaction. Your students will learn some dance steps and then try them out to 19th-century music.
|
| NYS Standards Met: |
A1, 2, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Year Round |
| |
|
19th-Century Fashion
Costuming is an integral interpretive tool at Genesee Country Village & Museum. In this program, we bring you a sampling of 19th-century clothing styles along with explanations of the origins and functions of costume elements. The program can be customized to suit your specific needs and time frame and may be requested in either a lecture format or as a fashion show. Pricing reflects the number of models and program length.
|
| NYS Standards Met: |
A2, 3, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Year Round |
| |
|
|
Quilt Story
Our museum educator uses quilts to bring to life the touching story of a 19th-century girl and her quilt. Based on The Quilt Story written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Tomie dePaola.
|
| NYS Standards Met: |
A4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Year Round |
| |
|
Quilting
Making a quilt was a way to help keep a 19th-century family warm, and it was also a means for artistic self-expression. Learning about quilts is a way to understand more about 19th-century American life, art, design, communication and even geometry. Our quilter shares 19th-century quilt patterns and demonstrates how quilts are put together. Students learn the importance and origins of quilting and how quilted items were used for a variety of purposes. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A2, 3, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Year Round |
| |
|
A Slave’s Narrative
Step back in time to witness an 1841 encounter between escaped slave and abolitionist William Wells Brown and a printer sympathetic to his cause. Will the printer publish Brown’s memoirs, Narrative of William W. Brown, an American Slave? The audience learns that while there are extreme risks associated with the abolitionist stance, none is as great as the risks taken by slaves to claim their freedom. The performance is followed by a question-and-answer session. Suitable for groups in a small assembly format. |
| NYS Standards Met: |
A4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Limited Availability |
| |
|
Victorian Yuletide
Festive seasonal decorating flourished in Victorian America, and preparations began months in advance. Using historical documentation reflecting the cultural origins of various Victorian holiday traditions, a museum educator facilitates your students’ recreation of the spirit and charm of 19th-century yuletide celebrations.
|
| NYS Standards Met: |
A2, 3, 4 |
| Dates Offered: |
Year Round |
|