Lesson Overview
Journey Through Time: Art Tells the History of Nebraska is an exhibition at the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) co-curated by Roger Nyffeler, Kearney Central Elementary principal, Gary Zaruba, MONA’s 19th century art specialist, Sue Reiber, MONA’s retired Director of Education, and Jill Wicht, Director of Education. It is a collection of artworks representing periods of Nebraska history from Native Americans to the present.

Through this exhibition, a wide variety of social studies, language art, and visual art themes may be pursued. The theme of this lesson is the sod house family as seen through the eyes of early photographer Solomon Butcher, who created hundreds of primary source photographs, and artist David Routon, who used Butcher’s photographs as inspiration to create his oil paintings. This lesson engages students in both written and artistic compositions through comparison of the art exemplars. Students compare, infer, predict, enhance their vocabulary, and experience first-hand primary and secondary sources. All necessary resources may be found on http://monet.unk.edu/mona.

Art Exemplar
Title: Untitled (sodhouse and family)
Artist: Solomon Butcher (1856–1927)
Medium: black and white photograph
Date: n.d.

Nebraska State Historical Society Photography Collection

Art Exemplar
Title: Sodhouse Family
Artist: David Routon (b. 1931)
Medium: oil on canvas
Date: n.d.

Museum Purchase made possible by Cliff Art Endowment
Museum of Nebraska Art Collection.

Objectives
• Students will experience the difference between a primary and secondary source by comparing and contrasting these two exemplars.
• Students will compare and contrast Solomon Butcher’s photograph of a sod house and family and David Routon’s oil painting of a Sodhouse Family.
• Students will use previous knowledge about Nebraska pioneers to infer and predict about the family in the painting.
• Students will write about the family in the painting.
• Students will utilize vocabulary words in discussion and writing activities.
• Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the Routon composition by creating a collage of their home and family similar in style to his oil painting.
Procedure

• Pre-Visit Teaching in the Classroom (prior to visit)
  1. Primary/Secondary sources (pp. 15-17, Nebraska Adventure textbook)
  2. Prairie life culture of pioneers living in the mid to late 1800s (Chap. 8, Nebraska Adventure textbook)
  3. Solomon Butcher (Chap. 8, Nebraska Adventure textbook and website sources listed under Resources at right)
  4. Timelines (Chapter 1, p. 5; Chapter 4, pp. 70-71; Chapter 8, pp. 156-157, Nebraska Adventure text-book)
  5. Collage art activity; teach “collage” and view other examples of collage artwork.
• Teaching in the Gallery
  1. Introduce the title of the exhibition: Journey Through Time: Art Tells the History of Nebraska. Have students look around the Gallery.
  2. Possible discussion and questions:
     – Why was this exhibition entitled Journey Through Time?
     – What would you title it?
  3. Which do you think is the earliest historical event in Nebraska? Why? The latest? Why? Continue questioning if needed.
  4. Seat the group in front of the Routon painting, Sodhouse Family.
  5. Share background information about David Routon (see MONA website)
  6. Referring to the Routon painting, ask:
     – Is this title appropriate for this painting? Why or why not?
     – What would you name the painting?
     – What's happening in this painting?
     – What makes you say that? Tell me more.
     – Who are the people in the painting?
     – Why do you think some are more detailed than others?
     – How does this painting make you feel? Why?
     – If it was done in reds, would it make you feel differently? Why?
     – Why do you think the artist chose these colors?
  7. Move students in front of Solomon Butcher's photograph of the sodhouse and family.
  8. Share background information about Solomon Butcher (see www.nebraskastudies.org).
  9. Referrring to the Butcher photograph ask:
     – What do you see in this photograph?
     – Who are these people?
     – What do you think their lives are like?
     – What is in the picture that makes you feel that way?
     – What are some things you would like to know about the people in the photograph?
     – If you were one of the children in the picture, what would your day be like?
  10. Continue to guide the discussion incorporating the following vocabulary terms:
      – Artistic medium, photography, ancestor, generation, homesteader, immigrants, sodbuster, culture
      – How are these two pieces of art alike and different?
      – What can you learn about the culture of early immigrants by observing these works of art?
      – Are either of these a primary source? If so, which one and why?
      – Are either of these a secondary source? If so, which one and why?
      – What are the main content differences between the oil painting and photograph?
      – Which family do you feel more connected to? Why?
Activities
1. Discuss horizon line (where the land meets the sky), and show examples of horizon lines in other photographs or artworks. Have students draw a horizon line on their paper lightly with pencil.
2. Discuss watercolor wash and demonstrate how to create one.
   – Brush a light coat of clean water on blank paper.
   – Choose colors for sky and land. Lightly brush color across paper letting colors blend naturally.
   – Remind students that wet paint will "bleed" together. Be careful not to over paint or painting will get "muddy."
   – With a paper towel, blot areas of color to create clouds and land forms.
   – Let painting dry.
3. Starting with the background, tear paper of your choice to represent buildings and glue to the paper, overlapping to create depth.
4. Work your way forward, tearing and gluing bits of paper to represent people, possessions, and animals, again overlapping to create a unified appearance, one that looks like a whole composition.
5. Use pieces of leather, yarn, or string to embellish and add dimension and texture.
6. Using a sharp black marker, add details to the face of one or two people.
7. Optional: Brush or spray a clear sealant over the artwork.
8. (If you choose to do this activity at MONA, materials will be provided if prior arrangements have been made.)
9.  
10. Optional Activities for the Classroom
11. Have students create Venn Diagrams (diagram example) comparing:
    – Medium of oil painting versus photography
    – Content of each work of art
12. Have students write a journal entry pretending they are in the painting or photograph.
    – Tell about themselves and their family as if they were living in the 1800s.
    – Explain the experience of having their photograph taken during the 1800s.
    – Have students pretend they received this photograph from a relative in the mail.
    – Write a letter back to this family member asking questions that he/she may have about the photograph.
13. Reinforce vocabulary with various teacher activities.
Related Activities
1. Learn about the various personal items that were important to the pioneers and Native Americans.
2. Learn about the homes that the Native American tribes of Nebraska lived in.
3. Bring photographs of your family from home, create a piece of artwork as a secondary source from the photograph (primary source). Another choice is to check out disposable cameras to the students, allowing three shots per family, and after developing them, do the previously mentioned activity.
4. Compare Routon's painting with Sally Cover's painting The Homestead of Ellsworth Ball or p. 173, Nebraska Adventure.
5. Research Solomon Butcher and David Routon. Find more works by these artists and bring them to the class via computer or printed copies.
6. Technology activity - Go through the Go West, Young Artist activity.

Curriculum development by Troy and Caryn Saulsbury, 4th grade teachers at Kearney's Central Elementary School, and Linda Harr, retired 4th-5th grade teacher, January, 2007.