“Because we are denied knowledge of our history, we are deprived of standing upon each other’s shoulders and building upon each other’s hard earned accomplishments. Instead we are condemned to repeat what others have done before us and thus we continually reinvent the wheel. The goal of The Dinner Party is to break this cycle.” -Judy Chicago
“I developed the iconography using the butterfly to symbolize liberation and the yearning to be free.” and ” A butterfly is a metaphor for an assertive female identity.” -Judy Chicago
I was very pleasantly surprised when the outpouring of interest for the butterfly installation was even greater than the steps. The first butterflies were hung on Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday morning I had an email from a coworker:
“May I please make a butterfly?” – female reading specialist
It turns out her daughter-in-law had just completed her doctorate and she wanted to make a butterfly to honor her and all her dedication. As I gave her the butterfly template realized that an email to the staff would encourage participation and be a great way to share information.
On Thursday I sent out the following email titled Community Art Connection:
“Good morning, all.
As you may have noticed, the main corridor is being filled with beautiful butterflies- all representing women who have influenced our students’ lives. Creating art together strengthens both the community and the message. Please take a butterfly template from the orange bin by the mailboxes and honor a woman who has influenced you.”
…with the following attachments: Butterfly history and meaning
Within 1 hour I received multiple replies including:
“Awesome idea!!” -female principal
“Love it!”- female special education teacher
“I love this and the attachment with all the info!! Thanks for all you do!! You Rock!”- female 4th grade teacher
“Hi Tara, great project… do you have an electronic version of the template? If not, I can stop by tomorrow and get one. I’d like to contribute!” – female superintendent
Seeing the interest go beyond the building and to the district level really proves how art can inspire, educate, heal, and develop a community. I am so grateful for this course which inspired the steps and the butterfly project; both which have increased awareness and participation in my school. With the assistance of the other art teachers in the district, the butterfly project will be a K-12 initiative starting next March as part of Women’s History celebration. The media, design, and creation will all vary based on grade level appropriateness but the message remains the same: honoring women while creating art as a community. The possibilities are endless!
The past two weeks my school has been taken over by the humdrum of state standardized testing. After students complete testing in the morning, we run a condensed specials’ schedule in the afternoon so everyone has a chance to partake in the mental stimulation of the related arts. I thought it would be the perfect time to build our sense of community and togetherness by creating a public display of art.
Inspired by The Dinner Party Curriculum Project’s Encounter 9: On the Wings of a Butterfly, I introduced the concept of creating artwork to honor women and the butterfly iconography as both symbol and metaphor. The shortened periods provided just enough time to differentiate the instruction for grade level appropriateness. The entire student body (grades 2-6) was introduced during their scheduled art period while the faculty and staff received PDFs of the information through email. Everyone was encouraged to take a butterfly template and create their own artwork by designing the butterfly to represent and honor the woman, then add their individual piece to the whole group display.
The outpouring of excitement toward the participatory element of the step installation made me realize that people WANT to be involved and have a part in a happenings within their community. To build upon the community art connection, covered the wall opposite the steps display with the same pink paper of the steps. I wanted to encourage everyone in the building to participate in creating artwork to celebrate women.
I drew inspiration from Encounter 9 of The Dinner Party Curriculum Project: On the Wings of a Butterfly. Judy Chicago noted that the butterfly is “a metaphor for an assertive female identity” and “I developed an iconography using the butterfly to symbolize liberation and the yearning to be free.” (DPCP)
PART II: PLANNING INDIVIDUAL LESSON WITHIN THE UNIT
- UNIT TITLE: Unit 6- Giving Her a VOICE
- ENDURING IDEA/THEME: Voice
- LESSON TITLE: Everybody’s Butterfly
- GRADE OR CLASS: Any/All/Open participation
- TIME ALLOTMENT: 25 minute introduction (during PSSA adjusted schedule); unlimited time to design, cut, hang
- LESSON SUMMARY: Students/faculty/staff will be introduced to and inspired by Judy Chicago’s celebration of women The Dinner Party then be invited to participate in our own community’s celebration of women: the butterfly wall.
- ARTWORKS, ARTISTS and/or ARTIFACTS: Judy Chicago and The Dinner Party
- KEY CONCEPTS addressed in this lesson: Celebrating their nominee’s place in history by creating a butterfly for her.
- ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS addressed in this lesson: What makes this woman such an integral part of your history? What words would this woman say to promote her message? What words can you write to tell her what she means to you?
