Current Exhibitions
Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life, 2022
Discover how Harry Bertoia's innovative approach to design influenced the style of a generation. This resource introduces students to Bertoia's sculpture, furniture, jewelry, monotypes, and interactive sounding sculptures with prompts for close looking and discussion.
Recommended for intermediate- and secondary-aged learners.
Nairy Baghramian, 2022
Artist Nairy Baghramian questions how we define success and failure through "misfit" sculptures that relate to the idea of play. This resource introduces students to Baghramian's work through questions, images and prompts for reflection.
Recommended for intermediate- and secondary-aged learners.
Past Exhibitions
Carol Bove: Collage Sculptures, 2021
Learn about how artist Carol Bove transforms industrial materials into sculptures that appear soft, supple and colorful. This resource includes prompts for discussion as well as reading and drawing exercises.
Betye Saar: Call and Response, 2021
Artist Betye Saar uses found objects to create sculptures that explore the history of racism and her own family heritage. This resource includes prompts for discussion and activities that will encourage students to develop a deeper understanding of Saar's work.
Barry X Ball: Remaking Sculpture Teaching Resource , 2020
Barry X Ball uses digital technology to reimagine historical works of art, using his work as an “artistic conversation” with past artists.
Elmgreen and Dragset: Sculptures Teaching Resource, 2019
Artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset explore themes of power, gender and social issues through compelling sculpture and installations. This resource, designed for intermediate and secondary students, includes exhibition information, discussion questions and activity prompts.
Sterling Ruby: Sculpture Teaching Resource, 2019
Learn more about Sterling Ruby’s sculptural practice, materials and influences. This resource is recommended for intermediate and secondary students.
The Nature of Arp Teaching Resource, 2018
Discover how groundbreaking and influential artist Jean Arp was influenced by nature, poetry and World War I. This resource is recommended for intermediate and secondary students.
First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone Teaching Resource, 2018
Investigate the origins of creativity in the human mind through an exhibition that presents prehistoric handaxes and figure stones as evidence of the earliest forms of artistic intention among our ancient ancestors.
Theaster Gates Teaching Resource, 2018
2018 Nasher Prize Laureate Theaster Gates's artistic practice incorporates sculpture, ceramics, painting, music, performance, architecture, urban planning and community engagement. This resource is recommended for intermediate and secondary students.
Paper into Sculpture Teaching Resource, 2017
Discover how five artists have taken distinct approaches to paper as a sculptural medium. Recommended for middle and high school students.
Tom Sachs Teaching Resource, 2017
Prepare to visit artist Tom Sachs' handmade environment where high culture and tradition transform into personal ritual. Recommended for middle and high school students.
Roni Horn Teaching Resource, 2017
Connect middle and high school students with the work of artist Roni Horn, whose massive cast glass sculptures combine a fascination with light and landscape with the artist's deep appreciation for literature and language.
Richard Serra Teaching Resource, 2017
Best known as a sculptor, artist Richard Serra's weighty and textural works on paper push the boundaries of traditional printmaking. Recommended for middle and high school students.
Pierre Huyghe Teaching Resource, 2017
2017 Nasher Prize Laureate Pierre Huyghe creates works that expand the boundaries of traditional sculpture, incorporating materials as diverse as fog, ice, computer programs and living creatures. This resource is recommended for Middle and High School levels.
Michael Dean Teaching Resource, 2016
Connect high school students with the multi-layered work of artist Michael Dean, whose Nasher exhibition explores connections between sculpture and language.
Kathryn Andrews Teaching Resource, 2016
Artist Kathryn Andrews weaves together politics, pop culture and history in a thought-provoking exhibition organized around the U.S. Presidency. This guide is designed for middle and high school students and includes a glossary of cultural references used in the exhibition.
Mai-Thu Perret Teaching Resource, 2016
Discover the work of an artist who combines sculpture, painting and performance. Recommended for Middle and High School levels.
Ann Veronica Janssens Teaching Resource, 2016
Explore ideas of perception, reflection and refraction while viewing the optically-charged work of artist Ann Veronica Janssens.
Doris Salcedo Teaching Resource, 2016
Colombian artist Doris Salcedo, the 2016 Nasher Prize Laureate, honors the lives of victims of violence through powerful works of sculpture. Recommended for Middle and High School levels.
(en español)
Giuseppe Penone Teaching Resource, 2015
Recommended for upper-elementary and secondary student groups, this one page resource offers featured artworks and discussion questions for the exhibition Giuseppe Penone: Being the River, Repeating the Forest.
Phyllida Barlow Teaching Resource, 2015
Recommended for upper-elementary and secondary student groups, this one page resource presents big ideas and activity prompts related to the exhibition Phyllida Barlow tryst.
Melvin Edwards Teaching Resource, 2015
Recommended for secondary-level teachers, this one-page resource offers major themes and questions for students viewing the exhibition Melvin Edwards: Five Decades.
Thomas Heatherwick Teaching Resource: Design & Innovation, 2014
Developed in conjunction with the exhibition Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio, this guide offers both classroom- and gallery-based teaching strategies for learners of all age
Video interview with designer Neil Hubbard of Heatherwick Studio
Nasher XChange Teaching Resource, 2013
To commence a yearlong 10-year anniversary, the Nasher Sculpture Center presents Nasher XChange, a dynamic art exhibition consisting of 10 newly-commissioned public sculptures by contemporary artists at sites throughout the city of Dallas. Covering a diverse range of sites and approaches to sculpture, this exhibition represents the first citywide, museum-organized public art exhibition in the United States. Educators are encouraged to share this landmark exhibition with students of all ages.
Engaging with public art offers students the unique opportunity to experience the impact an artist can make on a community or an environment. The ten works in Nasher XChange offer a jumping-off point for a larger dialogue about the role of art in the places we visit every day. This Teaching Guide can be used as a tool for engagement.