SNOW SHOW: Winter Now
JAN 24 - APR 2, 2025
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
SVMoA Exhibition Engagement
Snow has been a defining feature of human imagination, survival, and celebration for centuries. For some, snow represents tranquility, resilience, and wonder; for others, it signifies the stark realities of survival and environmental change. SNOW SHOW: Winter Now presents an artistic exploration of winter through the lenses of contemporary artists who delve into themes of time, memory, identity, and the evolving landscape of snow.
This exhibition invites us to think about winter as more than a season. It challenges us to reconsider its traditions, symbols, and future. Artists such as Sofía Jaramillo and Ryan Bonilla reimagine who gets to be represented in winter sports and landscapes, while Mungo Thomson and Catherine Opie encourage us to reflect on time whether fleeting human moments or geological eras. At the same time, Rob Reynolds connects us to Indigenous understandings of weather, reminding us of the critical relationship between climate change and culture.
Whether you are a lifelong winter enthusiast, a visitor from afar, or someone seeking refuge from the cold, SNOW SHOW: Winter Now provides an opportunity to explore our personal and collective relationships with winter landscapes. The works challenge our memories, expand our perspectives, and ask: What does winter mean today? What could it mean tomorrow?
Essential Questions Addressed in this SVMoA Exhibition:
• What does winter represent for you emotionally, culturally, or environmentally?
• How do artists use winter landscapes to explore memory, time, and identity?
• What stories do we tell about winter? Who gets to be part of those stories?
• How does art inspire awareness and action around environmental challenges, like climate change?
• How can artists help us imagine the future of winter landscapes and recreation?
How to Use This Guide:
SVMoA encourages active engagement when teaching with our exhibitions. The questions and activities below are recommendations for incorporating SVMoA exhibition SNOW SHOW: Winter Now into your classroom. There are no “right” answers. Each class will likely require different adaptations for best results.
Artist Spotlights
Sofía Jaramillo
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Historical reference photo: George Silk © Life Picture Collection
Focus: Reimagining winter sports culture through inclusion and diversity.
Key Work: A New Winter recreates archival photos of winter sports in Sun Valley, featuring athletes of color.
o These images challenge the exclusionary visual history of skiing, broadening the cultural narrative of who belongs and participates in winter sports.
Discussion Points:
o “How do these images feel different from traditional winter sports photography?”
o “How does reimagining historical photos help us rethink the past?”
o “What stereotypes about winter sports culture do Jaramillo’s photos challenge?”
o Compare and Contrast: Choose a photograph from A New Winter and compare it with the historical reference photograph that inspired it.
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Focus: Contrasting fleeting human time with geological time.
Key Work: Calendar Lightboxes oversized lightboxes with calendar grids superimposed on images of ancient mountains.
o Thomson’s work highlights the dissonance between ephemeral human life and the enduring permanence of nature.
Discussion Points:
o “How do the calendars change the way you view the mountains?”
o “What emotions arise when human schedules are placed next to the vastness of geological time?”
o What does this work make you think about how we measure time in our daily lives? What other ways could we measure time?
Reynolds
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Focus: Climate change and Indigenous perspectives on weather.
Key Work: The Word for Weather is Knowledge a short film documenting Greenland’s melting glaciers through the Greenlandic concept of sila (weather, spirit, and knowledge).
o The work reveals the Arctic’s fragility while amplifying Indigenous wisdom about the interconnectedness of weather and life.
Discussion Points:
o “What do you notice about the way Reynolds presents the ice and water in his film?”
o “How does the Greenlandic concept of sila deepen your understanding of weather and spirit?”
o “What role does Indigenous knowledge play in addressing climate change?”
Catherine Opie
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Focus: Emotional and ephemeral winter landscapes.
Key Work: Twilight photographs of Norwegian mountains, where fleeting light meets enduring natural forms.
o Opie’s use of twilight emphasizes the interplay between permanence and change in winter environments.
Discussion Points:
o “How does Opie use light and color to create emotion in her landscapes?”
o “What does twilight represent to you an ending, a beginning, or something else?”
o “How do Opie’s works connect to your own experiences of winter landscapes?”
Ryan Bonilla
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Focus: Artificial environments and the future of winter.
Key Work: Polaroids of snowboarders at an indoor ski dome, exploring how technology redefines winter traditions.
o Bonilla raises questions about whether artificial environments preserve winter experiences or signify their loss.
