Exploring Drawing: Looking at current practicing Native Artists from the Midwest
Grade Level or Age of Participant: Age 14 and up
School, Teacher and Classroom: Native Youth Arts Collective of Little Earth Community: Drawing 101
MCAD Teaching Artist: Josephine Hoffman
Number of Students: 4-8
VISUAL ARTS CONTENT OR STANDARDS
Identifying formal drawing aspects in our own work and work of others
CURRICULAR LINK
Art, art history
OVERVIEW OF PROJECT
A slideshow of a variety Native artists from the upper Midwest region currently practicing drawing and painting techniques in their work. This will be a discussion based presentation with the students that accompanies the class’s ongoing conversation of ‘decolonizing the drawing class’.
“BIG IDEAS”/ ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S)
How does exploring current practicing Native artists from our region ( Upper Midwest) fit into the conversation of decolonization?
How does this conversation fit into the ongoing discussion around decolonization and the context in Fine Arts?
STUDENT OUTCOME OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Build identification skills of formal drawing elements
2. Explore content
3. Build conversational skills in a fine arts and/or decolonized fine arts context
4. Deepening group bonding and confidence
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
By this time, the majority of the students have worked through negative space, sighting and organizational line, line variation, contour (blind and semi-blind), gesture, compositional considerations, perspective
EXAMPLES OF ARTWORK
Drawings and paintings from Andrea Carlson, Star Wallowingbull, Jim Denomie, Dyani Whitehalk, Frank Big Bear and Julie Buffalohead
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Forcast/Forward conversation series: Decolonizing Public Art, Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOOBiizmYk0&feature=emb_title
Decolonizing Art by Vy Vu
http://www.theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2019/3/12/decolonizing-art
Decolonial Strategies For The Art History Classroom: A zine for sharing exercises and resources assembled by Amber Hickey and Ana Tuazon
ASSESSMENT
Students’ success can be seen through engaged conversation and/or expression in their future drawings and conversations
MATERIALS
Projector/presentation screen
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TIMING
1. 6 images, about 3-7 minutes each, discussing about the artists, formal drawing qualities, content
2. 10-20 minutes furthering discussion where participants will describe what they notice, connect with how it makes them feel, consider what it reminds them of and and address the work through their own experience as drawers and painters.