Table Of ContentTable of Contents
About the Guide ............................................................................................................ 1
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 2
About the Artist ............................................................................................................. 3
VTS and Common Core at the Museum ....................................................................... 4
Before Your Visit ........................................................................................................... 5
Lesson One: Coloring with Light (Science, Writing and Art) ...................................... 6-7
Coloring with Light Data Sheet ...................................................................................... 8
Lesson Two: Spinning Colors (Science and Writing) ............................................... 9-11
Common Core Standards and National Standards for the Arts ................................... 12
About the Guide
This guide is intended for use in conjunction with a Museum visit and to integrate art, into your classroom lessons. We
would also like to introduce you to Visual Thinking Strategies or VTS, a literacy and art viewing
program that utilizes art to help improve both critical thinking and verbal skills. VTS aligns very well with the
Common Core ELA Standards by encouraging students to back up verbal and written ideas with evidence from
a work of art. It also encourages self-confidence and clarity in speech and enhances reading and writing skills.
When planning a field trip to the Museum, use the guide to prepare yourself, rather than your students for the
visit, and then share the resources with the students after the visit to continue learning from the Museum
experience back in the classroom. The lessons and resources can also be used independent of a Museum visit.
The lessons in this guide align with Common Core Standards and National Standards for the Arts.
They are based on works from the exhibition, Stephen Knapp: New Light, on view at the Alexandria Museum of Art,
from September 6-November 23, 2013.
Stephen Knapp: New Light
September 6–November 23, 2013
“Lightpaintings” of glass that is cut, shaped, polished, treated with layers of metallic coatings,
mounted on stainless steel, and illuminated with light bulbs! The multi-dimensional prisms refract and
reflect colored rays of light across gallery walls and ceilings.
In addition to Stephen Knapp: New Light, the following exhibitions will be on view during Fall 2013:
26th September Competition Exhibition
September 6–November 23, 2013
The 26th Annual September Competition presented by the Alexandria Museum of Art is an annual
juried exhibition selected from national and international submissions highlighting contemporary art
practices in all media. Featuring original art created within the past two years, 50 artworks were
selected for the exhibition by this year’s artist-juror, Stewart Nachmias, and will be included in a full-
color print catalogue.
2013 Louisiana Dragon Boat Races™ Photography Contest Exhibition
September 6–November 23, 2013
Relive the spirit of the races through photographs taken by local community members capturing the
action and people of the event! The exhibition features twenty photographs juried by Lafayette-based
photographer, Philip Gould. Alexandria Museum of Art’s 3rd Annual Louisiana Dragon Boat
Races™ on the scenic Red River in May, 2013, featured more teams, food, elaborate costumes, and
entertainment on and off the water than ever before.
Louisiana’s Culinary Heritage
September 6–October 19, 2013
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2013 Scholarship Art Contest exhibition features fifteen
finalists chosen from across Louisiana who were awarded college scholarships and art supplies. High
school juniors and seniors were invited to create a work of art based on the theme “Louisiana’s
Culinary Heritage,” representing our state's unique culinary heritage while honoring its festivals,
dishes and local ingredients. College scholarships and art supplies were awarded to ten high school
seniors and five juniors.
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Acknowledgements
Information regarding VTS was adapted from material provided by Visual Understanding in Education, a
nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the use of VTS, and increase understanding of aesthetic
development. Please visit www.vtshome.org
Photographs of Stephen Knapp and his work are courtesy of the artist.
Information about Stephen Knapp and New Light can be found on the artist’s website:
http://www.stephenknapp.com/
Art vocabulary can be found on artlex.com
Scientific information about the science of light and color, as well as definitions and images can be found on
NASA’s website for educators:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Optics.Guide.html
More information about Common Core State Standards and the CCSS listed in this lesson can be found at
http://www.corestandards.org/.
More information about The National Standards for the Arts including those referenced in this guide can be
found at http://www.arteducators.org/store/NAEA_Natl_Visual_Standards1.pdf.
A cooperative effort funded by the Greater Alexandria Economic Development
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About the Artist: Stephen Knapp
Artist, Stephen Knapp was born in Worcester, Massachusetts,
in 1947. After graduating with a degree in history from Hamilton
College in 1969, he was a fine art photographer for nearly a
decade. During this time, he began to combine other mediums
with photography and innovating processing techniques.
Eventually, photography was not enough and he began
experimenting with more permanent materials such as ceramic,
mosaic, metal, stone and glass. These monumental works
continued to draw from what he learned from photography. The
artist had been fascinated by light his entire life, “both for what it
can do and the effect it has on us.”
