School Workshop | Grades 2–5 

This workshop can be adapted for higher grade levels 

The workshop offers students an age-appropriate introduction to the exhibition Annemirl Bauer. A Rupture in the World and focuses on the impact of gazes, facial gestures, and facial expressions in the artist’s portraits. The workshop begins with selected portraits of children and women, which participants examine during a guided tour of the exhibition. 

Through targeted observation exercises, students hone their visual perception, identify characteristic stylistic elements, and describe their effects. They explore artistic strategies such as simplification, exaggeration, and heightened expression, and expand their ability to analyze and interpret images in a nuanced way. 

In the practical portion of the lesson, students create their own portraits featuring movable eye areas. Through drawing, collage, and simple paper constructions, they experiment with different directions of gaze and forms of expression. Even small changes to the eyes create new facial expressions and illustrate how visual effects can be deliberately shaped. 

The combination of art appreciation and hands-on artistic practice fosters both the students’ analytical skills and their creative expression. They learn to view portraits not merely as representations of people, but as expressions of emotions, attitudes, and individual perspectives. 

The workshop strengthens visual perception, the ability to analyze images, and creative and technical design skills. At the same time, it provides an age-appropriate introduction to the themes of identity, perception, and the impact of images in art.