Discussion Points:
o “How do these photos make you feel about artificial winter spaces?”
o “Do you think indoor ski domes could replace natural winter landscapes? Why or why not?”
o “What do Bonilla’s Polaroids suggest about the future of winter traditions?”
If participating in a Student Exhibition Tour or Classroom Connections, students will re-visit and discuss these works as well as others during the SVMoA tour/visit and project. They will also create their own visual and/or written work that reflects the ideas explored by artists in the exhibition.
SNOW SHOW: Winter Now
Before Your Visit
Prepare participants to think critically about their relationship to winter and its cultural and environmental significance.
General Questions:
• “What are your earliest memories of winter? Are they tied to specific places, activities, or people?”
• “What does winter mean to you today fun, nostalgia, struggle, or something else?”
• “How do you think climate change is affecting the future of snow and winter traditions?”
Artist-Specific Prompts:
• Sofia Jaramillo: “Who do you see represented in winter sports? Whose stories are missing?”
• Mungo Thomson: “What comes to mind when you think about the passage of time? How does nature influence that perspective?”
• Rob Reynolds: “What do you know about the Arctic? How does its melting ice affect the rest of the world?”
• Catherine Opie: “How do light and color in winter landscapes make you feel?”
• Ryan Bonilla: “What’s your reaction to artificial environments, like indoor ski mountains? Do they preserve or replace nature?”
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
During Your Visit
Encourage active engagement through close-looking strategies tailored to each artist’s work.
Close-Looking Strategies:
1. Ten Times Two: Observe a piece for 30 seconds and write down 10 words describing it. Look again for another 30 seconds and add 10 more words.
2. Think, Feel, Wonder:
o Think: What do you notice?
o Feel: How does it make you feel?
o Wonder: What questions does it raise?
Artist-Specific Prompts:
• Sofia Jaramillo: “What details like clothing, poses, or expressions stand out in her photos?”
• Mungo Thomson: “How do the calendars and mountains interact? What story do they tell?”
• Rob Reynolds: “How does the film make you feel about the Arctic’s fragility?”
• Catherine Opie: “What emotions do the twilight landscapes evoke?”
• Ryan Bonilla: “What do these indoor winter environments say about the future of nature?”
After Your Visit
Follow-up on key ideas and synthesize information learned from the exhibition. Encourage participants to reflect on what they’ve seen and connect it to their own lives.
Reflection Questions:
• “Which artist’s work resonated with you most, and why?”
• “What new perspectives did you gain about winter landscapes and traditions?”
• “How did this exhibition make you think differently about time, memory, or climate change?”
Related Activities
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Engaging in creative activities after exploring SVMoA exhibitions can reinforce learning and stimulate ideas. SVMoA encourages educators to adapt any of the following activities to their classrooms:
Memory Collage (Inspired by Sofia Jaramillo)
• Objective: Reimagine a personal winter memory through a collage or mixed media.
• Prompt: “How would your winter memory look if reimagined for today’s world?”
Time-Layered Drawing (Inspired by Mungo Thomson)
• Objective: Create an artwork combining human time (calendars) and geological time (mountains, fossils).
• Prompt: “How does your artwork balance fleeting human time with nature’s permanence?”
Future Winter Vision (Inspired by Ryan Bonilla)
• Objective: Imagine winter landscapes 50 years from now through drawing or collage.
• Prompt: “How might technology or climate change shape winter’s future?”
Spirit and Weather Map (Inspired by Rob Reynolds and Catherine Opie)
• Objective: Draw a map of a meaningful winter location, using colors and symbols to reflect emotional connections.
• Prompt: “What stories or feelings does this place hold for you?”
Overall, SNOW SHOW: Winter Now challenges us to reimagine the meaning of winter landscapes through time, identity, and climate. These works inspire reflection on memory and tradition, while provoking urgent questions about the future of snow and the world we share.
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
Educator Guide to Idaho Content Standards SNOW SHOW: Winter Now
The following Idaho standards align with the themes, activities, and engagement strategies in Snow Show: Winter Now exhibition. These standards are designed to foster critical thinking, creative expression, and cultural understanding across multiple disciplines, including Visual Arts, Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts (ELA).
Idaho Content Standards for Visual Arts Grades K -5
• K-2.VA.1.1 Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art. This standard aligns with the close-looking strategies suggested in the educator guide, encouraging students to carefully observe and analyze the artworks.
