Thousand Words Project

Welcome to the Thousand Words Project, a new, exciting set of educational tools that use artwork to improve writing skills. With the Thousand Words Project, students learn how artists create and apply these strategies to their own writing. By following these lessons and activities, teachers can inspire their students to pay attention to what they see, reflect on it, express their ideas in writing and even propel these skills across subject areas into daily life.

Neil Welliver, Light in Brook, 1985, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in, Gift of Dorothy Stiles Blankfort, class of 1931, 1986.11.1

David Driskell, Dance of the Masks, 2008, serigraph, 24 x 18 in, Bates College Museum of Art purchase with the Jean LeMire ’53 Fund, partial gift of the artist and Greenhut Galleries, 2008.3.1

Joel Babb, Androscoggin Aerial: Powers on the River, 1995, oil on linen, 54 x 42 in, Bates Museum of Art purchase with support from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation and Friends of the Art Museum, 2005.16.1

Warren Keller, Seven Sisters, 2011, Durst Lambda Laser Print on FujiFlex, 16 x 24, Gift of Warren Keller, 2013.7.1

Charlie Hewitt, Untitled (Birdhouse), 1992, linocut on paper, 6 x 3 1/2 in, Museum Purchase, 1992.28.21

DeWitt Hardy, Forest and Pool, 2002, watercolor on paper, 28 3/8 x 33 1/2 in, Bates College Museum of Art, gift of the Carl Straub Estate, 2020.1.20

Lalla Essaydi, Grand Odalisque, 2008, C-4 print mounted on aluminum, 33 3/4 x 40 1/4 in, Bates College Museum of Art purchase, with support from the Davis Family Foundation, 2011.20.1

Marsden Hartley, Pallid Spring, 1909, oil on panel, 5 5/16 x 9 3/8 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.100

Yashima Gakutei, Oiran with Pipe, n.d., woodblock print, Gift of Douglas J. Macko, 2006.2.14

Ruth B. Fuller Irving, Chicago Backyard, n.d., watercolor on paper, 15 x 13 in, Bates College Museum of Art, gift of the artist, 1991.21.1.a

Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Trees, Rocks, and Driftwood], ca. 1936-43, Lithographic crayon on white paper, 8 1/2 x 11 1/4 in, Bates College Museum of Art, Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.27

Dahlov Ipcar, Sable Nyika, 1988, oil on canvas, 30 x 60 in, Bates College Museum of Art, Gift of the artist, 1991.8.1

At the heart of the Thousand Words Project are videos that lead participants on a journey through the Bates College Museum of Art’s diverse collections and into the studios of prominent artists and writers. This is more information than a typical trip to a museum!

Before showing each video, a pre-lesson activity is offered, to prepare students.

Accompanying each of the lessons are writing exercises. Teachers are guided when to stop and start the video to implement suggested ideas and activities. While the video and lessons are designed to be sequential, teachers are invited to utilize the resource in whatever order they think best. Using the program sequentially, students will progress from exercises that record simple observations to putting the finishing touches on a basic descriptive essay based on a work of art.

Alternative lessons are offered in the “RUN WITH IT!” tab above and the “DIG DEEPER” tab on lesson pages. Teachers will find exciting options, including additional activities, service-learning projects, or how to team up with other teachers and go cross-curricular.

Use comics to organize writing! Let students make movies of their own art galleries! A complete tech notebook under the Tech Integration tab above or as highlighted within lessons make it easy to integrate the curriculum into a 21st century classroom environment.

Many suggestions for sharing finished work and posting ideas sparked from using the project are included. Have fun!