Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Native Americans in the Art Room!


Art teachers, and educators in general, PLEASE view this Prezi entitled Teaching Visual Culture: Native Americans in the Art Room by Kimberly Rutledge. I was put into contact with the creator when I asked a professor to point me in the direction of resources concerning teaching multicultural art lessons without stereotyping. Kimberly graciously shared her advice and experience as an educator and a Native American. This Prezi (like flashier PowerPoint for those of you who are unfamiliar) highlights some stereotypical images we've all seen on TV and in schools. I think it's important for educators especially to reexamine traditions and make sure they are in the best interest of our students and to make sure we are not marginalizing or stereotyping a culture. (Yes, I'm talking about the pilgrim and "indian" projects that spring up around Thanksgiving...) Anyway, please take a minute to view and have a great day!

3 comments:

  1. Thank you Katie for highlighting the importance of the issue of stereotyping when teaching multicultural art lessons. The Prezi presented the issue, concerns, and solutions in a respectful and understandable way. Stereotyping, as it states, is all to easy to do when people (such as educators) are ignorant of the facts about a particular culture. Having lived in two different countries in Africa, I refrain from generalizing about Africa as if it is a singular country. The diversity within each country is quite amazing, and not all countries within the continent make masks, for example. I can show authentic examples of art from the countries in which I traveled and share personal experiences, but not all teachers have such an opportunity. I find that Crizmac is one company that makes quality resources for art educators on various cultures. Thanks again for the article.

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    1. Yes, I tried to be really conscious when we were focusing on African cultures a couple years ago. "African" masks are a little too general!

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  2. Thank you for sharing this thoughtful Prezi. We do need to examine our approach to teaching multicultural art and make sure it's culturally sensitive , informed, and accurate.

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