A Word to the Wise...

Three years ago when I began teaching, I was doing a critique using the Elements of Art for Van Gogh's Starry Night. I asked the class "How do you think this painting would feel if you touched it? Would it be smooth or bumpy?" Hands went up and I called on a fifth grade boy who asked if he could come up and feel the poster thinking it was the real painting. I realized then that my students did not understand the world of museums and art, something I take for granted coming from the urban east coast. I still run across this on a regular basis, so please take the time to explain how precious art is and that these are only copies of great masterworks.