Virtual Resources
At-Home Art Activity
Since prehistoric times, humans have used images and geometric forms to convey belief systems, stories, and personal experiences. Even abstract art is shaped by cultural, political, and personal perspectives, conveyed through choices in shape, color, and reference. While certain symbols are widely understood within a certain time and place, their meanings become obscured as they drift away from their original context. As ideas and objects circulate across time and cultures, meanings shift and evolve. Like the Sphinx, this exhibition invites viewers to engage with art as a series of puzzles to be decoded, and to apply their experiences to form their own interpretations. Works are drawn primarily from the museum’s collection and grouped by themes including Myth and Ritual, Hybrid Creatures, Abstraction, Figuration, and the Americas.
Materials
- Pre-made book
- Drawing materials
Art Vocabulary
- Abstract Art – Art that uses colors, shapes, and lines to show ideas, emotions, or imagination instead of trying to look like something we can see.
- Symbol – A picture or object that stands for an idea, feeling, or story.
- Culture – The traditions, art, music, and beliefs shared by a group of people.
- Hybrid – Something made by combining two different things, like a creature that is half human and half animal.
- Sphinx – A mythological creature with the body of a lion and the head of a person or animal. It is a symbol of power and mystery.
- Riddle – A puzzle or tricky question that needs to be solved.
- Figurative Art – Art that shows people, animals, or objects that we can easily recognize.
Virtual Resources
Inspiration for your Imagination
Installation view of The Riddle of the Sphinx and other Mysteries
Art Activity
Instructions
Step 1
Your materials are: a pre-made book, and drawing materials
Step 2
Each page of your book is cut into 3 rows. The top row can be used for the head, the middle for the torso, and the bottom row for the legs.
Step 3
Use the drawing materials provided to draw heads, torsos, and legs in each row of each page.
Step 4
Here is your finished Hybrid Creatures the sticky side of the Book. Play with your Hybrid Creature Book by turning the pages and viewing different combinations of your hybrid creatures.
Art Activity
Notes
Thank you for joining us, dont forget to snap a photo of you and your artwork!
Tag us @nsuartmuseum
*If you have any questions about these art activities please contact NSU Art Museum at [email protected] or call 954-262-5500*
NSU Art Museum is part of Nova Southeastern University
NSU Art Museum is supported by the City of Fort Lauderdale
