Thanks to photographer and Dalton parent Mark Abrahams and his wife Alexis, 7th graders had a curricular experience they won't soon forget. Following a four-week curriculum on the Renaissance- a collaborative effort between 7th grade history teacher Dee Mingey and Museum Program art historian Michelle Marcus, students integrated newly acquired expertise into a visual finale.
Inspired by photographer Cindy Sherman's art history series, student work relied on photography to highlight the three-dimensionality and verisimilitude of Renaissance art. Each student used his/her body to recreate a Renaissance portrait, incorporating period costumes and props, a combination of student ingenuity and the Museum Program artifact collection. In a written piece, students synthesized the way their portrait addressed selected issues in a curriculum rich in primary and secondary sources.