- PA STANDARDS
- 9.1.5A,B,E, I, K
- 9.2.5A,D,E,I,L
- 9.3.5A,C,F
- 9.4.5A,B,D
- INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
- Multicultural: Butterfly lore links the butterfly to the human soul. The Aztecs believed that deceased family members would visit them in the form of butterflies to assure that all is well. The Japanese consider the butterfly a symbol of womanhood. (DPCP Encounter 9, page 4)
- Mathematics: symmetry, pattern, balance
- LESSON OBJECTIVES: Students will:
- Explore images of and the concept behind Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party
- Connect the idea to their personal lives and nominate an influential woman
- Write her name on the wings of a butterfly
- Design and create the butterfly using colors/designs/imagery that represents her
- Cut out the butterfly- freeing her from the constraints of the original sheet
- Celebrate the woman by adding the butterfly to the school-wide display
- Reflect on the concept, process, and practice
- Write a message to or from the woman
- ASSESSMENT: This lesson is to encourage the participation of the school community in a public art project. We are celebrating women important to our lives by creating an individual butter fly for her, then hanging the butterflies together as a public art installation. Participation is encouraged, but optional. Students who participate may write a reflection of their experience for extra credit toward their participation grade.
- Teacher Research and Preparation: The Dinner Party Curriculum Project; The Dinner Party book; website
- Teaching Resources: Introduction to The Dinner Party powerpoint; butterfly iconography- plate postcards; symbols and meanings slides; take along information sheets
- Student Supplies: printed butterfly templates; permanent markers; mixed media; scissors; tape
Hats Off to Women
Program Description
- Focus: To identify the contributions of women in history, explore gender roles and issues, and develop skills in traditional local crafts.
- Rationale: In a format from basic to higher order thinking, students will attain this prerequisite knowledge of overlooked concepts applied in the classroom to lead to greater self, community, and gender awareness.
Overview: A collaborative, cross-curricular lesson unit unifying art, library, language arts/writing, and guidance through which students will explore: table as metaphor, gender studies and symbology, The Dinner Party (art history), traditional techniques through local guest artists, production of a hat representing a woman in history, research and writing to give the woman a “voice”, and presenting the “voice” to classmates and the community.
Unit 1- Table
- Enduring idea: Relationships
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Exploring table as metaphor to define roles beyond familial labels. What relationships occur at a table? How can table layout delineate roles? What do you bring to the table?
- Rationale: To provide the foundation on which students can comprehend the many uses of a common physical concept everyone uses: table. “Me outside of it all.”
Unit 2- Gender Studies and Symbology
- Enduring idea: Identity
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Recognizing how objects and symbolism affect how we view ourselves while probing gender roles and issues. What determines gender appropriateness of items? How are gender roles defined in our society?
- Rationale: To allow students to explore gender and its part in their personal identities. “Exploration of self.”
Unit 3- The Dinner Party
- Enduring idea: Historical connection
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Understanding the importance of women’s contributions to history. How did gender inequality impact the women in history? Who from your own dinner table would you invite to The Dinner Party table?
- Rationale: To comprehend what women have overcome and accomplished in history. “What has come before me?”
Unit 4- Community Arts Connection
- Enduring idea: Connecting to local history
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Practicing traditional art forms: calligraphy, embroidery, scherenschnitte, and weaving. How did craft influence and shape identities and gender roles? What symbols have you seen in our community?
- Rationale: To enable students to understand traditional art forms and connect to their community and its history, while providing them with the skill set to create their own artwork. “How can I link to my local history?”
Unit 5- Millinery- Production of the hat
- Enduring idea: Representation
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Using their new skill set to amalgamate the characteristics of their chosen woman with textiles to create a hat which represents her. Which traditional art form will you use to represent your nominee? Why?
- Rationale: To facilitate the application of historical knowledge of the nominee and tradition art forms in the construction of a hat she would wear or one that represents her. “How can I represent a woman with whom I connect?”
Unit 6- Presentation- Giving the woman a VOICE
- Enduring idea: Voice
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Celebrating the nominee’s place in history by writing a statement the student will read while wearing or presenting her hat and presenting her to the class/grade/school/community. What makes this woman such an integral part of our history? What words could this woman say to promote her message?
- Rationale: To encourage students to find their own voice through the personification of their nominee. “How do I disseminate my connection?”
Unit 7- Culminating Reflection
- Enduring idea: Assimilation
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Reflecting upon women’s history to recognize their struggles and realize the significance of their actions, while articulating a viewpoint unfettered by gender roles. Write a letter of encouragement to a younger relative giving them advice on how to live without the gender role boundaries implicated by society.
- Rationale: To give students their own voice and to document their growth through a year-long curriculum exploring sense of self, belonging to a community, and navigating gender roles. “Being cognizant of my current role and its impact to my relationships.”
Background
The sixth grade students in my school take part in a year-long cross-curriculum which unites research and artmaking in their library and art classes. The students research a topic of interest to find the name of an influential woman, then research her life and create artwork to honor her and share her story. The idea was developed to make women visible through the students’ research and artwork.
Concept
As the students’ artwork was not completed at the time of this exploration, and March is Women’s History Month, I attempted to encourage interest, activism, and thought by making the names of the nominated women visible. The names were printed onto a strip of paper cut to the height of the stair risers. Each name was affixed to the back of the step in the central stairwell, in chronological order from the ground floor up. A metaphor for the steps women took towards equality: the names are only visible on the way up, not visible on the way down.
