Latin School of Chicago

Friedman, who worked at the Art Institute of Chicago before coming to Latin 15 years ago, uses the museum as well as public art installations throughout the city as her classroom outside the classroom, usually choosing artists to feature whose work is on display somewhere in Chicago. "One of the things that I love most about teaching art is that it connects in different ways to so many other disciplines." – Brenda Friedman 18 Latin Magazine characters in the painting, wear costumes and paint a back-drop. Students can choose whether the play is a comedy, musical or romance. "The kids have a ball," she says. "They really have a unique opportunity to think about and use their imagination about a painting. They will know that painting for the rest of their lives." "I love taking the first graders on their first trip to the Art Institute," she says. "We prepare in advance, and when we get there I usually tell them, 'Let's look for a Matisse,' or 'Let's look for a Picasso.' The kids' comments are amazing. They are so genuine and fresh. They respond so enthusiastically to things they see." In the end, though, it is Friedman's passion that is so infectious. Lower school students love the art room, they are proud of the work that is displayed throughout the building, and when they visit a museum, they are excited to show off their knowledge of art and history. According to Friedman, this enthusiasm is demonstrated especially strikingly by students who participate in the tableau vivant project each year. She offers the project as another way to learn about a painting. Students study a piece of art and then enact a play about it. They write a script, take on the roles of I hope that my excitement about the subject comes across," she says. "I want to be able to share the joy that I get when I look at an art work that I love, and I want my students to experience that too – that feeling of really understanding a piece of art and everything that has gone into making it." n

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