Building Stories
Develop characters, dialogue and stories inspired by artworks throughout Mia’s collection.
Dialogue Development
Writers use dialogue to develop characters or to advance the plot of a story. Select one painting in the gallery and create some dialogue.
You Can’t Judge a Book by ItsCover—Or Can You?
Imagine that an artwork is a book cover. Sketch the book cover, and write a title on the spine, and write a brief summary of a story.
Who am I? Using Art to Develop a Character
An interesting story always has a strong character someone who is intriguing, intelligent, humorous, or captivating. Select a portrait in the gallery to use as your main character for a story.
Point of View: Write It!
Imagine you are a person in a work of art. Narrate a scene of a story from this person’s point of view. Use details from the artwork as inspiration for the scene!
Finding Stories at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Set the scene, write character dialogue, study the origins of a work of art, and then create a storyline that extends beyond the moment reflected in the artwork.
Art and Haiku
Haiku is a form of traditional Japanese poetry. Choose two works of art and as you study each one, brainstorm about how you would describe it to a friend. Then, write a haiku about what you see in the work of art.