The seven books in the series relate the adventures of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy as they assist Aslan, the beloved golden lion king, in his battle against the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter and turned her enemies into stone. The Chronicles are rich in metaphor and philosophy, embracing numerous human themes, from the struggle between choices of good and evil, to children's moral and psychological development. As Lucy climbs through the wardrobe into the fanciful snowy land, so we may reflect on the relationship between art and education.
Art represents the merging of formal and cognitive efforts in the creative process.
It invites us to learn or recall something significant in our lives so that we may share our experiences and grow more fully as human beings. It unites the pleasure of perceiving orderly forms, like patterns or shapes for display or contrast, with beauty and meaning. The curriculum exhibit features selective images and suggested activities for materials in the Eugene E. Myers Collection, comprising several hundred monographic and non-print publications in art, international in scope and broad in coverage. Enhancing the curricular approach are images selected from the Edwin Ziegfeld Collection, constituting original art work by children and adolescents from around the world. Information and activities frame specific images, as educational goals and objectives in art are prescribed for broad grade levels.