Literacy Link: Levi Fisher Ames and Albert Zahn

Linking literacy to our artists and their work offers another opportunity for exploring and connecting with the art in the galleries and on the grounds of the Arts Center and the Art Preserve. This Lit Link connects artists Levi Fisher Ames and Albert Zahn with the book Spots in a Box by Helen Ward. Enjoy the images and the stories, and discover your own links to the arts.

Levi Fisher Ames, The Strange Shoe-Bill. / The Gigantic Adjutant., c. 1910–1923; wood, fabric, glass, graphite, ink, metal, and paper; 8 1/2 x 21 x 2 1/2 in. JMKAC Collection, gift of Kohler Foundation Inc. Photo courtesy of JMKAC

Albert Zahn, untitled (woodpecker and birds), c. 1924-50Albert Zahn, untitled, c. 1924–c. 1950; wood, paint, and metal; 9 1/4 x 13 1/8 x 3 1/2 in. John Michael Kohler Arts Center Collection, gift of Kohler Foundation Inc. Photo courtesy of JMKAC.

Download the Levi Fisher Ames and Albert Zahn Literacy Link and listen to the story read in English, Spanish, or both! Then download the two coloring sheets and use the ideas under Keep Exploring! to prompt a conversation.

Ames & Zahn Lit Link Click to download

Zahn Coloring Sheet Click to download

Ames Coloring Sheet Click to download

Keep exploring!
– Visit artpreserve.org to see more work by Albert Zahn and Levi Fisher Ames.
– Use the coloring sheets to create patterns on the outlines of flying creatures Zahn and Ames created.
– Write a story about one or more of your creatures. Where are they from and what makes them unique?
– Invite friends and family to learn about your creatures just like Levi Fisher Ames did at the “L.F. Ames Museum of Art”!