Artists Voices Kahn Cvr_08.23.07 9/11/07 3:19 PM Page 2 ARTIST’S WORK/ARTIST’S VOICE: LOUIS I. KAHN A Guide for Educators Department of Education at The Museum of Modern Art Artists Voices Kahn Cvr_08.23.07 9/11/07 3:19 PM Page 2 Artists Voices Kahn Cvr_08.23.07 9/11/07 3:19 PM Page 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS 1. A NOTE TO EDUCATORS AUTHOR: Lisa Mazzola ARTIST’S WORK/ARTIST’S VOICE: EDUCATION EDITORS: Sarah Ganz Blythe and Susan McCullough 2. USING THE EDUCATORS GUIDE ARCHITECTURE EDITOR: Peter Reed LOUIS I. KAHN EDITOR: Rebecca Roberts 3. SETTING THE SCENE DESIGNERS: Elizabeth Elsas and Tamara Maletic A Guide for Educators PRODUCTION MANAGER: Claire Corey 6. LESSONS Lesson One: What is Architecture? Lesson Two: The Power of Drawing Teacher Programs at The Museum of Modern Art are sponsored by the Citigroup Foundation. Lesson Three: The Process of Design Artist’s Work/Artist’s Voice: Louis I. Kahn is made possible by a grant from the National Lesson Four: Form and Function Architectural Trust. Lesson Five:Department The Spirituality of Education of Matter at The Museum of Modern Art Lesson Six: Designs for Urban Life 30. FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION 32. GLOSSARY In reproducing the images contained in this publication, the Museum obtained the permis- 33. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES sion of the rights holders whenever possible. In those instances where the Museum could not locate the rights holders, notwithstanding good faith efforts, it requests that any contact 36. MoMA SCHOOL PROGRAMS information concerning such rights holders be forwarded, so that they may be contacted for future editions, to: Department of Education, The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York, N.Y. 10019-5497. No part of these materials may be reproduced or published in any form without prior written consent of The Museum of Modern Art. Design © 2007 The Museum of Modern Art, New York Kahn Guide.P 2/5/08 4:45 PM Page 1 A NOTE TO EDUCATORS Artist’s Work/Artist’s Voice is a series of guides for educators devoted to artists and archi- 1 tects in The Museum of Modern Art’s collection. Rather than exhaustive monographs, these A NO guides consider key examples of an artist’s work in relationship to his or her social and cultural context. Written with the guidance of Peter Reed, Senior Deputy Director of TE T Curatorial Affairs at The Museum of Modern Art, and William Whitaker, Archivist at the O EDUCA Louis I. Kahn Archive at the University Of Pennsylvania, Artist’s Work/Artist’s Voice: Louis I. Kahn features the architect’s drawings, writing, models, and architectural renderings from T MoMA’s collection in dialogue with works from the Louis I. Kahn Archive and other key ORS institutions. The guide is informed by issues posed by selected works in a variety of mediums, but its organization and lesson topics are created with the school curriculum in mind, with partic- ular application to social studies, visual art, history, and language arts. Lessons are accom- panied by writing, research, and hands-on, art-based activities that encourage students to make connections between the visual arts and other disciplines. The goal of this guide is to introduce students to Kahn’s work. Through guided discussions and supplemental activi- ties, students will draw parallels between their own ideas and experiences and those of one of the twentieth century’s most prominent architects. The guide’s purpose is not just to explicate works of art, but also to demonstrate how images and historical information can be integrated into numerous subject areas and skill bases taught in the classroom. Students will be introduced to significant ideas in art and culture. By comparing a variety of mediums and artistic styles, students will be able to practice observation, articulation, and discussion skills, and to further develop their visual literacy. Kahn Guide.P 2/5/08 4:45 PM Page 2 USING THE EDUCATOR GUIDE SETTING THE SCENE The six lessons that compose this guide—What is Architecture?, The Power of Drawing, 2 IMAGE ONE: Masonic Temple, Broad and 3 The Process of Design, Form and Function, The Spirituality of Matter, and Designs for U Filbert Streets, northeast corner, Philadelphia, SET S I Urban Life—may be used sequentially or as independent units. An introduction to the key Pennsylvania, c.1902. The Print and Picture N TING G principles of each lesson is followed by a close examination of each work, including its Collection, The Free Library of Philadelphia T H historical context and biographical information on the architect. Discussion questions based THE E E D on this information lead students through formal analysis of the work and seek to create con- SCENE U C nections between information and visual evidence. The activities that conclude each lesson A T O encourage students to synthesize what they have learned about each work and carry