Unit 3: Stories
Artists: Thomas Hart Benton & Diego Rivera
GROUP MURALS: DRAWING AND/OR COLLAGE: I used colored pencils and sharpie to create this social cartoon that portrays our society's general reliance on fitness and dieting as a get-fit-quick-fix plan rather than as a healthful lifestyle.
Artist: Faith Ringgold
- STORY QUILTS: WATERCOLOR
Artist: Jean Shin
- Mini Sculptures from Found Objects
- STORY QUILTS: WATERCOLOR
Unit 3: Stories Reflection
All three studios incorporated the big idea of stories. The Benton and Rivera studio incorporated cartoons to give a social or political commentary, which tells a story about an event or issue. The Ringgold quilt studio allowed us to tell a personal story through one image and use a quilted-exterior to unify the piece. This personal story exemplifies the personal narration that occurs within the umbrella theme of stories. Finally, our Shin piece involved telling a story using collaboration and found objects. Kellie, Melanie, and I worked together to give meaning to our common objects and elevate their importance by attaching symbolic characteristics. This is similar to what an author would do by creating a character in a story; we created a snake that represented sinful qualities.
I believe I can use these lessons in my classroom. First, I think that I could easily use political cartoons like the Rivera and Benton studio during the study of the Civil or Revolutionary War. Students could pick a side and make a poster in support or opposition of an issue related to the time period. By using caricatures to tell stories, students will better understand the “basic connection between emotions and how we see pictures” (Bang, 2000, p.7). Building on this idea of emotions, by using specific colors or patterns students can learn to evoke emotion in their art. I could use the Ringgold Story Quilt to integrate mathematics. Students could portray a story and ensure they cut squares of certain dimensions and use a certain number of squares for the exterior. Finally, I would use the Shin studio to have students make a class art project. I would clear a section of the room and ask students to do as Shin did and observe the space and brainstorm ideas. Then, students could bring in objects and design something together. This could be a civics, community-building activity. I would photograph it so all students had a copy and we could have classes view our piece and have students explain the piece! Using stories as a theme in my classroom is important because “stories can provide context enriched by emotion [and] a deeper understanding of how we fit in and why that matters” (Pink, 2006, p. 115). Stories help us remember and enrich learning experience for students.
References
Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC
Pink, D.H. (2006). A Whole new mind. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc.
I believe I can use these lessons in my classroom. First, I think that I could easily use political cartoons like the Rivera and Benton studio during the study of the Civil or Revolutionary War. Students could pick a side and make a poster in support or opposition of an issue related to the time period. By using caricatures to tell stories, students will better understand the “basic connection between emotions and how we see pictures” (Bang, 2000, p.7). Building on this idea of emotions, by using specific colors or patterns students can learn to evoke emotion in their art. I could use the Ringgold Story Quilt to integrate mathematics. Students could portray a story and ensure they cut squares of certain dimensions and use a certain number of squares for the exterior. Finally, I would use the Shin studio to have students make a class art project. I would clear a section of the room and ask students to do as Shin did and observe the space and brainstorm ideas. Then, students could bring in objects and design something together. This could be a civics, community-building activity. I would photograph it so all students had a copy and we could have classes view our piece and have students explain the piece! Using stories as a theme in my classroom is important because “stories can provide context enriched by emotion [and] a deeper understanding of how we fit in and why that matters” (Pink, 2006, p. 115). Stories help us remember and enrich learning experience for students.
References
Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC
Pink, D.H. (2006). A Whole new mind. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc.