An ongoing film series featuring some of Maine’s most distinguished artists
Curriculum Guides

Stephen Pace: Maine Master/Indiana Painter

 VIEWING THE FILM:
VIEWING & POST-VIEWING
QUESTIONS
Time: 45 - 80 min.

Objectives
Students will:
•  View the DVD on Stephen Pace
•  Understand the historical perspective of Pace’s life
•  Make connections between Pace’s life and work with other artists and movements
•  Discuss the artistic concepts included in the film
•  Gain an appreciation for an artist’s life-long commitment to making art

Materials and Equipment:
•  DVD projection system
•  Copies of viewing and post-viewing questions sheets for each student

Introduction: Teacher provides 5 - 10 min. (link to biography if needed)

Viewing/viewing questions: 35 min.
Students can be given a few minutes before the DVD to review the viewing questions and answer them while watching the DVD.

Post-viewing questions: 15-40 min
The post-viewing questions are more in-depth. Answers can be written and discussed in class or assigned as homework for later discussion.

Assessment:
Students can be assessed on the understanding of the objectives for viewing the film through their participation in the discussion of the DVD and the quality of their answers to the viewing and post-viewing questions.
FILM VIEWING QUESTIONS
Please read the following questions and jot down ideas for your answers as you watch the DVD. Be prepared to discuss your answers after the viewing.

Download and print a PDF of these questions.

1. What was Pace’s early family life like? Where did they live? What kind of work did they do?


2. What did the horses in Pace’s painting symbolize?


3. What was Pam Pace’s role in Pace’s life as an artist?


4. What is unique about Pace’s painting style?

5. Why did Pace go to Mexico?


6. List three important things that happened to Pace when he went to New York.


7. What important artist became Pace’s friend in New York?


8. Why was Han Hofmann’s class in New York important in Pace’s artistic development?


9. What were the themes of Pace’s painting in Maine?


POST- VIEWING QUESTIONS

Please answer all the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Either rewrite the questions or number the answers. However, do not exceed three pages. Please use your very best writing skills (edit carefully) – type, double-spaced. Due__________________
1. Why did Pace return to figurative painting after his abstract painting period in New York ?

2. What is the “sense of place” in Pace’s work and how does it influence his subject matter?

3. What does Pace mean by “I don’t paint what I see, I paint what I saw”? How does it affect his work?

4. Pace had a close community of artists in New York. How did that community affect his work there?

5. In what ways can any community of artists influence each other?

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Sponsored by the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science and the Union of Maine Visual Artists.
Support from Stephen and Palmina Pace, the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. With additional support from the University of Southern Indiana Foundation.


© UMVA / Maine Masters Project 2009