How did the Industrial Revolution change the United States? What makes industrialization possible? How does art reflect the varying experiences within a capitalist economy?
Byron Kim, Synecdoche (detail), 1991–present, oil and wax on lauan plywood, birch plywood, and plywood, Richard S. Zeisler Fund, 2009.39.1.1–560
Uncovering America
What does it mean to be American?
Discover compelling stories of creativity, struggle, and resilience in this new set of resources for K–12 educators featuring works of art that reflect the richness and diversity of the people, places, and cultures of the United States. Encourage creative, critical, and historical thinking in your students as you examine works of art from the country’s creation to the present day.
Thematic modules contain:
- Introductory essays
- Downloadable high-resolution image sets featuring background information
- Essential questions for students
- Classroom activities
- Selected additional resources
What’s your American story? Share with #AmericanStoriesNGA or send your stories to [email protected] for the chance to be highlighted here.
What role did artists and artwork play in the civil rights movement? What role did young people play in the civil rights movement? How does the civil rights movement relate to today’s struggles for freedom and equality?
How does art both shape and reflect understandings of race in the United States? How do power and privilege affect the way we express ourselves? How might art help us build more just, equitable societies?
How does transportation affect our daily lives? What can we learn about transportation and travel from works of art?
How is feminism expressed? What forms does feminism take on a personal level or on a larger scale? How does gender inequality intersect with injustices related to race, ethnicity, religion, age, or other markers of identity? What tactics have artists used to confront gender inequality?
In what ways have Americans impacted the environment? What is our collective responsibility toward the earth and each other? How do artists engage with these questions through works of art?
How do we remember the Civil War? Whose stories are told in the art and memorials from and about the time period?
Activism and Protest
Why and how do people protest? How might works of art show support or advocate for a cause? How are people, communities, and events affected by works of art?
How do visual artists of the Harlem Renaissance explore Black identity and political empowerment? How do migration and displacement influence cultural production?
Why do people migrate to and within the United States? How might works of art help us understand personal experiences of immigration and displacement?
Does art “work” or have a purpose? Is making art a form of work? How do you think art can represent democratic values?
How is identity shaped, formed, and expressed? How can works of art help us understand our world and ourselves more fully?
How does Gordon Parks use photography to address inequities in the US? What do Parks’s photographs tell us about the American Dream?
In what ways was the US settled and unsettled in the 19th century? What role did artists play in shaping public understandings of the US West?
What is a portrait? What truths and questions does a portrait communicate? What might a portrait express about the person portrayed?
Uncovering America is made possible in part by the Teresa & H. John Heinz III Educational Endowment Fund
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