Kinder Foundation Gallery


My Cubist Self
On view January 12–June 23, 2013

How can students learn to champion their own opinions, and to think creatively? For 46 elementary-school students at Ripley House Charter School, Pablo Picasso’s Cubist painting Femme au Grand Chapeau (Woman with a Large Hat) in the MFAH collection provided an extended lesson in self-expression.

Art teacher Julie Dickinson describes the project: “Cubism is about looking at the subject from multiple perspectives, all at the same time. Picasso’s portrait helped the students explore different aspects of their own personalities. Often children feel that their art has to mimic real life, and they're afraid of making mistakes. In this lesson I encouraged the students to diverge from what they consider ‘normal.’ Many students who are usually hesitant to draw for fear of imperfection were able to let loose and be bold!”

Learning Through Art at the MFAH, the museum’s award-winning curriculum guides for grades 1–6, provides teachers with lesson plans and strategies for how to incorporate works of art into their science, math, language arts, and social studies classes. Since LTA/MFAH was published in 1994, thousands of art and non-art teachers in the greater Houston area and from throughout Texas have attended workshops organized by the museum's Education Department on how to use the LTA/MFAH curriculum, including teachers from Ripley House Charter School.

Exhibitions such as My Cubist Self shine a light on MFAH partnerships with schools and community organizations as well as the museum's commitment to serve as an extension of the classroom and to position art as a critical component of a student’s education.

The MFAH Education Center receives generous funding from the Kinder Foundation.