Artists from around the world find inspiration in the communities in which they live and work. Looking at international and Boston-based artists, students explore artistic depictions of neighborhoods as well as public artworks with local connections.

Immerse your students in paintings by Impressionist artist Claude Monet. Students learn to identify elements of Impressionism, such as the depiction of everyday life and the study of changing light and weather. Through a guided activity, students use their senses to imagine a visit to Monet’s water lily garden.

Delving into the art of colonial Boston, students look at objects made during this pivotal time in American history and learn how these historic artworks tell multiple stories about race, identity, and power during the time of the American Revolution. Aligns with Massachusetts standards for History and Social Science/Investigating History.

Dig into the beliefs, values, and everyday lives of ancient Egyptians by looking closely at artworks in the MFA’s galleries. Students examine funerary objects from a Middle Kingdom tomb to learn how ancient beliefs about the afterlife are represented in painting, sculpture, and hieroglyphic writing. Aligns with Massachusetts standards for History and Social Science/Investigating History.

Explore ancient Maya artworks in the MFA’s Ancient Americas galleries. Students learn how artist-scribes in Maya cities used painted ceramics as a powerful form of art and communication that recorded historical events and sacred beliefs, like the Maya story of creation. Aligns with Massachusetts standards for History and Social Science/Investigating History.

Examine Indian sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses in the MFA’s Art of South and Southeast Asia galleries. Students build an understanding of how these artworks originate from a religious tradition that developed in ancient South Asia and continue to have modern relevance for the Hindu faith worldwide. Aligns with Massachusetts standards for History and Social Science/Investigating History.

Explore heroes and deities depicted in ancient Greek and Roman artworks. By looking at large-scale sculptures and small intimate objects, students see how ancient artworks convey the personalities and stories of these celebrated mythical figures. Aligns with Massachusetts standards for History and Social Science/Investigating History.

Looking at 20th- and 21st-century American art, students learn how three Boston-connected African American artists—Allan Rohan Crite, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Stephen Hamilton—traced their roots to Africa as a way to reclaim their ancestral legacies and elevate African arts, traditions, and histories.