Theme: Illustration and Storytelling

We use visual art to portray information. This might be for entertainment, such as illustrative drawings for character development, or instructional, such as medical drawings. Sometimes the purpose is both, such as is often the case in children’s books. These artworks – whether painted, photographed, carved, woven, or digital – tell us about our world, and how others can see it. We can use these stories and illustrations to increase empathy and enhance our perspectives, to understand other cultures, and to increase our knowledge.

Digital illustration of a person with a red bag running from a monster with a large mouth and teeth out of tunnel with a small creature that looks like a cat.

Alexandra Deykes, Releven Environment, digital illustration, 2011, 2011.120.2.

Illustrations in the Collection

Indian miniature painting of a multi-level boat with people and animals. Painting has a border with flowers, plants, and peacocks.

Babulal Marotia, Noah's Ark (Attributed to Miskin), paint on silk, 2008.086.1.

Painting of a woman, leaning against a desk, holding on to a large swan. Landscape details like a tree, clouds and flowers in the background.

Tim Fisher, Leda, oil on wood, 1997, 1999.784.1.

Night time image of a a camping scene surrounded by red trees, one with a face. CAmpbers sit around a fire roasting marshmallows near a jeep and RV.

Jesselyn Kanniainen, Camping at Night, reproduction of original mixed media, watercolor, and digital print, 2020, 2021.59.1.

Colorful scene of a marching band walking a narrow pathway and bridge up to a house on the top of a rocky mountain surrounded by water.

Jaro Hess, The Big Show, oil on canvas, 1969, 2022.30.5.

Black and white print spilt down the center into two different but related images. Left side has a crying girl, crouched down near broken down cars with cats. Other side shoes the interior of a car being filmed by a person with bunny ears.

Lizzy Husted, Heaven Knows You Tried, linocut, 2022, 2022.15.1.

Colorful image of three dogs who have created a machine out of various kitchen appliances and gadgets in an attempt to open the refrigerator door.

Grace Carpenter, Operation: Fridge, digital illustration, 2014, 2014.35.1.

View Illustrations in the Collection

Incorporating Illustrations and Storytelling into your Curriculum

The GVSU Art Museum can integrate artwork into your classroom discussions, assignments, projects, and more. Check out our calendar to see if one of our already planned events meets a goal for your students or reach out to us directly to plan something tailored to your needs. We can bring artwork to your classroom; you can visit our art storage or office spaces or book a tour of an exhibition or space on campus.

The GVSU Art Museum team can work with faculty one-on-one to create lesson plans or assignments. Whether you are looking for a behind-the-scenes experience, something hands-on, a creative usage of art in your classroom, or a more traditional assignment, we are here to assist you.

Use the artwork in this theme to explore stories from around the world. Challenge students to create a story behind an artwork – what happened to lead to this moment, and what will happen after it? Or use artwork to engage with empathy, explore other perspectives, and as research points on different media or myths. Use them as visual aids to supplement class readings, or as inspiration for students to create their own works of art.

To talk with us about creating a curriculum connection, please contact:
Jessica Sundstrom, Learning and Outreach Manager
[email protected]

Illustration with three women sitting on a rug in a cornfield next two a TV with legs.

Allyson Haller, Virgin on the Rocks, digital collage, 2004, 2004.460.1.

Explore More Illustrations and Storytelling in the Collection

Painting of a turkey sitting on a large throne or chair made out of sticks with tattered blanket draped on the chair. Click to find more animal illustrations.

Gavin Weir, The Queen's Throne, oil on canvas, 2021, 2021.41.2.

Animal Illustrations

Colorful image of multiple drawings of the same character, finished project laong right side. Character is a man with grey hair, no shirt and green shorts. Click to view more character design illustrations. Click to browse other waterscapes.

Alexandra Deykes, Krayix Character Design, digital illustration, 2011, 2011.120.3.

Character Design Illustrations

Colorful scientific illustration of what happens when you are bit by a snake including an image of a snake biting someone's hand, a closeup of a tooth in skin and a detailed image of how venom works. Click to see more scientific illustrations.

Allison Soffa, GVSU Research on Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, digital illustration, 2021, 2021.75.1b.

Scientific Illustrations

Colorful painting of a Chinese village, partially tucked into large green plants. Many people along a river, appear to be fishing. White birds fly across the image. Click to see other examples of Cultural Storytelling.

