January Week Three

   First things first -- this weekend on Sunday January 28th at 18:00 pm is our extra activity for this month.  We are meeting to have coffee and discuss The Handmaid's Tale. To prepare for the activity, you must have read the book or watched the TV series. You still have time to binge watch it!  I have downloaded the series (10 episodes) in English with subtitles in both English or Spanish if you are interested.  Please email to confirm your attendance and I will respond with more details by Friday. Thanks!

This week we used Google's incredible Arts and Culture app to explore art, taking special care to put some descriptive vocabulary into action.

Listening:
Learners can try starting with an easy excercise about a modern art exhibit called A Matter of Taste.  Then try a listening activity about museum in the U.K. or another one about making Andy Warhol's paintings accessible to children.  Another great resources is a Series from the British Council, videos about the art market.

For original version, check out the BBC page about arts and culture which has countless videos and other resources to explore. Or check out any of the 50 greatest art videos on Youtube.

Reading:
Learners can read some biographies of famous artists: Fernando Botero, Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso
or from VOA:

• Andy Warhol - The Father of Pop Art
• Diane Arbus - Photographer
• Edward Hopper - Painter
• Edward Weston - Photographer
• George Catlin - Part 1 - Painter
• George Catlin - Part-2 - Painter
• Georgia O'Keefe - Painter
• Isabella Stewart Gardner - Art Collector and Cultural Supporter
• Jackson Pollock - Painter
• Leonardo da Vinci - Artist and Thinker
• Mary Cassatt - Painter
• Nam June Paik - Video Artist
• Robert Rauschenberg
• Winslow Homer - Painter

For original version, take a look at some of the articles over in the Arts and Design section of the New York times. There are also some really fascinating long form pieces about fine art at longform.org

Writing:
I recommend you download the Google Arts and Culture app, it's absolutely fantastic!  Now go ahead and choose a piece of art you were not familiar with before, read a little about the movement and the artist and describe the work in English.  Be descriptive and specific!
Best,
Kelly