CULTURE, COMMUNITY & PEOPLE

GRADES PRE-K - 2

As a boy, Isamu Noguchi was raised by his mother, first in California and then Japan.  Leonie Gilmour, Noguchi’s mother, was a writer who, from very early on, shared her love of fables, fairytales and myths from around the globe with her son.

These stories would leave a lasting impression on Isamu Noguchi’s life.  Whether referring to a folktale he had learned as a child in the title of one his own sculptures or creating a set of objects centered on a well-known myth for choreographer, Martha Graham, Noguchi had a love for and honored these cultural tales.

Noguchi often spoke about his mother’s encouragement of his life as an artist.  He recognized many of the people who influenced him in both his writings and sculptural works.  Evidence of this can be seen in some of Noguchi’s earliest portrait head sculptures, as well as in his later, abstract granite and basalt works.

In his life and in his art, Isamu Noguchi’s approach was without borders.  He spent time working all over the world in places like China, France, Greece, Indonesia, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the United States, among others, and as a result, felt as though he were a part of several communities.  In each place, Noguchi examined the role art, and particularly sculpture, played in people’s daily lives.  As a sculptor of space, the idea of creating places within and for communities was central to Noguchi’s vision.

WHAT IS A GARDEN?  A PRE-VISIT TO THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM

GRADES PRE-K-2 SAMPLE LESSON

NOTE  

This lesson centers on preparing your students for a trip to The Noguchi Museum.  However, the lesson can easily be adapted for visits to other parks, gardens or neighborhood cultural centers.

In preparing for a visit to any of these places, it is a good idea to go over any rules to be followed, through inquiry-based questioning, each day prior to the actual trip. Ask students if they remember the rules of the Museum or institution they will visit and if they remember what they should and should not do at this special place.

OBJECTIVE

Students will express their understanding of gardens, learn about and prepare for their visit to The Noguchi Museum. Students will also discuss and learn about the rules of the Museum.

MATERIALS

Calendar

Picture of The Noguchi Museum’s garden

COOPERATIVE DISCIPLINES

Language Arts, Science, Mathematics

MOTIVATION/PROCEDURE

o         Explain to students that today they will be talking about ‘gardens’.  Ask, “Can anyone tell me what a garden is?  Has anyone ever seen a garden before? Where did you see it? In a picture? On television?  What was in the garden?” If no one has seen a garden before, but the group has an idea of what a garden is, ask, “What do you think you would find in a garden?”  If the group does not know what a garden is, please introduce.

o         List the students’ suggestions on the blackboard or on a large pad of paper.

o         Tell students that on (visit date) they are going to visit a very special garden. Point out the date on the calendar.

o         Tell students, “The garden that we are going to visit was made by one man, an artist named Isamu Noguchi.  (If necessary, introduce what an ‘artist’ is here.) This garden is actually part of a much bigger place, called The Noguchi Museum.” Finally, show the photograph of the garden at The Noguchi Museum.  If appropriate ask, “What is a Museum?”  

o         Introduce your own, and the Museum’s, rules and expectations for a museum visit. “When we visit the Museum and garden, we will have to remember some very important rules.  Can anyone tell me what sort of rules we might need to remember in a museum?”  (No running, shouting, touching the objects on view, separating from the group.)  When a rule is mentioned, please write it down and also talk about why this is an important rule to remember in a museum.

o         “As we visit the garden, we are going to be looking for things that are part of the garden. What sort of things can you see in this picture that are part of the garden?” (Trees, rocks, etc.)

SHARING

o         Tell students, “You’ve done a great job looking at this picture of Noguchi’s garden.  Remember, on (day, date), we will be going to The Noguchi Museum and visiting this garden.  Each day, we are going to look at the calendar and count how many days until our visit.”