UNIT 3: STORIES
POPPLET
ARTISTS: THOMAS HART BENTON & DIEGO RIVERA
- GROUP MURALS: DRAWING AND/OR COLLAGE
ARTIST: FAITH RINGGOLD
- STORY QUILTS: WATERCOLOR
ARTIST: JEAN SHIN
- MINI SCULPTURES FROM FOUND OBJECTS
UNIT 3: STORIES REFLECTION
“We are our stories,” declares Pink (2006) in his book A Whole New Mind (p. 115). The simple statement expresses a profound thought. Through our personal narratives, we seek a deeper understanding of ourselves and our purpose, how we fit in and why that matters (Pink, 2006, p. 115). Benton and Rivera display this in their works to connect certain roles in society; their murals present social and political stories. In a similar way, Ringgold used her skills in fine arts through sewing story quilts and sculptures. History, language arts, and visual arts are integrated in her work to teach exquisite stores of the past. Shin, another talented artist, creates sculpture using forgotten materials to represent overlooked communities and their stories. These powerful pieces of Benton, Rivera, Ringgold, and Shin bring context and emotion together, allowing us to more fully understand. “Story…sharpens our understanding of one thing by showing it in the context of something else….[Stories also] almost always pack an emotional punch” (Pink, 2006, p. 103). Together, these allow us to hear, feel, and experience stories of the past, present, and future.
Taking a slightly different take on stories, I would integrate the big idea with the found objects studio, but in another direction. Considering stories help us find our purpose and meaning, I would integrate literacy and art by having my children choose a found object and create a character based on this object. Students would write a narrative from the perspective of that “thing,” focusing on its emotion and value. For example, a child could choose a paperclip and speak on how it is often forgotten and terribly sad about feeling useless on the classroom floor. One day, though, the teacher finds it and places it on her desk, offering the paperclip a new hope of being used. Finally, she decides clip all of the students artwork together with the help of this paperclip. Then the student could paint a picture of the pile of artwork with an added 3-dimensional piece of a paperclip glued to the paper. The lesson would be, just as forgotten objects such as a paperclip have purpose and meaning, so to do the students.
Pink, D. H. (2006). A Whole New Mind. New York: Penguin Group.
Taking a slightly different take on stories, I would integrate the big idea with the found objects studio, but in another direction. Considering stories help us find our purpose and meaning, I would integrate literacy and art by having my children choose a found object and create a character based on this object. Students would write a narrative from the perspective of that “thing,” focusing on its emotion and value. For example, a child could choose a paperclip and speak on how it is often forgotten and terribly sad about feeling useless on the classroom floor. One day, though, the teacher finds it and places it on her desk, offering the paperclip a new hope of being used. Finally, she decides clip all of the students artwork together with the help of this paperclip. Then the student could paint a picture of the pile of artwork with an added 3-dimensional piece of a paperclip glued to the paper. The lesson would be, just as forgotten objects such as a paperclip have purpose and meaning, so to do the students.
Pink, D. H. (2006). A Whole New Mind. New York: Penguin Group.