Instructional Resources: Ode to Mexican Artists

National Art Education Association

Instructional Resources: Ode to Mexican ArtistsAuthor(s): Pat Villeneuve and Mary EricksonSource: Art Education, Vol. 57, No. 3 (May, 2004), pp. 25-32Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3194091 .

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INSTRUCTIONAL

Ode to Mexican Artists

BY PAT VILLENEUVE AND MARY ERICKSON

A thematic, inquiry-based Instructional Resource for secondary students

Why This Approach This Instructional Resource uses thematic inquiry to facilitate transfer of knowledge. A theme is a general topic that can help students see relationships and make connections-and transfer information to new situations. Students may be more willing and able to learn when they can relate new ideas and skills to larger issues they already know and care about (Erickson, 2001, 2002). Using two versions of one theme can help build connections across cultures, generate ideas for students' art production, and build connections to other subject areas. This IR presents a broad, cross-cultural theme that is articulated in two ways: 1) as a general theme in life, and 2) as a theme in art.

Asking questions is the foundation of inquiry, and art presents many questions to explore. Whether teachers use the key questions provided here, generate others, or encourage students to articulate their own, questions-and the search for answers-can beget further questioning. When students participate in the inquiry process, they make discoveries about themselves and their world and begin to take charge of their own understanding.

Theme: Paying Homage Theme in Life: We all have others we look up to.

Theme in Art: Some artists honor other artists in their artwork.

Introduction to Theme: We all have others we look up to. When we were very young, it may have been an older sibling, another relative, or someone in the neighborhood. We may have admired them because we thought they were big or strong or smart or kind-or maybe we just hoped they would share their candy or play with us. Then we went to school, met more people, and learned about the world around us. We may still admire friends or family members, but now we may also look up to teachers, community members, athletes, movie stars, politicians, religious leaders, and others who influence us in our daily lives or from afar. When we think highly of others or hold them in high esteem, we sometimes try to copy them or to be like them in some ways. There are other ways to

show homage as well, such as dedicating an event or performance to someone or erecting a monument to heroes.

As part of their training, artists learn about the artists who worked before them. Artists are influenced by earlier artists whose personal experiences, ideas, or artistic traditions are similar to their own, and they sometimes pay homage to them in their work.

Key Questions

Artists' Lives What is the background and life experience of the artists?

Subject Matter What people, places, and things are shown in the artwork?

Visual Features How did the artist use visual features in the artwork?

MAY 2004 / ART EDUCATION



Alfredo Arreguin, Fridas Messengers, 1992, serigraph, 42 inches by 30 inches.

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INSTRUCTIONAL IsIEBBIIII

Thematic Activities Post the Theme Title, the Theme in Life, the Theme in Art, the Introduction to the Theme, and the Key Questions given here. Ask students to read the Introduction to the Theme to help orient them to the general topic they will be studying. Read the key questions and explain that they will be using these questions to guide their investigations of Chicana/ol artworks that pay homage to Mexican artists. Responses to many questions may be presented orally, in writing, or in other ways.

Students' Experience with the Theme

Objective: * Students identify individuals they look up to and list

ways they show their admirationfor them.

Use discussion starters such as the following to help students identify how the theme of Paying Homage relates to their lives: * Think of some of the people you look up to, such as family

members; community, religious, or political leaders; sports figures; musicians or other artists.

* Select three of these and list their aspirations and accomplishments, and explain why you look up to them.

* In what ways do you already show others your admiration for at least one of these individuals? For example, do you wear the team colors of your favorite athlete, hang posters of musicians in your room, or try to behave like the individuals you respect?

* How else could you show your regard for these people?

Student Discussion of the Theme in Chicana/o Art

Objective: * Students identify Mexican artists represented in

Chicanalo artworks.

Display the four reproductions in the Instructional Resource. To complete their inquiry activities, students will also need access to appropriate library and Internet sources, such as Keller, Erickson, Johnson, and Alvarado (2002) or Latina/o Art Community (2003). Artists and artwork mentioned but not reproduced here are readily accessible through Internet search engines. Use discussion starters such as the following to help students apply the theme of Paying Homage to Chicana/o art: * Use artwork titles, subject matter, and other clues to identify

the Mexican artists represented in these works. (Frida Kahlo, Jose Clemente Orozco, Jose Guadalupe Posada, David Alfaro Siquieros)2

* Which artworks are portraits of Mexican artists? (Arreguin, Garcia, Rodriguez)

* Which artwork refers to a Mexican artist but is not a portrait of him? (Carrasco)

* Which artwork is a self-portrait of a Chicana artist? (Carrasco) * Which contain the names of Mexican artists within the

artworks? (Carrasco and Rodriguez) * Why might Chicana/o artists pay homage to Mexican artists?

Inquiry about Chicana/o Art

Objectives: * Students report on the lives of Chicana/o artists and the

Mexican artists they honor in their work. * Students identify subject matter and articulate how

Chicana/o artists have paid homage to Mexican artists. * Students identify distinctive visualfeatures in the

artworks.

Have the Instructional Resources images on display throughout the following activities. Use instructions and bulleted discussion starters to guide student inquiry.

