Paint Our Place: Artists in St. Augustine
About the Lesson
Students will investigate how artists used St. Augustine as a subject for their artwork during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Students will examine three paintings from the Lightner Museum collection provided as references, paying particular attention to architecture, streets, people, transportation, and everyday activities.
Students will then become “community artists.” They will observe their own town or city and create an original painting that documents a meaningful place in their community. Like the artists who painted St. Augustine, students will be encouraged to look closely at ordinary places and recognize that streets, buildings, parks, businesses, neighborhoods, and people can all tell the story of a community.
Two versions of the lesson plan are available.
Grade Level: 4th
Grade Level: 9th – 12th
Unit/Subject: Visual Arts | Florida History | Social Studies
Henry Flagler and his Era
Category: Education,Lesson Plans
Frank Shapleigh (American, 1842-1906)
St. George Street, 1892
Oil on panel
Lightner Learning: Discover Florida Through Art, Architecture, and History
Explore Florida’s cultural and historical identity with Lightner Learning, a free digital resource hub from the Lightner Museum featuring curriculum-aligned lesson plans and hands-on activities for educators.
Located in the heart of historic St. Augustine, the Lightner Museum offers a unique setting for students to explore the stories that shaped Florida. Housed in the iconic former Hotel Alcazar, built by Henry Flagler in 1888, the museum provides a window into the transformative era when Flagler’s hotels, railroads, and civic investments helped establish St. Augustine as a premier destination and shaped the development of modern Florida.
