Participants look closely at artworks to complete a scavenger hunt that involves finding specific works based on clues. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. This activity  is from the Living in Our Time section of the Tour Guide Tool Kit.

Living in Our Time Activity Title: Portrait Scavenger Hunt Theme: Who Am I? Age: Grades 3–6 Overview: Participants look closely at artworks to complete a scavenger hunt that involves finding specific works based on clues. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. Procedure: Setting the Scene Today we are going on a scavenger hunt. I will give you clues about works of art, and you must work together to find the correct artwork. The main clue is that all of the artworks are portraits. What is a portrait? Some of these portraits may surprise you! To find the correct pieces, you must read the clues carefully and look closely. Begin Looking Divide the group into teams of three or four. With younger participants, send each group with a chaperone, or do the hunt together as a larger group. Distribute one copy of the scavenger hunt, along with a clipboard and a pencil, to each team. Tell them that they have 10 minutes to try to find the works of art. When they find one, they should write down the artist’s name and the title of the work. After 10 minutes, the group will come back together. Give the participants some rules for the hunt (for example, no running). Ask a teacher or chaperone to help keep an eye on the teams. Clue # 1: You might think I enlarged a photograph of myself to make this self-portrait. Clue #2: People often think this painting has olives in it. Stand back and I will emerge. Clue #3: An artist made my image from magazine photographs of me. Clue #4: This work, which includes a glass and a spoon, was created to honor the artist Marcel Duchamp and his wife, Teeny. Clue #5: This work is a portrait of my brother, Diego. Clue #6: You can see traces of the artist’s handprints and footprints in this thickly painted canvas. Answers: #1. Chuck Close Big Self-Portrait  1968 #2. Chuck Close Kiki  1993 #3. Andy Warhol 16 Jackies  1964 #4. Robert Rauschenberg Trophy II (for Teeny and Marcel Duchamp)  1960 #5. Alberto Giacometti Buste de Diego  circa 1954 #6. Kazuo Shiraga Untitled  1959 Conclusion Once the group has completed the hunt, go together to each work and ask: Why do you think this work of art could be called a portrait? Which work fits most into the traditional idea of a portrait (like a school portrait)? The least? Props: Cards with only one clue on each one Pencils Clipboards