The Badge Archive

Activity Description: Scouts visit a space where art is displayed or created, observe different styles and materials, and reflect on what inspires their own creativity.

• Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Daisy Art and Design badge requirements.
• Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Brownie Art and Design badge requirements.
• Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Junior Art and Design badge requirements.

Info Needed: Artists and designers use different materials (called mediums) to create all kinds of art. Makers may draw, paint, build, sculpt, or even create art on a computer. By exploring the styles and materials they use, we can better understand what creativity looks like around us, and how it can inspire our own art.

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Items Needed:

• Printout of VTK’s Style Your Medium (Brownie)
• Any needed materials for the visit (like notebooks or sketchpads)

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 30–40 min):

1. Explore art in the world (10–15 min)
   • Visit a space where art is made, shown, or sold, such as a museum, gallery, library, makerspace, or school.
   • Scouts take time to observe different types of art and design.
2. Learn about makers and mediums (5–7 min)
   • Review the difference between 2D mediums (paint, pencil, photography) and 3D mediums (clay, wood, sculpture).
   • Point out materials used in the artwork scouts are seeing.
3. Compare two artworks (5–7 min)
   • Scouts look at two examples of different styles (like Mary Cassatt’s “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” (Impressionism) and Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s “Head” (Cubism)).
   • They discuss:
     • What do they look like?
     • What materials were used?
     • Are they realistic or abstract?
4. Experience and ask questions (5–8 min)
   • Scouts observe how items were made and think about who might have designed them.
   • If available, they can ask staff about the artists or design process.
5. Reflect and share (5–7 min)
   • Scouts talk about:
     • What was the most interesting thing they saw?
     • What mediums and styles stood out?
     • What would they want to create inspired by what they saw?

Bonus Challenge:

Scouts find one example of Impressionism, Cubism, and Pop Art during the visit and describe what makes each unique.

• Impressionism (light, color, loose brushstrokes)
• Cubism (shapes, multiple angles, abstraction)
• Pop Art (bright colors, bold images, inspired by pop culture)