Artists' Lives Divide students into work groups and assign each an artwork from this set of Instructional Resources. Instruct the students to search for information about the lives of their assigned artist as well as the Mexican artist honored in the artwork. For instance, the students assigned SelfPortrait will investigate both Barbara Carrasco and David Alfaro Siquieros. Students might be required to look for birth dates and places, education or art training, significant life experiences, and the relationship between the subject matter and the artist's life. Ask students to look for statements the Chicana/o artists may have made about these Mexican artists or others who have influenced them. Also direct students to retrieve at least three examples of work from each Mexican artist for further reference. Have each group share its findings with the rest of the class in an appropriate way (oral report, posters, electronic or multimedia presentation, etc).




Rupert Garcia, Jose Clemente Orozco, 1983, pastel on paper, 39.5 inches by 52.5 inches.

Subject Matter As necessary, tell students that the Carrasco SelfPortrait refers to the artist's 1982 battle with the Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency over censorship of a mural she designed for the 1984 Olympics in the same city. The Agency thought that some scenes, such as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, were not the positive moments they wanted the mural to celebrate. The paint roller in SelfPortrait signifies obliteration, and the paintbrush, which reads "Siquieros No. 1," refers to the Mexican artist whose L.A. murals had been painted over 50 years earlier (Keller, Erickson, & Villeneuve, 2004). Post a sheet for each Chicana/o artist and record student responses to the following: * What is the subject matter in each Chicana/o artwork? What

might some of the symbols mean? * How has each Chicana/o artist chosen to represent a Mexican

artist? * Have any of the Chicana/o artists directly copied a Mexican

artist's artwork? (No.) * Which Chicana/o artist has adopted the style (appearance) of

a Mexican artist? ( Rodriguez) Why do you think an artist would do that?

* Why do you think these artists are paying homage to Mexican artists?

* Have the artists taken similar or different approaches to honoring Mexican artists? Compare and contrast what they have done.

Visual Features

Posada y su hijo [Posada and his Son] by Artemio Rodriguez * Rodriguez included many lines in this image. How is his use

of lines especially appropriate for the medium he chose for this artwork?

* Other than black-and-white, what contrasts do you see in Posada y su hijo?

Jose Clemente Orozco by Rupert Garcia * What is the center of interest in this work? * How does Garcia's use of color emphasize Orozco's artistic

nature?

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Frida's Messengers by Alfredo Arreguin * What has Arreguin repeated in this work? Are there few or

many repetitions? * Is the space depicted in Frida's Messengers flat or deep,

ambiguous or realistic?

Self Portrait by Barbara Carrasco * Identify areas of light, medium, and dark values in the

artwork. * Other than using small areas of red throughout SelfPortrait,

how has the artist unified the work?

Studio Activities

Objectives: * Students make portraits of artists or others they look up to. * Students use biographical information as a source of

ideasfor subject matter and symbols to use in portraits. * Students use various approaches to subject matter

(likeness, selected body part, orfacial characteristics) and symbols in portraits.

* Students use visualfeatures to enhance their studio production.

Individual Activities Option Select available media appropriate for the skill levels of your students. Direct students to select one of the following approaches, based on the IR images, for depicting someone they admire in their artwork: * Garcia: Select an appropriate body part that reflects an

individual's accomplishments, such as a dancer's feet or a writer's hand grasping a pen. Create a portrait that focuses on the body part and uses visual features, such as line, shape, or color, to underscore the message of the work.

* Rodriguez: Investigate the style of an admired artist and locate images of the artist and artwork. Create a portrait of the artist, working in the artist's style and incorporating a likeness of the artist and characteristic elements from his or her artwork.

* Arreguin: Identify distinctive facial characteristics of an admired individual or artist and create a portrait placing those characteristics within a decorative pattern or image.

* Carrasco: Make a self-portrait that shows a connection, based on a shared interest or similar life experience, between the student and the individual the student admires, using appropriate symbols, rather than a likeness, to refer to the person being honored.

After completing the studio activity, have students prepare exhibition labels for their artworks that give titles and describe for viewers in no more than 100 words how the artwork was inspired and what it means. Exhibit student artworks with the Theme Title, Theme in Life, and Theme in Art as well as with samples of student writing from the inquiry activities.

Group Activity Option Select available media and surfaces appropriate for the skill levels of your students and time constraints. Have students work together to make a mural that honors individuals or artists they admire. Begin by having students make individual drawings using at least one of the approaches used by the Chicana/o artists (see suggestions given here). Cut out the figures as necessary and develop a composition for the mural. Use a grid to enlarge the images, and complete the mural. Ask students to write a description that explains the unit and mural-making process to viewers.

Cross-Cultural Activities The theme in life and the theme in art can guide students' investigation of art made in any culture. Although the activity presented below focuses on Chinese literati painting,3 you may adapt or extend the activity to include cultures identified in your curriculum or those of local interest.

Objectives: * Students discuss imitation and identify cultural

differences in notions of copying. * Students identify how artists pay homage to other artists

in another culture.

