Art Kit: In The Galleries

 Through this kit, you’ll explore features and artworks inside the New Orleans Museum of Art that are a part of the museum itself. These inspirations will guide you in two art-making activities inspired by NOMA, its collection, and its building.

Activity 1: Shaping Space

The world around you, both natural and human-made, is made up of many shapes. What shapes can you find? Take a moment to look for rectangles, squares, circles, or diamonds.  NOMA’s architecture, or design of the building, includes features like columns, railings, and tiles inspired by classical Greek and Roman design—but with a New Orleans twist.

Materials include:

• Wood blocks
• Foam shapes and sheets
• Scissors
• Washable Ink pads
• Paper squares
• Glue
• Black illustration board (backing)

Activity 2: Fantastic Beings

People have long looked to the animal world for knowledge, guidance, and inspiration.  From Greek myths to modern day fairy tales, animals—from the natural world or from our imaginations—are a part of the stories we share.  A griffin is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Many cultures consider the lion to be the king of beasts and the eagle to be a very strong bird.  The visual combination of these two animals by artists in Europe around 1000 CE was thought to represent the most majestic and powerful creature.  Griffins were known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions.  At NOMA, you may be able to spot griffins in the carved stone of its building protecting the artworks inside.

Materials include:

• Drawing paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Colored pencils
• Di
• Decorative patterned paper
• NOMA collage sheet