Art+Ed Online: Ariana’s Art Challenge

As part of her fieldwork at Humanities Prep Academy with teaching mentor Gladys Pasapera, Art + Education graduate student Ariana Elmayan posed the Rijksmuseum’s “Between Art and Quarantine” challenge to her students. The challenge prompts students to recreate a work of art with anything students can find in their homes while self-isolating, which includes objects, people, or pets. 

In order to encourage and inspire her students, Ariana created a video that includes tips and tricks, as well as many fun, creative examples of artwork recreations that people have shared. 

Helpful tips include: 

1. Enlist a pet – get your dogs, cats, bunnies and even ferrets into the mix. Bonus points if you have an extra flexible and acrobatic cat! 
2. Make a face and strike a pose! If you’re interested in recreating a portrait or a group scene, pay attention to the facial expressions – they’re really what you make it. If you’re reenacting a scene with multiple figures, definitely pay attention to the poses. For a family activity, look for a domestic or dinner scene.
3. Pay attention to the lighting – try to imagine where the light in the artwork is coming from and orient your composition so a window or lamp is casting similar light into the scene. In bright daylight, windows offer a blue tinted light, while most lamps cast a warm glow.  
4. Think abstractly! If you’re having trouble recreating an artwork’s appearance, try focusing on shapes over colors.
5. Why not make it snackable? Edible art counts too! 

At the end of the video, Ariana included Rijksmuseum’s social media accounts and encouraged her students to post and tag their recreations for a chance to be featured. 

Ariana’s students are having fun recreating different historical artworks, and have inspired other classes at Humanities Prep Academy to participate. Students in AP Art History that haven’t had the opportunity to take art also participated, and chose to recreate works of art they have learned about in class. 

Thanks for all your great work at Humanities Prep Academy and for inspiring your students, Ariana!