Begin with the following class or group discussion or writing activity. Tell students there is an English expression that says "imitation is the highest form of flattery." * What does that mean? * Give examples of imitations, such as a younger sibling who

wants to dress like you or knock-offs of designer shoes that are sold in discount stores, and discuss whether or not they represent flattery.

* How do you feel when someone takes your idea or tries to act like you? Do you consider it to be flattering?

* Do you suspect that everyone else feels the same way about this as you do? Why or why not?

* Give examples of imitation or copying that are not considered favorably, such as copying someone else's homework or assuming another's identity.

* If you admire something that someone else does, how can you show that in ways that do not exactly imitate the original?

* Why might somebody want to do that? (To honor.)

Explain that in the United States in the 20th century (1900s), there was a strong sentiment against copying in art. Instead, artists were expected to create something original.4 Tell students that these ideas are not the same across time and cultures, however. Divide students into groups to investigate the notion of copying in Chinese literati paintings. Direct students to find out who the literati were and what they did and to determine what their position was on copying. They should find reproductions of literati paintings, as well as the work they emulated.

_ ART EDUCATION / MAY 2004



INSTRUCTIONAL ___ I ~n; llsa _

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Artemio Rodriguez, Posada y su hijo, 2002, linocut, 20 inches by 16 inches, photo by Craig Smith.


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Groups should share their findings, illustrating their

presentations with artworks.

They should report on:

1) cultural ideas on copying, and

2) how artists paid homage to others in that culture.

Assessment Assessment follows carefully articulated objectives. This Instructional Resource presents several teacher-directed

objectives to guide an array of suggested activities, each of which can lead to multiple good results. Teachers can assess the

process or outcome of inquiry or studio activities based on these

objectives. For instance, assessment criteria for the activity addressing students' experience with the theme might include

participation in the discussion by offering an established number of appropriate responses. For the second individual studio option, criteria would include creation of a portrait of an admired artist that includes a likeness of the artist, that uses the artist's style, and that incorporates characteristic elements from the artist's work.

Some educators might prefer to allow a student-centered

approach to inquiry within the theme. In that case, teachers

may work with students to develop objectives and criteria, or teachers may use objectives and assessment criteria that focus on the inquiry process, such as:

* Students formulate factual5 questions about artworks and about the contexts in which artworks are made.

* Students formulate questions that lead to conclusions about

meanings of artworks and about relationships among artworks.

* Students identify sources for factual information.

* Students use facts and persuasive argument to support conclusions.

* Students revise their original questions and generate new

questions based on the results of their own inquiry. (Keller, Erickson, & Villeneuve, 2004)

REFERENCES Erickson, M. (2001). Images of me: Why themes? Why focus on inquiry?

Why use the Internet? Art Education, 54(1), 33-40. Erickson, M. (2002). Stories of art. Tucson, AZ: Crizmac Publications. Keller, G. D., Erickson, M., Johnson, M., & Alvarado, J. (2002).

Contemporary Chicana and Chicano art: Artists, works, culture, and education. Tempe, AZ: Bilingual Press.

Keller, G. D., Erickson, M., & Villeneuve, P. 2004). Chicano artfor our millennium: Collected worksfrom the Arizona State University community. Tempe, AZ: Bilingual Press.

Latina/o Art Community. (December, 2003). Retrieved from http://www.latinoartcommunity.org

Stokstad, M. (1999). Art history, (Rev. ed.). New York: Harry N. Abrams.

ENDNOTES 1Chicanas (female) and Chicanos (either male and female combined or solely male) are citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are of Mexican descent. Many Chicana/os trace their heritage both to Hispanic and Native American cultures. For more information, see www.latinoart.community.org 2For pronunciation assistance, contact a Spanish speaker in your school or check an online pronunciation guide such as www.tomzap.com/sp_key.html 3Chinese scholars, known as literati, studied literature, philosophy, and history and became accomplished in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. They considered themselves to be amateur artists because they did not earn their living from their art, and they characterized themselves in contrast to court or professional painters. Dong Qichang (1555-1636) was an influential literati painter of the late Ming dynasty. He recom- mended that literati painters begin their training by studying the works of great masters. According to Stokstad (1999), "Scholars followed Dong Qichang's recommendation... .and they painted large numbers of works in the manner of Song and Yuan artists as a way of expressing their learning, technique, and taste" (p. 848). 4There were exceptions to this, such as quilt makers who used traditional patterns. Still, most major artists strove for originality. 5"Fact" is a word commonly used to name a statement that most reasonable people agree is true once evidence is offered. Statements made when evidence is not clear and well-informed people disagree are better thought of as "conclusions." The dividing line between facts and conclusions is not always sharp.

Interdisciplinary Transfer Potential History and Art History-Chicana/o, Mexican, and Chinese art, artists, culture, and history

Language Arts-reading, writing, oral reports, listening, biography

Mathematics-mapping (enlarging images for murals)

Pat ViUeneuve is associate professor of art education at Florida State University, Talahassee. E-mail:

[email protected] Mary Erickson is professor of art at Arizona State

University, Ternmpe. E-mail: m. erickson@asu. edu

I ART EDUCATION / MAY 2004



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Instructional Resources: Ode to Mexican Artists