One of the better resources I have found for integrating more holistic learning opportunities in our classrooms is the Resilience Project. While I am the type that likes to have a physical copy of the resources I use in class – and at $50, it is a bargain to buy – the website provides the cards for free and a teaching guide as a convenient PDF. Each of the 50 art cards pertain to 50 different female Indigenous artists with guiding questions that help you and your students dissect and explore the artists’ respective works. They also supply clear learning outcomes that connect to each task, making this a truly comprehensive set that can be easily integrated into your regular teaching time.
From this series, I wanted to highlight one task that I developed that expands on what has already been created for this set. And while I do explore the themes and ideas the artist has outlined in her work, I never appropriate or encourage students to appropriate the work being showcased. Below, you will find the links to the artist’s work and her artist’s statement, as well as supplemental resources that you may find useful while exploring her work. Finally, I have a brief description of what I did in my classroom in case any of you would like to expand on what has already been provided in the Resilience Project set.
Jennie William’s photographic series Nalujuk Night is one of my favourites from this series. The photographs of the traditional masks are terrifying and appealing to students. There is also a short documentary that explains this Labrador Inuit tradition. After discussing the photographs and documentary, students start thinking about images and symbols that are most frightening for them, drawing on the deep fears that they have and confronting them head-on through their artwork.
From this brainstorming session, students begin creating masks using plaster strips and water – don’t forget the Vaseline if you want to keep your eyebrows. Once the masks are created and shaped – your students can continue to build up their masks after they are off their faces and hardened, creating elaborate prosthetic details like elongated noses, ears, and tongues. After they are done shaping their masks into grotesque facsimiles of their darkest fears, they can then paint them with acrylics and seal them with varnish – I like using Mod Podge. The results are pleasantly horrifying.
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