Lumen Volume 1 pre-order is here!

A guide to the elements of art through time . . .

Hey there,

I am very excited to announce the pre-order launch of a project we’ve been working hard on for more than two years (and is the reason I haven’t been able to post here on the Substack as much as I’d like).

It’s the first book of a seven-volume, art appreciation curriculum titled Lumen that teaches children about the seven elements of art. These elements—line, space, color, texture, shape, value, and form—are the fundamental building blocks of visual art. The more literate (for lack of a better term) you are in them, the more you can actively and thoughtfully engage with great works of art. This first volume is all about the element of line!

My goal is to provide an easily-adaptable, not-overwhelming curriculum that enables you to provide the riches of art for your children in whatever setting you teach, with however much time you have. Hopefully, Lumen will help your children to fall in love with beauty while also enabling them to see patterns woven throughout history.

Lumen is primarily designed for homeschool (individual, family, or co-op) use, for kids aged approximately 8-12, but it could easily be adapted to any age, reader, or setting, including personal study for art-enthusiasts.

Volume one features twenty-four works of art that span the historical timeline, and the set comes with a full-color, perfect bound book and 24 coordinating 8.5”x11” art prints. Tethered by the element of line, some of the artworks featured in this first volume include: a greek amphora, a byzantine mosaic, a Celtic illuminated manuscript, Chinese calligraphy, an engraving by Albrecht Dürer, a woodblock print by Hokusai, paintings by Rosa Bonheur, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Vincent Van Gogh, Andrew Wyeth and many more.

Written primarily for the teacher, Lumen includes palatable levels of information about a variety of artworks, artists, techniques, media, terms, and movements in art history. Plus, there are discussion questions, comparisons between pieces of art (an essential part in deep learning), suggested writing prompts, and other activities that encourage children to actively engage with the works of art in the volume.

Here’s a sample of one of the chapters, on Giotto:

Want to learn more? Head over to the website.

When you pre-order this first Lumen volume, you not only secure your copy, but you also help us kick start the whole Lumen project, including the six additional volumes to come. The reality is, books like this aren't cheap to make! So your pre-orders help us anticipate how much to print, as well as helping us with image licensing and a myriad of expenses that come with a project like this.

And we hope in return you’re able to use this guide to bring more beauty, visual literacy, and art appreciation into your homes and your children’s education.

Thank you for your support! Please share this launch with friends and other educators who may be interested.

If you have questions, check the Q&A on the goldberryarts.com website and feel free to contact me at bethany@goldberrybooks.com