Andy Warhol Artist Study | Pop Art Activities & Biography | Flexible Grades

This flexible visual arts resource is perfect for a range of year levels. With scaffolding suggestions for younger learners and extension ideas for older students, it’s ideal for Years 2–6 or any classroom exploring Pop Art and modern artists.

Your students will engage in a comprehensive study of Andy Warhol — exploring his life, his creative career, and the impact of his work on both the art world and popular culture. Through a mix of hands-on and discussion-based activities, students will make meaningful connections between art, advertising, identity, and celebrity culture.

📌 PLEASE NOTE:

This resource does not include reproductions of Andy Warhol’s artwork due to copyright restrictions. However, as an educator, you may display his artworks in class under fair use guidelines, and we’ve included references and suggestions for doing so.

🎨 What’s Included:

• ✅ Background Information on Andy Warhol – A student-friendly biography and timeline of his life and artistic evolution
• ✅ Activities Linked to Warhol’s Artistic Themes and Techniques, including:
• 👟 Commercial Art & Advertising – Explore Warhol’s early work designing shoes and experimenting with rubber stamping
• 🍲 Campbell’s Soup Cans – Discuss repetition, branding, and what makes something “art”
• 🌟 Famous Faces – Students explore Warhol’s portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and other celebrities
• 🐾 Pets in Pop Art – Creative activities inspired by Warhol’s beloved dachshund Archie and his many cats
• ✅ Additional Ideas for Classroom Exploration – Suggestions to extend your unit, connect across curriculum areas, and adapt to different student needs

✨ Skills & Concepts Covered:

• Making connections between art and popular culture
• Understanding the role of commercial art and advertising
• Exploring identity, fame, and image in visual arts
• Experimenting with repetition, bold colours, and simplified forms
• Reflecting on how artists represent the world around them

📚 Flexible for:

• Art lessons or artist study units
• Relief or substitute teaching
• Early finishers or extension groups
• Cross-curricular links with history, media, and English

Bring Pop Art to life with this engaging and adaptable Andy Warhol unit — a fun and thoughtful way to explore how art reflects and shapes the world we live in.