Fourth Grade Cultural Arts

Central Cultural Arts Program

Fourth Grade

Welcome Fourth Grade Parents!

Join us in inspiring Central’s students through art—right in your child’s classroom! For years, this program has been made possible by parent volunteers like you. By bringing art history to life, you’ll spark creativity, curiosity, and a love of art in young minds, leaving a lasting impact on their understanding of artistic traditions from around the world.

Why Participate?

  • Impactful: Fun opportunity to engage with your student’s classroom in a meaningful way.
  • Minimal Time Commitment: Approximately 2 hours (1 hr for prep, 1 hr for classroom visit).
  • Supported: We provide everything you need: Presentation guides with artist background info and instructions. PowerPoint slides and speaker talking points. Project suggestions to inspire creativity. Access to our fully stocked supply closet or $20 reimbursement if you need to purchase your own materials!
  • No Experience Needed: You don’t need to be familiar with art history to participate! Sessions are designed to be easy for volunteers to lead. Presentations are short (usually five slides) and include a variety of fun, age-appropriate discussion prompts. The focus is on sparking curiosity and encouraging students to imagine the story behind the art.

How to sign up:

Your classroom’s room parent has created a sign-up sheet for you to volunteer for your preferred month. Once you’ve signed up, please reach out to your student’s teacher to schedule a day and time for your visit.

Note: For the 2024-2025 school year, if you have already signed up to teach about an artist that is not included in the updated curriculum, you have the option to either stick with the original artist or switch to one from the new curriculum.

Learn more about the artists and artwork!

January: Portraits

Self Portrait

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1790

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755 – 1842), French Rocco Painter

Painted during her decade long exile from France, Le Brun’s Rococo style self portrait is as much about confidence as it is about art. Known for her lavish portraits of European nobility, notably as the official portraitist of Queen Marie-Antoinette, she uses this self-portrait to remind viewers of her talent and resilience—a striking testament to her legacy as one of the most successful and trailblazing female artists of her time.

“As soon as I entered one of these galleries, I immediately became just like a bee, so eagerly did I gather in knowledge that would be of use to me in my art, and so intoxicated with bliss was I in studying these works of the great painters” – Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

February: Enchanted Landscapes

The Persistence of Memory

Salvador Dalí, 1931

Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989), Spanish Painter, Surrealism 

This masterpiece by Dali turns a barren landscape into a surreal dreamworld and has become an icon for the Surrealist movement. Now one of the most recognized pieces in modern art, this painting shows his genius for blending the bizarre with incredible detail. Known for his eccentric personality and boundless imagination, Dalí used this work to challenge how we think about time, memory, and the strange logic of dreams.

“Every morning when I wake up, I experience an exquisite joy —the joy of being Salvador Dalí— and I ask myself in rapture: What wonderful things is this Salvador Dalí going to accomplish today?” – Salvador Dali

March: People in Action

Many Mansions

Kerry James Marshall, 1994

Kerry James Marshall (1955 – ), American Painter, Contemporary

Renowned for paintings celebrating Black life, this contemporary artist turns a seemingly ordinary public housing scene into a vibrant celebration of community by blending bright colors, cheerful smiles, and perfectly manicured greenery. But look a little closer at this painting—now at the Art Institute of Chicago—and you’ll find subtle hints that challenge us to think about the deeper stories behind the picture-perfect facade, and reminds us that there’s always more than meets the eye.

“The way that you make people important is by picturing them. By making their image important, you transform their status as well.” – Kerry James Marshall

April: Beyond the Canvas

Old Arrow Maker

Edmonia Lewis, 1872

Edmonia Lewis (1844 – 1907), American Sculptor

This striking marble sculpture captures a quiet yet poignant moment from Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha, as a father and daughter pause in their daily tasks, their gazes lifted toward an unseen presence. With a sensitivity that defies the era’s stereotypical depictions of Native Americans, Lewis infuses the scene with depth and dignity. As one of the first Black and Native American women to achieve international acclaim as a sculptor, she broke barriers in the 19th-century art world.

“I thought I knew everything when I came to Rome, but I soon found I had everything to learn.” – Edmonia Lewis

October 2025: Colors and Shapes

Sea Foraging

Emmi Whitehorse, 2024

Emmi Whitehorse (1957 – ), American Painter, Contemporary and Abstract Art

Whitehorse creates paintings that reflect her deep connection to nature and her Navajo heritage. Her work Sea Foraging is a great example, with soft colors and flowing shapes that feel like water in motion. Her art invites us to slow down and notice the small, beautiful details in the world around us, creating a peaceful and calming experience.

“The act of making art must stay true to a harmonious balance of beauty, nature, humanity, and the whole universe.” – Emmi Whitehorse

  • Resources: Presentation slides and suggested projects (coming in 2025-2026 school year!)
  • Learn more about Emmi Whitehorse and Sea Foraging

November 2025: Stories in Action

Nighthawks

Edward Hopper, 1942

Edward Hopper (1882 – 1967), American Painter, Realism

This painting, located in the Art Institute of Chicago, is the ultimate portrait of late-night city life—quiet, mysterious, and just a little lonely. You can’t help but wonder who these people are and why they’re there. Hopper was a master of American realism, known for his evocative paintings of everyday moments that captured the stillness, isolation, and beauty of modern life.

“If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” — Edward Hopper

  • Resources: Presentation slides and suggested projects (coming in 2025-2026 school year!)
  • Learn more about Edward Hopper and Nighthawks

Instructions for Volunteers:

Thank you for sharing your time and enthusiasm with Central’s students! Your involvement in the Cultural Art Program plays a vital role in bringing art history to life and sparking creativity and curiosity. By guiding students through the world of art, you’re helping them build a lifelong appreciation and understanding of cultural heritage, while encouraging their critical thinking and observational skills.

  • Prior to volunteering, you must fill out the District Volunteer Form (must be done annually.)
  • To volunteer for a session, use the sign up link provided by the Room Parent for your student’s classroom.  At the beginning of the month you’ve volunteered for, please contact your student’s teacher to schedule a time to come to class.
  • It’s helpful to do a “dry-run” at home with your student beforehand to anticipate how the students will respond. Reference the talking points in the notes in each slide to get comfortable with what you’ll plan to say and the questions you’ll ask.
  • It’s highly recommended to do any material prep work and create a completed example prior to the session. This helps students envision the finished product and complete it within the allotted time.
  • You will have access to the school’s wifi and the ability to plug in to a projector. However, to avoid any potential technical difficulties, plan to email your presentation to your student’s teacher prior to the session and print out your talking points/notes.
  • Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to your start time to allow time to sign in, collect supplies from the art supply closet (if necessary), and set up for your presentation.
  • Plan to spend 20-25 minutes for your presentation and discussion, and 30 minutes for the project, depending on complexity.
  • In the last few minutes of the session, take time to ask the students about what they learned (i.e. “Can you tell me the name of the artist we learned about today? What were they known for? How would you describe the (movement/style) of art?)

Central has a well stocked art supply closet, however, if you needed to purchase your own materials for a project you can be reimbursed up to $20 by submitting a reimbursement form. If you have questions about what supplies can be found in the closet, please contact the Cultural Arts Program Chair, Maryjane Bates.

Questions about the program? Please contact Maryjane Bates, Cultural Arts Program Chair.