Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Created by individuals at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center, and Educational Web Adventures, this website aims to teach children about basic elements of art, such as line, color, shape, balance, and movement/rhythm. The website has three major topic choices. In “Explore the Toolkit,” users can watch animated demonstrations of the elements of art, find examples of the elements within pieces of art from museum collections, and create their own pictures using the artistic elements. In “See the Artists in Action,” users can watch short videos of two artists using the artistic elements. In “Encyclopedia,” users can learn more about the elements of art and see additional examples of these elements on museum pieces. The website content is credible because the people who created it are professionals within the art museum field and all of their names are listed on the site. The website is easy to use and navigate for young children and has a simple layout. There is no advertising on the site. One concern is that some of the animations and activities take a while to load. Other than that, this site is recommended because it is quite informative about the artistic elements.… (mer)