• K-2.VA.4.2 Interpret art by identifying subject matter and describing relevant details. This standard connects to the discussion points provided for each artist, prompting students to interpret the meaning behind the artworks and identify key details that support their interpretations.
• 3-5.VA.5.1 Identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society. This standard aligns with the exhibition's exploration of identity and representation in winter landscapes, prompting students to consider how art can challenge stereotypes and influence societal perceptions.
Idaho Content Standards for Visual Arts Grades 6-12
• 6-8.VA.1.1 Utilize the creative process to design a work of art. Students can be inspired by the exhibition to create their own artwork that explores similar themes, such as the beauty of winter landscapes, the effects of climate change, or the relationship between humans and nature.
• 6-8.VA.4.1 Analyze and/or interpret works of art, and/or how art influences viewers. Students can analyze and interpret the artworks in the exhibition, considering the artists' intentions, the use of different media and techniques, and the overall impact of the works on viewers.
• 9-12.VA.1.1 Develop skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design. This standard encourages high school students to experiment with diverse artistic materials and techniques, potentially inspired by the approaches observed in the exhibition.
• 9-12.VA.2.2 Through experimentation and practice of techniques, make multiple works of art that explore a meaningful theme, idea, or concept. Students can create a series of artworks inspired by the exhibition's themes. This allows them to develop their chosen concept through different media, styles, and perspectives.
• 9-12.VA.2.3 Apply relevant criteria to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for works of art and design in progress. Using the artworks in the exhibition as examples, students can learn to critique and revise their own work, considering elements of composition, technique, and the successful communication of their intended message.
Idaho Content Standards for Social Studies Grades K-5
• K.SS.5.1 Name traditions that came to the United States from other parts of the world. The exhibition features artists exploring winter traditions, including those potentially originating from different cultures. This connection could encourage discussions about diverse cultural practices associated with winter.
• 2.SS.2.2 Compare how environmental conditions affect living styles and clothing in different parts of the country. This standard aligns with the exhibition's focus on winter landscapes and the realities of survival in cold environments. Discussions about how people adapt to winter conditions in various locations can be sparked by the artworks.
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
• 3.SS.1.4 Describe how migration and immigration are continuous processes and how they are influenced by voluntary and involuntary movement of people. This standard could be linked to the exhibition's exploration of changing landscapes and the potential impact of climate change on human migration patterns.
• 4.SS.5.1 Analyze the roles and relationships of diverse groups of people from various parts of the world who have impacted the state's history and contributed to Idaho's cultural heritage. The inclusion of diverse artists in the exhibition, particularly those representing Indigenous perspectives, can connect to this standard by prompting discussions about the contributions of different cultural groups to winter traditions and understanding of the environment.
• 5.SS.5.2 Explain how countries try to resolve problems. The exhibition's focus on climate change as a global challenge aligns with this standard, encouraging students to think about international cooperation and solutions to environmental issues.
Idaho Content Standards for Social Studies Grades 6-12
• 6-12.US1.1 Compare and contrast Indigenous cultures and communities that were established in North America prior to European contact. This standard aligns with the exhibition's focus on Indigenous ways of knowing, as illustrated in Rob Reynolds’ work, which explores Indigenous relationships with the natural world. The artwork can serve as a catalyst for research and discussions about Indigenous cultures and their historical connections to winter environments.
• 9-12.US2.44 Evaluate how the rise of alternative media, social media, and technology, including smartphones, have affected United States culture, society, and politics. The exhibition's use of photography, film, and digital media aligns with this standard. Students can examine how these technologies have influenced our perception of and relationship with nature.
• 9-12.US2.45 Examine United States policy on environmental issues. Discussions about climate change prompted by the exhibition can lead to an examination of environmental policies in the United States, including debates, legislation, and the effectiveness of various approaches.
• 9-12.GOV.56 Compare the different forms of domestic and foreign political systems, electoral systems, economic systems, and civil societies, including presidential vs parliamentary, unitary vs federal, and autocracy vs democracy. The global nature of climate change, as highlighted in the exhibition, can encourage students to compare how different political systems approach this challenge and their varying levels of success in implementing solutions.
Idaho Content Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) Grades K-5
• K.RL.5 With support, use evidence from literature read aloud to demonstrate understanding of gradelevel texts. This standard can be connected to the discussions about the artworks, encouraging students to use details from the art and educator guide to support their interpretations and understanding.