Artist Unknown, River Life, paint on paper, ca. 2008, 2011.78.42.

Cultural Storytelling

Kim Allen, Max, reproduction of original cut-paper collage, 2011, 2012.78.1.

Children's Illustrations

Watercolor painting of an adult showing a child how to use a pottery wheel. Click to view more Book Illutrations.

Lori McElrath-Eslick, Potter's Lesson, watercolor on board, ca. 2000, 2002.447.1a.

Book Illustrations

Activities and Resources

Exhibition: Stories Reimagined: Artistic Narrative in the Digital Age
Artists have used storytelling as a tool to share and interpret their own lived experiences with others and advocate for social change. Today, when digital tools present new ways to create and mediate our narrative experience.

Blog header image including five different images in the GVSU Art Museum collection that feature storytelling through digital mediums.

Blog: The Virtual Canvas: Storytelling in the Digital Era
Artists have been the illustrators of important social, cultural, and religious narratives. Many join together threads of memory, imagination, myth, reflection, and creative expression that are further nuanced by audio, video, and digital techniques.

Detail images of six examples of storytelling and illustration from the GVSU Art Museum.

Blog: Illustration: The Art of Depicting a Story
Illustrations can be created in a variety of mediums, from digital drawings and paper collages to paintings, drawings, and prints.

Five details of artworks that all feature botanical illustrations.

Blog: The Gap Between Art and Science: Botanical Illustrations
A botanical illustration is an accurate pictorial depiction of plants and plant traits for a scientific purpose that illustrates a plant's form, color, and details. Prior to the invention of photography, a botanical illustration was the only way of visually recording the world’s many species of plant life.

Painting of an interior scene of an old Western-style saloon. Men in hats sit around a table near a wood furnace.

Past Exhibition: Anatomy of an Image: Stewart Ashlee and his Artistic Process
Throughout his childhood, Stewart Ashlee read adventure stories illustrated by N. C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle. These stories and the vibrant illustrations fostered his equally vivid imagination, something he embraced in his artwork throughout his career.

Japanese print diptych of men with a giant fish, water in the background.

Past Exhibitions: Compelling Visions: The Art of Narrative in Japanese Prints
There is a long history of storytelling in Japanese art. Whether through the influence of tales about aristocratic courts from classical literature, the retelling of heroic warrior epics from folktales, or the relaying of travel and pilgrimage through the landscape, Japanese artists have consistently incorporated narrative elements into their work.

Abstract Aboriginal painting featured in the past exhibition titled "Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts"

Past Exhibition: Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts

This exhibition was drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to GVSU, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal dreamings – retellings of important ancient stories and symbols – and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.

Six details of images form the GVSU Art Museum collection that feature Indian Miniature painting.

Blog: Tiny Art, Big Stories: The History of Mughal Miniature Paintings
At a distance, Indian miniature paintings convey vividly colorful stories of scripture, people, and events throughout the ages. On closer examination, they are a kaleidoscope of tiny, intricate brushstrokes applied delicately with a single-haired brush.

Header Images:
Left
Ashley Harriger, Premonition, digital illustration, 2010, 2010.79.3.
Jordinn West, Never Say Die, digital illustration, 2017.36.6.
Toph, After the Rain, oil on canvas, 2002.417.1.

Center
Stewart Ashlee, Untitled (Dance Studio), oil on board, 2019.68.44.
Corey Miller, Passage, oil on masonite panel, 2009, 2009.84.5.
Andrew Qappik, Moment of Appearance, stencil on paper, 2004, 2008.258.1.

Right
Rachelle G. Wunderink, Anatomy: Spines, pen on paper, 2016, 2018.13.3.
Reynold Weidenaar, Portends: The Works of Man, oil on masonite, 1960, 1998.249.1.
Nancy L. Clouse, A Wonderful Vine, cut paper collage, 1993, 2015.75.4.

Art on Campus

For more information about the artwork selection and installation process, please contact our Project Manager, Alison Christensen; [email protected].

University Art Collection

For questions related to any artwork in the University Art Collection, in storage or on view, please contact our Collections Manager, Nicole Webb; [email protected].

Learning

For questions about integrating artwork into curriculum, please contact our Learning and Outreach Manager, Jessica Sundstrom; [email protected].

Page last modified October 15, 2025

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