Mr. Knapp has created many public art pieces in which light is an important element, the largest of which is
installed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. These installations would lead to his first
lightpaintings, in 2002. He continues to create lightpaintings for solo Museum exhibitions and large public
works.
Stephen Knapp’s career is marked by a continuous desire to research and explore materials and historical,
culture and technical predecessors that inspire and inform his work.
About the Work: Painting with Light
Using light as a medium, Stephen Knapp creates spectacular explosions of light and color. He creates glass
pieces and braces them with stainless steel mounting brackets. Then he lights each piece with electric light.
The brackets are an integral part of the artwork, as they cast shadows that are part of the overall composition.
Each glass piece is layered with up to twenty-four very thin metallic coatings. Some of these are designed to
refract color, while others are designed to reflect color, and some do both at the same time. The factors an
artist considers when creating a color palette, such as hue, saturation and color mixing, are achieved through
the application of the metallic layers and the placement of the glass, in relation to the light. Each piece of glass
reflects and refracts light in two directions, increasing the possibility for new color mixtures. Color is decided by
the angle of the glass to the light and the amount of space between the different pieces and the glass. The
arrangement of the glass must be planned carefully. If one piece is off, it changes the entire composition as
well as the colors of the piece.
Knapp excels at creative problem solving. All of his materials are custom made. When a new problem arises
he must research and create a new solution. The unique possibilities that arise with each issue excite the
artist. The artist states, “For centuries, artists have sought to capture light with pigment. Actual light, and
creating with it, is just so different that I think it’s where we’re going to be as artists. We will always have
painting here; this is just painting a bit differently. It’s all about that elusive something that makes us want to
create—that drive to leave a little bit of ourselves to solve some visual problems. There’s a whole myriad of
reasons why we create and put something on the wall like this—this is just another way to do it and capture it
and share it with others.”
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Visual Thinking Strategies
Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, is a research based literacy program that uses art to improve critical
thinking and language skills. Through discussions about the art, self-esteem and participation are encouraged,
even among struggling students. VTS directly correlates to the ELA Standards of the Common Core
Curriculum.
VTS operates on a child’s natural ability to make sense of what they see, a skill we all begin using at birth. The
method is a discovery process facilitated by the teacher, using three, simple but carefully researched questions
that provoke thoughtful responses and encourage lively, engaging conversation. The process has students
focus, reflect and question, which builds their critical thinking skills.
VTS Tours at AMoA
Students touring any of our exhibitions will participate in group
discussion where they will be asked to carefully observe artworks and
explain “what is going on” in a particular piece of art. As we prompt them
to support their explanations with evidence, we engage their reasoning
and logic skills. Students can also participate in writing and sketch
response activities, per the teacher’s request.
Museum docents, trained in VTS, facilitate gallery discussions.
Longitudinal field studies, employing control and experimental groups in
multiple sites around the world, have been conducted on VTS since
1991. The studies prove that VTS builds critical thinking skills that
transfer to other settings and subjects. Measurable academic
growth is produced by the program in students of varying socioeconomic
and academic backgrounds, including students who perform poorly on
standardized tests or possess limited English skills.
To schedule a tour at the Alexandria Museum of Art, contact Anne Reid
at (318) 443-3458 or email her at
Before Your Visit
•Discuss the featured artist with your class and the type of work that will be on display.
•Encourage students to look carefully at the artwork they are shown. This will be a good time to practice their
observational skills.
•Explain to students that they will be taking part in a discussion about the artwork and they will need to raise
their hand as they would in the classroom. Let them know there are no wrong answers and we are very
interested in their thoughts and opinions.
•Explain to students that they must not touch the artwork. It may seem harmless to just touch a piece of art
once, but even when they are clean our hands contain oils that over time can damage artwork. Even gases
from our breath can be harmful over time.
•At times they may want to come very close to see details but generally, it is good to stand at least two feet
from the work as it gives one a better overall view of the work.
•Above all have fun!
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Science/Visual Art/Writing Activity: Coloring with Light
The following activities can be conducted with your class
before or after touring the exhibition, Stephen Knapp: New
Light or independent of a Museum tour.
Grade Levels: 3-4
Common Core Standards are listed on the final page of this
guide.
Key Questions/ Issues Addressed:
How are light and color related?
How do colors affect each other?
How do we see different colors?
Lesson Goals/Objectives:
Students will learn that color is reflected light.
Students will understand how light is reflected differently by
different colors and how these colors interact by creating their own
“lightpainting.”
Students will record data from their experiments with color
and light and write clearly and in the appropriate sequence about
their experiment and findings.
