The Teacher Lesson Plans listed below are relevant to current or recent exhibitions at SJMA, and are available for FREE through their corresponding title links.

Hung Liu

suggested grade(s): K–12
Information about SJMA’s permanent collection work Chinese Profile by artist Hung Liu. Bay Area artist Hung Liu is one of the most collected local artists and SJMA is fortunate enough to have this highlighted work in addition to several other works.

Chester Arnold Tailings

suggested grade(s): K–12
Lesson plan centered on SJMA’s permanent collection work Tailings by artist Chester Arnold.

Nathan Oliveira

suggested grade(s): K–12
Known primarily as a painter and master printmaker, Oliveira has been active in the Bay Area for more than 40 years, and is regarded by many as a key figure in American art. In this lesson students will learn about: Nathan Oliveira’s works in a variety of art media including oil on canvas, watercolor, sculpture, and printmaking; that Oliveira‘s expressionistic style was influenced by the European expressionists of the 1940s and 1950s: that Oliveira’s art is personal and expressive of his emotions; and the four themes that comprise this exhibition.

Is the Medium the Message?

suggested grade(s): K–12
More and more, artists today create work that not only pleases the senses, but also provokes a range of responses and emotions. Viewers are increasingly challenged by contemporary art that seems to ask more questions than it answers. Some key objectives of this lesson are for students to learn: that SJMA’s permanent collection focuses on California contemporary artists; that in addition to painting, sculpture, and photography, artists use a wide range of other media for their artwork; that contemporary art incorporates many different styles, such as realism, expressionism, and abstraction.