• 2.RL.7 Use information gained from illustrations and the words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting or plot. This standard aligns with the exhibition's use of photography and film, prompting students to analyze visual elements in conjunction with any accompanying text to understand the artist's message.
• 3.RL.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters. This standard could be adapted to compare and contrast the different artistic approaches to the theme of winter across the exhibition. Students can explore how various artists interpret and represent similar ideas through their chosen media and style.
• 4.RL.9 Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and patterns of events in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures. Building on the previous standard, this standard can be
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
applied to compare how artists from diverse cultural backgrounds approach the themes of winter and nature. Discussions can focus on how cultural perspectives influence artistic choices and interpretations.
• 5.RL.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes. This standard can be used to compare and contrast artworks within the exhibition that share similar themes, such as memory, time, or climate change. Students can analyze how different artists utilize their artistic skills and techniques to convey these th emes.
Idaho Content Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) Grades 6-12
• 6.RL.7 Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. This standard can be used to analyze the artists' statements and the curatorial text accompanying the artworks. Students can evaluate the claims made about the art, the environment, and climate change, determining whether they are effectively supported by evidence.
• 7.RL.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history. This standard, though focused on literature, can be adapted to analyze the relationship between art and historical context. Students can compare the artistic interpretations of winter landscapes in the exhibition with historical documentation of those same locations, examining how artists choose to represent or reinterpret the past.
• 8.RL.9 Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works from different cultures, including describing how the material is rendered new. This standard can be adapted to analyze how contemporary artists in the exhibition draw inspiration from historical or cultural sources, examining how they reinterpret these themes for a modern audience.
• 9/10.RL.9 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work. Building on the previous standard, students can further investigate how specific artists in the exhibition utilize source material, whether it's historical photographs, scientific data, or personal experiences.
• 11/12.RL.9 Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics. While focused on American literature, this standard can be applied more broadly to examine how different artists from various periods and movements have represented winter and nature, highlighting thematic and stylistic similarities and differences.
Idaho Content Standards for Science Grades K-5
• K-ESS -1.1 Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe variations in patterns throughout the year. This standard connects directly to the exhibition's focus on winter as a season and its visual representations. Students can discuss their observations of winter weather patterns and compare them to the artistic depictions in the exhibition.
• 1-ESS -1.2 Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year. The exhibition's inclusion of Catherine Opie's twilight photographs can be linked to this standard. Students can discuss how the changing length of daylight affects the appearance of winter landscapes.
• 2-ESS -2.3 Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid. This standard aligns with the exhibition's focus on snow and ice as forms of water. Students can explore the different states of water and how they are represented in the artworks, particularly in Rob Reynold's film about melting glaciers.
• 3-ESS -2.1 Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weatherrelated hazard. This standard can be connected to discussions about climate change and its potential
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org
impact on winter environments. Students can brainstorm and evaluate design solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change on winter landscapes.
• 5-ESS -2.1 Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. This standard can be linked to the exhibition's exploration of the interconnectedness of natural systems. Students can discuss how the artworks represent the interactions between Earth's systems, particularly in the context of climate change and its effects on winter environments.
Idaho Content Standards for Science Grades 6-12
• MS-ESS-2.4 Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. The exhibition's focus on snow and ice as forms of water allows for a direct link to this standard. Students can explore the water cycle and how it shapes winter environments, particularly in the context of climate change.
• MS-ESS-2.5 Construct an argument supported by evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations. The exhibition's exploration of changing winter landscapes can be used to discuss the impact of environmental change on ecosystems and populations. Students can explore specific examples of how climate change is affecting plants, animals, and human communities in winter environments.
• HS-ESS-2.2 Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. This standard aligns with the exhibition's exploration of the interconnectedness of natural systems. Students can examine data related to climate change and analyze how changes in one Earth system, such as the cryosphere (ice and snow), can lead to cascading effects in other systems, like the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
• HS-ESS-3.5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidencebased forecast of the current trends in global or regional climate change. Students can research and analyze data on climate change, using it to make predictions about future trends and their potential impacts on winter environments. This activity can involve examining data from scientific organizations, analyzing graphs and charts, and evaluating the reliability of different data sources.
• HS-ESS-3.6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity. Using the themes presented in the exhibition, students can create computational models, such as simulations or interactive visualizations, to demonstrate the complex interactions between Earth systems and how human activities, such as greenhouse gas emissions, are altering these relationships.
Did you use this guide in your classroom? If so, tag SVMoA on social media (@sunvalleymuseum) or email us at education@svmoa.org