Storytelling

Lesson 23: Tradition as Innovation: La Calavera don Quijote, Mexico

Summary and Objectives

Students use the imagery of don Quixote to examine how literary themes can be reinterpreted across artistic disciplines. In working with the story of don Quixote they explore the notion of satire and parody, and use these literary devices in their writing. They also research the satirical poetry (calaveras) of José Guadalupe Posada (which inspired the featured work of art), experiment with elements of satire in their writing, and illustrate their own calaveras centering on issues of concern in their lives. Finally, activities extend to students’ exploration of the Mexican Days of the Dead, in which skeletal arts play a key role in beliefs and familial and community celebrations. Students will

  • Explore through discussion and writing the themes of the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha.
  • Discuss the purpose and character of satire and develop these literary techniques in their writing.
  • Create a satiric calavera poem about a current issue or person.
  • In the spirit of the hero don Quixote, students construct paper cutouts or papier-maché images of their own heroes, or original interpretations of literary works.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 4: Art and Transformation

Lesson 20: Arts for Spiritual Intervention: To Seek Divine Assistance: Emas, Japan

Summary and Objectives

Activities in this lesson provide opportunities for students to explore the importance of animal symbolism in Japanese art. Students interpret the meanings of selected images and engage in artmaking activities that focus on animals in art. Their study of emas extends to an exploration of a Japanese form of poetry known as a lune, which students use to express feelings of thanks or good wishes. Students will:

  • Study and interpret the symbolism of animals in Japanese art through writing and artmaking.
  • Create their own ema-like wish and engage in creative writing about their wishes and dreams.  
THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 4: Art and Transformation

Lesson 18: Harnessing Spirits: The Hornbill: Bird of Prophecy, Malaysia

Summary and Objectives

Study of a hornbill mask from Borneo introduces students to the natural history of the bird and to cultural practices related to it. Students’ study leads to visual and performing arts activities and to their understanding of and respect for omens and other beliefs that are centered on observations of the natural world. Students will

  • Explore the natural history and the symbolism of the hornbill in Borneo through research and artmaking activities.
  • Engage in performing arts activities centered on an understanding of indigenous beliefs concerning the hornbill.
  • Contextualize their study of the hornbill in other learning activities related to the study of the art and ritual of rice in Asia.  

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 3: Art and Power

Lesson 15: Status and Prestige: To Make the Chief’s Words Sweet: A Counselor’s Staff, Ghana

Summary and Objectives

Learning activities focus on the importance of oratory wisdom among the Akan peoples of Ghana. Through writing and artmaking experiences students explore the ways that verbal and visual ideas can work together to express notions of importance for the Akan and by extension, in their own lives. Students will

  • Examine the importance of oratory wisdom among the Akan peoples of Ghana through discussion and oral presentations.
  • Use creative writing and artmaking activities to explore how verbal and visual ideas can complement each other in expressing knowledge, wisdom, and power.
  • Consider the relationship between tradition-based systems of oral communication and the concerns of modern media through discussion and role-playing opportunities.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 3: Art and Power

Lesson 7: Memory and Cosmology: Creator/Ancestors: The Wawilak Sisters Bark Painting, Australia

Summary and Objectives

Study of a bark painting produced in the 1960s introduces students to Aboriginal peoples of Australia and to their histories as revealed through art. The students will investigate and interpret Australian creation stories and use the featured bark painting to explore the changing roles of the arts in Australia, especially as related to issues of women, commerce, and ritual. Students will

  • Explore the history of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia through a study of their creation stories.
  • Consider the changing roles of women, commerce, and ritual through the lens of bark paintings and then create their own “bark” paintings as documents of their lives.
  • Discuss and study areas of conflict between immigrants and native peoples of a country.
  • Compare and consider the many non-written ways that culturestransmit a sense of history and belief.
  • Express points of view about the experiences of European migration into Australia, considering multiple perspectives. 
THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 2: Art and Knowledge

Lesson 5: Painting History: Fineline Painted Vessels of the Moche, Pre-Columbian Peru

Summary and Objectives

The Moche peoples of ancient Peru (100–800 c.e.) portrayed complex scenes on fineline painted ceramic vessels, depicting everything from hunting and fishing to the ritual battles of supernaturals. Studying the painting on these vessels offers excellent opportunities for students to practice their skills of visual literacy as they gain a deeper understanding of the ancient Peruvian world. They will

  • “Read” ceramic vessels for the details of Moche dress, environment, and secular and sacred practices.
  • Express their understanding of the iconography through artmaking and writing-based lessons.
  • Analyze Moche depictions of confrontation and war and probe their own opinions on the nature of conflict.
  • Compare these with other depictions of war in art, as a means of understanding how the arts can comment on the crises and concerns of a community.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 2: Art and Knowledge

Lesson 4: Encounters of Ideas, Time, and Place. Textiles of Southeast Asia

Summary and Objectives

A study of Southeast Asian textiles affords students opportunities to examine Pacific migration, the effects such movements have on family and community traditions, and the roles played by certain norms and beliefs. Activities encourage students’ exploration of simple weaving techniques and patterning and design options. This lesson introduces the notion that works of art themselves can reflect cultural dynamism, transaction, interaction, and change. Forms are constantly updated and reinvented to meet changing social circumstances, accommodate new media and technologies, and reflect the vitality of arts and cultures throughout the world. Students will

  • Understand through discussion that works of art reflect a multitude of influences and encounters.
  • Explore fabrics—both familiar and unfamiliar—and research the materials, their sources, and new uses for textiles in contemporary industrial or scientific contexts.
  • Consider “objects of encounter” that reveal the interplay of external influences and tradition-based artistic practice.
  • Analyze patterning in the material culture around them and experiment with creating patterns by simple weaving techniques.
  • Weave with words in a word-search game.

Lesson 3: Beauty and Purpose. Capturing Beauty: Ikebana Baskets, Japan

Summary and Objectives

Students investigate a number of aspects related to ikebana baskets—the uses and meanings of bamboo, construction methodologies, and the elevated status given basket makers in Japan. This lesson introduces students to the important concept of beauty and purpose—that is, that the humblest of objects may be embellished and enhanced in ways that elevate everyday work and imbue it with special significance and value. Activities stress research, discussion, writing, and artmaking. Students will

  • Explore the uses of bamboo by finding bamboo items in their own surroundings.
  • Create their own basket after they study some of the formal principles of ikebana design.
  • Express their understanding of the art of ikebana flower arrangement through painting, writing, and poetry writing.

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