In mid-September a group of eighth graders gathered at the Brandywine River Museum for a tour of the galleries. 

After the guided museum tour, the students met for a presentation from author Jen Bryant. The students had been required to read one of Bryant’s books: Pieces of Georgia, a wonderful story written in the form of diary entries. Parts of the setting in the book take place in the Brandywine River Museum.  The novel can literally come to life for the students as they walk through the same galleries and see some of the same paintings as described in the story.

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I followed one of the smaller groups of students, assigned to a museum guide, as they explored the various galleries. Quiet and well behaved, the students were led through the first gallery of Jamie Wyeth’s works.  They were politely interested in what they saw until we reached: Portrait of Pig. As soon as we gathered around this painting I carefully noticed how intrigued they became, as they pushed closer to the work on the wall. This particular painting was mentioned in the book but its size, detail, and vast array of color and texture of this life-size portrait of  a pig named, Den Den, has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

As we continued through Jamie’s gallery and the other galleries as well the students stayed quiet, asking only a few questions but it was easy to see how interested they were. When we would pass by a work mentioned in Pieces of Georgia, a few students would lag behind to stare at it longer. One young man even pressed his cheek against the gallery wall when no one was looking to view Door Wolf by Jamie Wyeth the way the character, Georgia did in the book.

After the tour we gathered in the Lecture Room to hear the talk by Jen Bryant. Jen warmly greeted the students, inviting them to peruse a table full of various stages of her books including drafts with handwritten editor’s notes. When all of the students were seated, Bryant began her talk and immediately I was drawn into what she was saying.

She spoke to the eighth graders’ level bringing in references to things they could relate to (sports, school, and friends). Her PowerPoint program showed she was someone who understood the eighth graders’ mind: loads of pictures in a collage-like composition stretched across the screen with only a few words to highlight what they were looking at. To make sense of the pictures they would have to pay attention, an easy feat as Bryant was extremely interesting to listen to.

She encouraged the students to write what they know about and to write from the heart. She especially encouraged this in not only the assignments they are doing now but later in life such as for college applications. When she would pause for questions; either to ask them or be asked; the students participated readily. I was especially excited when she asked what they thought of the cover of her book (a simple picture of two pencils: one sharpened to a point while the other is dull). Hands went up around the room describing what they thought the two pencils meant. Their answers were so intelligent and thought out that I was left amazed and couldn’t help but stare at my own copy of Pieces of Georgiatrying to decide what I thought the two pencils could mean.

Now, a few days after my tour and meeting Jen Bryant, I have re-read Pieces of Georgiaand wandered the museum looking closely at the works of art mentioned in her book. It describes these paintings in a way I had not considered before and I love when someone can do that for me. I look forward to reading more of Bryant’s works in the future and I encourage everyone to read Pieces of Georgia; a story of relationships and art.