Stephen Knapp
C a p r ic c io , 2 0 0 3
li g h t , g l a s s , stainless steel
11’ x 8’ x 10”
Materials: Acetate or cellophane in clear and primary colors (secondary colors are optional), light source such
as a window, clear packing tape, overhead projector (optional) and The Science of Lightpainting: Images for
Educators available on our website at: http://theMuseum.org/Education/teacherresources.aspx, copies of
Coloring with Light Data Sheet
Related Information:
Refer to NASA’s document for educators, Introduction to Light and Color, from their website:
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/350524main_Optics_Light_Color_and_Their_Uses.pdf
Refer to The Science of Lightpainting: Images for Educators available on our website at:
http://theMuseum.org/Education/teacherresources.aspx
Key Terms:
Light- a form of energy that travels in waves
Frequency- the speed at which a wave vibrates or goes up and down
Wavelength- the distance between the two peaks of each wave
Radiation- energy that comes from a source and travels through some substance or through space
Reflection- Reflected light is the light we can see. When light hits an object some of it bounces or reflects off
the object, enabling us to see the object.
Refraction- When light waves pass through different substances they bend or change directions. For example,
when light waves pass through water the objects in the water may appear wavy.
Diffraction- Light will also bend when it encounters an obstacle or an opaque object. Instead of going through
the substance it bends around the substance. The bending of light around edges or small slits will create
patterns or fringes of light. This can be seen when light hits the surface of a DVD.
Color- When light waves hit an object, some are absorbed by the object and some are reflected. The color of
an object is determined by which waves are reflected by that object.
Electromagnetic Spectrum- the range of all types of electromagnetic radiation
Visible Spectrum- the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, that are visible to the unaided eye
White Light- All of the colors of the spectrum blend to create white light. When all colors are reflected off of an
object at one time, the object will appear white.
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Learning Activities:
1. Share the images of Stephen Knapp’s
lightpaintings, from The Science of Lightpainting: Images
for Educators with your students. Discuss how light and
color are related, using the NASA’s Introduction to Color
and Light as well as the key terms in this lesson.
Questions for discussion:
“Stephen Knapp calls his paintings, lightpaintings.
What do you think that means?”
“How do you think the artist created these pieces?”
Follow up by paraphrasing their answer and
asking, “What do you see that makes you say that?”
“What causes an object to be a certain color?”
“How do you think this artist created different
colors, using light in these lightpaintings?”
2. Distribute an 8 ½”x 11” piece of clear acetate to each student, as well as several different colors of
colored acetate or cellophane.
3. Ask the students to cut their cellophane into different shapes and experiment with layering them onto
their clear acetate. Before they experiment with their colors have them predict what the results of each
combination will be. Have them note their predictions, on the graphic organizer provided.
4. Have them tape their color arrangements on the clear acetate with clear
packing tape creating a pleasing arrangement of shapes.
5. Students will hold their “lightpaintings” up to the ceiling light or up to a window.
What different colors did they make? Have them note their results on the
graphic organizer. How do the results compare to their predictions?
6. Have the students use their graphic organizer and what they have learned to
write about their projects, using the questions below. Make sure they
understand they must write about their experience in the proper sequence,
beginning with what they learned in class about color. Next they will talk about
their prediction and results. They will end their writing by discussing what they
learned from the results of their lightpainting experiment.
Questions for Writing
Students will write two paragraphs discussing the following:
Why do we see color?
What did you predict would happen when you began combining colors for your “lightpainting?”
How is what happened different from your predictions?
What did you learn about color and light while making your “lightpainting”?
Assessment of Student Understanding:
Students are able to comprehend and engage during the discussions.
Students are able to create a “lightpainting” using several color combinations.
Students are able to record their predictions and results on the
graphic organizer.
Students are able to express their findings in writing.
Extension Activity: Invisible Design Have students use several colors of
highlighters to make a design on a piece of paper. Next, they will view the
design through their “lightpainting.” Have them take note of what they see
when they look through the painting at their design. Do some of the parts
of the design look different when viewed through different colors? What
does this tell us about how light is transmitted through different colors?
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Name_______________
Date________________
Class_______________
Coloring with Light Data Sheet
Directions:
1. Cut your colored filters into different shapes and using the suggested color combinations below arrange them on
the clear piece of acetate. Be creative with your shapes and arrangement!
2. Make a prediction about what will happen when you combine the colors below, as you create your “lightpainting.”
3. Tape down your combinations using clear tape.
4. Hold the “lightpainting” up to the light.
5. Record the results of the color combinations.
Filter Color Combinations Prediction Result
Red + Yellow
Yellow+ Blue
Blue + Red
Green + Red
Blue + Green
Green + Yellow
Yellow + Orange
Red + Orange
Blue + Orange
Green + Orange
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