Picturing America

Great art speaks powerfully, inspires fresh thinking, and connects us to our past

Grant Wood, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931

Picturing America, an exciting initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, brings great American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide.

Through this innovative program, students and citizens gain a deeper appreciation of our country’s history and character through the study and understanding of its art. The nation’s artistic heritage—our paintings, sculpture, architecture, fine crafts, and photography—offers unique insights into the character, ideals, and aspirations of our country.

The 40 high-quality reproductions of notable American art used in conjunction with the Teachers Resource Book and program website, help students experience the humanity of history and enhance the teaching and understanding of America’s past in a fresh and engaging way.

Maryland teachers are enthusiastic about this resource. One teacher commented:

This program has been wonderful! We have been sharing the posters between classes and grade levels and are enjoying the fact that they are so sturdy and nicely packaged, which makes them easier to move around. I used the posters as a great starting point for class discussions in history. I think that they added a great depth to discussion and made some periods and people come to life. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the kids really enjoyed studying the pictures and learning something new from art.

Visit the Picturing America website to learn more!

And, be sure to visit EDSITEment to get free, high quality, web-based teacher lesson plans and student interactives on a wide range of humanities and social studies subjects--including a year long focus on the images in Picturing America!