<p dir="ltr">How can public art be an intervention to the dominant narrative? In this lesson, students will closely look at <em>Light of Freedom, </em>a public art piece created by artist Abigail DeVille. They will explore the forms that public art can take beyond sculpture such as performance and sound. Students will then create their own public art and reimagine monuments by exploring overlooked narratives and reflecting on memory and place.</p> <p dir="ltr">This lesson is a part of the Hirshhorn’s Emerging Artists “Light Your Fire” project which is embedded directly into the DCPS Arts curriculum for grades 9-12. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Guiding Questions:</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Whose stories are missing from public spaces?</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">How can we use public art to change the dominant narrative in public spaces?</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">What does it mean to use art as an intervention in public spaces? </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Why do we memorialize? What does it mean to memorialize or remember a person or moment in history?</p></li></ul> <p><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>In this lesson, students will: </strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Develop and apply design thinking as a process for solving problems</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Appreciate and understand someone else’s point of view</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Become confident in expressing their opinions to peers and adults</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Strengthen their art skills and make new connections between history</p></li></ul> <p><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Classroom Connections</strong></p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Art: Public Art, Sculpture, Performance Art, Sound Art, Monuments</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Music: The Blues, Sound Art</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Social Studies: Community History, US History</p></li></ul>

<p dir="ltr">Do you ever feel like your emotions are too much? Or like you feel too many things at once? Making art helps many people think about their big and difficult emotions and find ways to heal. In this project, use your entire body to create an artwork that helps you meditate on those big feelings.<br></p> <p dir="ltr">Time: 1 hour + | Skill Level: Advanced | Topic: Process Performance</p> <hr> <p dir="ltr"><em>Note to Teachers: </em>Many contemporary artists work with complex ideas and issues in their art making. This project is inspired by an artwork in which Kiyan Williams takes aim at the complicated, messy, and often violent history of the founding of the United States. This artwork may be trauma-inducing for some people. Practice self care. If you feel overwhelmed: take a deep breath, take a pause, or talk to someone you trust.<br></p> <p dir="ltr">Also, this is <em>not</em> a neat and tidy project. Work in a space you don’t mind getting messy, such as outside. If you are working inside, you can place a piece of cardboard inside a large plastic bin or place a large sheet on the floor under your canvas.</p> <hr> <p dir="ltr">Materials needed: </p> <ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Background such as cardboard or cardstock</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Multiple pieces of paper for sketching and experimenting </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Mark-making tools (pen, pencil, marker, etc.)</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Messy materials that are important to you in a personal way (glitter, sand, ground up crayons, paint, dirt, or anything else that’s significant to the artist) </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Newspaper, drop cloths, or something to protect your work area</p></li></ul>

<p dir="ltr">How do you use soil? Have you ever used earth or soil to make art? Get to know Kiyan Williams (b. 1991), an American artist from Newark, New Jersey. Williams is a multidisciplinary artist, meaning they make art in many ways. They sculpt, perform, make videos, and so much more! They often use symbolic materials in their artmaking. Soil is one of the symbolic materials Williams uses most often. (Wondering why we used “they” for Kiyan Williams? Learn more about gender pronouns <a href="https://www.mypronouns.org/">here</a>.)</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Get to Know Kiyan Williams</em></strong><em> was originally created as part of the Hirshhorn KIDS </em><a href="https://hirshhorn.si.edu/explore/kids-at-home/about-the-artist/"><em>About the Artist</em></a><em> series and has been updated for Hirshhorn Teens. Modern and contemporary artists' lives reflect recent human history ​and events. Sharing these life stories and artworks can help young people see their own potential and better understand the world and their place in it. It is our goal to inspire young people to leverage the power of art as a tool for communication, self-identity, and community empowerment, and as a way to address the critical issues of our times</em><em>—sharing artists' stories is one way Hirshhorn Teens realizes this goal.</em></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Use it in the classroom to teach:</strong><br></p> <p dir="ltr">Art classroom: Process</p> <p dir="ltr">Language Arts classroom: Biography<br></p> <p dir="ltr">Social Studies classroom: Jamestown, Race in the United States</p> <p dir="ltr"><em><br></em><em><br></em></p>