Kindergarten's Field Trip to MoMA

Almost a month and a half into the school year, the kindergarteners were ready to embark on their first field trip, which was to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).  Accompanied by a group of attentive parents, the boys and their teachers met up with MoMA guides specializing in school tours before the museum opened to the public.

Having several galleries all to themselves, the boys sat cross-legged in front paintings that they studied in class:  Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian, Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, Water Lilies by Claude Monet, Red Studio by Henri Matisse, and Number 1A by Jackson Pollock.  They were excited to see the famous artworks, and many were surprised by their large sizes and amazed by the colors and textures.  The guides pointed out different types of brushstrokes used and how the paint was applied to create these masterpieces.

Our wonderful guides also had hands-on exercises for us.  One guide distributed colored paper shapes and had the boys produce their very own Mondrian-like patterns on the floor.  Another guide handed out paper and pencils after discussing Roberto Matta’s painting The Vertigo of Eros and had the boys draw their own version of an “inscape.”

It was an enjoyable trip for all involved.  The boys in Kindergarten North said the Pollock painting was their favorite, and the boys in Kindergarten South were so impressed by Starry Night that they continued talking about it all the way back to school.  We would like to thank our guides, our parent chaperones, and of course our knowledgeable kindergarten teachers for planning this field trip.