<p>We started by doing a close reading of Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing," followed by an analysis of two paintings using Project Zero Thinking Routines:<br></p> <ol><li><em>Iceman Crucified #4,</em> by Ralph Fasanella, using See, Think, Wonder</li><li><em>Braceros, </em>by Domingo Ulloa, using Step In, Step Out, Step Back</li></ol> <p>Returning to the poem, consider how different people we identified in the two paintings might react to the poem. Next, choose two perspectives from any of the texts (written or visual) we've looked at, and use the Two Voice Poem template to compare their points of view on work in America.</p> <p>Reflection Question: What do we gain by considering multiple perspectives on an issue?</p> <p><em>This collection was created for the 2019 CATE annual convention in Burlingame, California. </em><br></p>

<p>How do we connect students with global issues, such as refugee crises? How do we move from listening and learning to taking action?<br></p> <p>The resources in this collection were created for a collaborative session organized by the National Postal Museum & Smithsonian American Art Museum during the 2021 Smithsonian Summer Sessions for Teachers: Interrogating the Stories We Tell. </p> <p>#SummerSessions</p>

<p>April 4, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. These six artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection were created between 1968 and 1996, and respond to Dr. King's legacy in different ways. What does the date of each artwork tell us about the context during which it was made? What can we learn from looking at them as a collection?</p> <p>Created for a March 1, 2018 webinar for alumni of SAAM's Summer Institutes: Teaching the Humanities through Art.  </p> <p><a href="https://americanart.si.edu/education/k-12/professional-development/summer-institutes" style="background-color:rgb(63,63,63);">https://americanart.si.edu/edu...</a> </p> <p>#saamteach #martinlutherkingjr #mlk</p>

<p>In preparing to paint his large-scale mural, <em>Manifest Destiny</em>, a commission for the Brooklyn Museum's re-opening in 2004, Alexis Rockman consulted with climate change experts to imagine what Brooklyn might look like several centuries in the future when the glaciers have melted and sea levels have risen. </p><p>Teachers can use this painting as a starting point to discussing the issue of climate change, understanding what's at risk, and exploring mitigation strategies coastal cities might take to prevent an outcome like the one Rockman predicts.</p>

<p>In the <em>Fighters for Freedom</em> William H. Johnson created a pantheon of historic and contemporary leaders who dedicated their lives to racial justice, individual accomplishment, and social equality. The series features African American abolitionists, scientists, teachers, performers and sports figures, and momentous meetings of allied heads of state.</p> <p>Collection created to support a session at the 2021 National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) virtual conference.</p>

<p>Each year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, a city of more than 70,000 people rises out of the dust for a single week. During that time, enormous experimental art installations are erected and many are ritually burned to the ground. The thriving temporary metropolis known as Burning Man is a hotbed of artistic ingenuity, driving innovation through its principles of radical self-expression, decommodification, communal participation, and reverence for the handmade. Both a cultural movement and an annual event, Burning Man remains one of the most influential phenomenons in contemporary American art and culture.<br /></p> <p><em>No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man, </em>an exhibition at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, brings the large-scale, participatory work from this desert gathering to the nation’s capital for the first time. This collection features video interviews with many of the artists whose artwork is featured in the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keywords: STEM, STEAM, Design Thinking, Installation Art, Public Art</p>

<p>The artworks in this collection were made by artists who identify as Native American. What can we learn from the diversity of media and subject matter? How might these works be used to counter stereotypical narratives about American Indians? </p><p>Created for a March 20, 2018 webinar with Montana teachers.</p>

<p>This collection focuses on two works that deal with the issues of nationality, identity and the assimilation of cultures. Mel Casas's pun-laced <em>Humanscape 62</em> combines elements familiar to many Americans: brownie desserts and a young Girl Scout (a Brownie), with traditional Mexican imagery. This pop art style-blend illustrates the Chicano experience to American culture and creates a push and pull narrative about Latino identity. Similarly, Roger Shimomura, an American-born artist of Japanese descent, contemplates repressed emotions from the time he and his family spent in World War II-era Japanese internment camps, following the attack on Pearl Harbor.</p> <p>#APA2018</p> <p><a href="http://americanexperience.si.edu/historical-eras/contemporary-united-states/pair-humanscape-diary-december-12/">http://americanexperience.si.edu/historical-eras/c...</a> </p>

<p>Explore images of Washington, DC, using artworks in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Compare them to the present, learning about changing neighborhoods, people and daily life, natural resources, and arts &amp; culture. This collection can be adapted for students of different grade levels learning about DC history.</p>

<p>This collection was created for the Smithsonian Summer Sessions for Teachers in July 2020, and contains resources related to the Smithsonian American Art Museum's breakout session as well as additional education resources for teachers and students.<br></p> <p>#SummerSessions</p>

<p>Resources supporting a January 7, 2021 teacher workshop led by the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. </p><p>Posters and prints are an immediately accessible and iconic art form; they are in our bedrooms, our classrooms, and in the protests in our streets. What can we learn from the way posters communicate visually? </p>

<p>In this activity, students will explore Mickalene Thomas's process, artistic influences, and art historical context. Students will examine Thomas's <em>Portrait of Mnonja </em>(2010, Smithsonian American Art Museum) in depth, and use three supporting resources to build context.</p> <p>1. Have students look at Mickalene Thomas's <em>Portrait of Mnonja</em>. Give them 2-3 minutes to do a quick sketch of the painting.</p> <p>2. Next, ask them to note the part of the painting their eye went to first on their sketch with a star.</p> <p>3. Next, ask students to draw a line through their sketch to show the path their eye used to travel through the painting. Use arrows to indicate direction.</p> <p>4. In pairs or as a class, ask students to share where their eye went first, and why they think it went there. Was it the color? Light? Lines? The placement in the composition?</p> <p>5. Next, students should write a list of 8-10 words and phrases describing the painting. Ask for volunteers to share out.</p> <p>6. As a group, discuss students' impressions of the painting. Ask for visual evidence to back up claims. (e.g. A student says, "she looks powerful." You ask, "what do you see that makes you say she's powerful?")</p> <p>7. To further the conversation, share some background information about the painting: the title, the date, and the artist. Explain a little about Mickalene Thomas's process: posing live models in sets with props and furniture, taking photographs, then painting from the photographs.</p> <p>8. Next, break students into small groups. Each group should receive a printout of ONE of the three supporting resources in this collection. Ask them to compare and contrast their image with <em>Portrait of Mnonja</em>.</p> <p>9. After 4-5 minutes, ask each group to share out the main idea from what they discussed. The teacher should add additional information as it is useful.</p> <p>a. Mickalene Thomas set photograph: Shows the artist's process, how she uses real models and sets. Note patterns and 1970s motifs.</p> <p>b. Romare Bearden collage: Thomas has cited Bearden as one of her artistic influences. Students should note similarities in color, pattern, and flatness.</p> <p>c. John Collier painting: An example from the early 1900s of the "reclining woman" in art history. Students should discuss the passiveness/agency of each of these women, and how a male artist's depiction of a woman differs from a female artist's in this case. Thomas was well versed in art history and was consciously making reference to precedents like this.</p> <p>10. Writing Activity: In small groups, have students write a dialogue between Mnonja and someone else. It could be the artist, the viewer, or someone from one of the supporting resources.</p> <p><em><br></em></p> <p><em>Optional:</em> Have students view one or both of the short videos of Mickalene Thomas discussing<em> Portrait of Mnonja</em>. </p> <p>#BecauseOfHerStory<br></p>