Introduction to CI:99/00 Resource Materials 

Introduction
Using the Notebook

Introduction
Welcome to the Carnegie International, the Carnegie Museum of Art’s triennial exhibition of contemporary art. The International is one of the most prestigious exhibitions in the world and is among the most challenging and influential international surveys of contemporary art in North America. The 1999 Carnegie International features painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and film and video installations by 41 artists from around the globe. On view from November 6, 1999 through March 26, 2000, the International offers Pittsburghers an exceptional opportunity to engage with and respond to artwork that is exciting, challenging, and representative of our time. It also provides Pittsburgh’s educators an occasion to enrich their students’ understanding of the contemporary world. The resources in this notebook were developed to help teachers take full educational advantage of the 1999 Carnegie International and to guide students’ exploration of the diverse artwork and ideas presented in the exhibition. 

In anticipation of the 1999 Carnegie International, the Teacher Resource project was initiated to examine the relationships between contemporary art and teenagers and the links between contemporary art and school curricula. Generously supported by The Grable Foundation, Pittsburgh, the resource notebook is the result of a year-long collaboration between educators at Carnegie Museum of Art and middle and high school teachers in Pittsburgh. The primary objective of this collaboration was to develop ways to engage students in active learning through contemporary art. This objective has been achieved through the development of lesson plans, informational material to support the lesson plans, and the production of a 30-minute videotape designed to familiarize students with contemporary art and the 1999 Carnegie
International. 

The lesson plans, which are the core of these resources, provide basic adaptable structures. The plans can be used in their present form or modified to suit specific teaching objectives or existing curricula. Whether you are teaching social studies, language, or visual arts or are interested in using new technologies in your classroom, these plans offer fresh ways to approach the subject matter. Teacher-designed to move education beyond books and the classroom, the lessons are structured around interactions with contemporary art in the museum setting, thereby extending the classroom into the outside world. 

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Using the Notebook
The resource materials in this notebook have been developed to prepare teachers and students for visits to the 1999/2000 Carnegie International and to facilitate meaningful responses to the exhibition. The section “Why Contemporary Art?” addresses the potential that contemporary art has for teenage students and outlines the relationship between contemporary art and classroom objectives. In “History of the Carnegie International” and “CI:99/00,” we provide specific information about the exhibition, its themes and development, and the one hundred-year-old tradition of this exhibition series as well as a list of artworks collected from previous Carnegie Internationals. While much of this information relates specifically to the International, the lesson plans are adaptable and can be used beyond the scope of the current exhibition. They are appropriate for use in conjunction with the museum’s permanent collection of contemporary art, with other original works of contemporary art, and with future Carnegie Internationals. 

The lesson plans have been structured for quick reference and easy use. Their format is conventional and the content is succinct. A key in the upper-right-hand corner of each lesson indicates the lesson’s potential relationship to classroom subjects. Many of the plans have multiple components or suggestions for extension activities through which interdisciplinary connections can be made. In each, students are called upon to create thoughtful responses to the artwork they experience. Each lesson cites the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ academic standards that are addressed within the lesson’s activities. 

The lesson plans were developed with adaptability in mind. We encourage you to tailor the plans to suit the interests and grade level of your students, the level of involvement you are able to bring to the project, and the requirements of the discipline you are teaching. We are interested in the modifications you make as well as the new ideas you develop to integrate CI:99/00 into your teaching. These can be shared with others through the CI:99/00 web site.

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