the R lesson into the broader curriculum or relate it to skills they are practicing in the classroom. G U I D E IMAGES All of the questions, discussions, and activities in this guide are based on the images on the accompanying CD-ROM. Carefully examine each image prior to showing it to your stu- IMAGE TWO: Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, dents. If your classroom is not equipped with a computer and LCD projector, you may also 18th Street at Logan Square, Philadelphia, print images from the CD-ROM to transparency paper for overhead projection. Pennsylvania, c. 1902. The Print and Picture Collection, The Free Library of Philadelphia ACTIVITIES The Activity sections are intended to encourage students to make connections between their own experiences and the concepts presented in the lessons. Through these activities, stu- dents will begin to develop a language for discussing and looking at architecture and art. 1. LOUIS I. KAHN: ARCHITECT, ARTIST, AND PHILOSOPHER Please feel free to tailor the activities to the age level of your students. Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces. It is the creating of spaces that evoke a feeling of appropriate use. FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION AND SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES —Louis I. Kahn This section contains suggestions for additional discussion questions, research projects, and field trips. A bibliography and a resources list has been provided for teachers and students Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974) believed strongly in the value and importance of architecture in to use in conducting research. The resources recommended in these pages provide further society. Kahn felt that well-designed buildings could influence and improve people’s lives. information on the artists and artworks in this guide and on general historical topics and He is known for his monumental building projects and also for his role as an artist, teacher, offer additional classroom activities. and philosopher of architecture. At first glance, Kahn’s work appears simplistic in its form and program. Upon closer investigation, however, layers of incredible programmatic com- plexity and design innovation become apparent. Kahn (“Lou,” to his friends and close col- GLOSSARY leagues) was resolute in his philosophy that architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces A glossary of architectural and art-historical terms (bolded upon first mention in each whose design can and should simultaneously reveal the story of their construction and lesson) is included at the end of the guide. meet the aesthetic and functional needs of the people who inhabit them. He believed strongly that architecture should appeal not only to practical and aesthetic needs but also to the humanistic needs of the people and communities it serves. He was continually striving to create spaces that evoked a sense of spirituality, a sense he felt was lacking in the built environment of that time. With every project, Kahn’s starting place was the same. Whether he was designing a place of worship, a school, a private residence, or an art museum, he Epigraph. Louis I. Kahn, quoted in Jean France’s untitled essay in the architecture brochure distributed to visitors at First Unitarian Church of Rochester, in Rochester, New York, 2006. Kahn Guide.P 2/5/08 4:45 PM Page 2 USING THE EDUCATOR GUIDE SETTING THE SCENE The six lessons that compose this guide—What is Architecture?, The Power of Drawing, 2 IMAGE ONE: Masonic Temple, Broad and 3 The Process of Design, Form and Function, The Spirituality of Matter, and Designs for U Filbert Streets, northeast corner, Philadelphia, SET S I Urban Life—may be used sequentially or as independent units. An introduction to the key Pennsylvania, c.1902. The Print and Picture N TING G principles of each lesson is followed by a close examination of each work, including its Collection, The Free Library of Philadelphia T H historical context and biographical information on the architect. Discussion questions based THE E E D on this information lead students through formal analysis of the work and seek to create con- SCENE U C nections between information and visual evidence. The activities that conclude each lesson A T O encourage students to synthesize what they have learned about each work and carry the R lesson into the broader curriculum or relate it to skills they are practicing in the classroom. G U I D E IMAGES All of the questions, discussions, and activities in this guide are based on the images on the accompanying CD-ROM. Carefully examine each image prior to showing it to your stu- IMAGE TWO: Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, dents. If your classroom is not equipped with a computer and LCD projector, you may also 18th Street at Logan Square, Philadelphia, print images from the CD-ROM to transparency paper for overhead projection.