Top of the steps detail
Landing to second floor
First floor to landing
Landing to first floor
Ground floor to landing
Feedback
As the names were being hung on the steps, the excitement was immediately evident. Students and faculty were both drawn to the installation- stopping to view, taking notes, and asking questions. I noticed both classes and individuals spending more time in the stairwell. I felt proud to be a woman as I looked at the names: strong individuals joined together in an overwhelmingly inspirational group. Numerous coworkers commented on how much they enjoyed the installation and how powerful it was for both them personally and for their students. The names inspired many conversations and research. I had one particular coworker stop by to say “I love the names on the steps- I’ve already researched the three women I didn’t know from the first flight and I have a list saved on my phone of the other names I’m going to look up!” All of the feedback I received was very positive, even from administration: “Can I assume that all this PINK came from you? It looks great and I LOVE the idea.”
Adaptation
A stairwell in an elementary school in March is not the best place to hang anything and expect it to stay for very long. The flux of temperature and humidity had the strips of paper sagging and pulling away from the risers within about 24 hours. When I came in the next day, I found the women’s names looking less than stellar- so I removed the newly textured name papers from the stairs and hung them in an upward steps formation on the wall in the main corridor.
The move actually enhanced the visibility of the display since everyone in the building uses the hallway, and not necessarily that particular stairwell. I added “Despite their struggles…” above the line “These women have take steps” as a nod to both the stairs and the women’s histories. I also added a participatory element where students, staff, and visitors could reflect and share their thoughts to the wall.
Installation 2.0
Detail
A nod to (all of) the struggles
Participatory art
Student detail, 1
Student detail, 2
Reflection
From envisioning the original setup to seeing its current display, the installation took on different forms but each had the same goal: to celebrate women, provoke thought, and encourage activism for equality. Though the metaphor of having the names on the steps themselves was lost when they were moved to the wall, the participatory element was well received and made the installation even more meaningful to the school community.
Halvorson postcard, 2015
Not available?
Not applicable?
No answer…
Never again.
Not acceptable!
“La Ofrenda” from SPARC
SPARC’s Mission Statement
SPARC’s intent is to examine what we choose to memorialize through public art, to devise and innovate excellent art pieces; and ultimately, to provide empowerment through participatory processes to residents and communities excluded from civic debate. SPARC’s works are never simply individually authored endeavors, but rather a collaboration between artists and communities, resulting in art which rises from within the community, rather than being imposed upon it.
The ideas we propagated have gained credibility over the years:
- That art was for everyone regardless of their status in society
- That the distinctions between high and low art, fine art and folk art were false
- That innovation is important only while nurturing the significant traditions in which various ethnic groups preserve their cultures
- That art should not dwell only in rarefied halls but in the places where people live and work
- That the process not only the product, is the measure of the value of an art work
- That all Americans could be participants in the making of art and that collaborations work
- And last… That the arts can have significant transformative impact on the most significant social problems of our time
The Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) is a non-profit community arts center that was founded in 1976, inspired by the Mexican mural movement in the Los Angeles area. Those early murals were a way for Mexican artists to reclaim their roots and celebrate their heritage in a city that was closing in on them. Judith F. Baca realized the impact these murals had on the communities and founded SPARC to promote social justice and encourage community activism and participation through the arts.
As I read through the links of SPARC’s website, I couldn’t help but think of Jane Golden and the Mural Arts program of Philadelphia. I spent 7 years living in Philadelphia exploring the city and watching murals change the face of a building and the culture of the streets surrounding it. What began in 1984 as an anti-graffiti initiative has grown into the largest mural program in the nation.
“All the Way Live from the 215” from MuralArtsProgram
Mural Arts Program’s Mission Statement
WE BELIEVE ART IGNITES CHANGE.
We create art with others to transform places, individuals, communities and institutions. Through this work, we establish new standards of excellence in the practice of public and contemporary art.
Our process empowers artists to be change agents, stimulates dialogue about critical issues, and builds bridges of connection and understanding.
Our work is created in service of a larger movement that values equity, fairness and progress across all of society.
We listen with empathetic ears to understand the aspirations of our partners and participants. And through beautiful collaborative art, we provide people with the inspiration and tools to seize their own future.
Our Golden Rule
When we create art with each other and for each other, the force of life can triumph.
Our Palette of Core Values
Art Ignites Change
Art heals, art unites, and art changes minds in a convincing fashion. Art drives the agenda. Great art is never silent, can’t be ignored, and serves poorly the status quo.
Stories Must be Told
The sublime power of narrative drives our lives. Stories well told will shine transformative light into dark corners.
We Beats Me
It’s simple. We work in conspiring teams whose goal is gestalt. Everything we do is by and for the community. There’s no “I” in mural.
It Ain’t About the Paint
What we do is deceptively complex. What drives us is the opportunity to help life triumph over the forces of despair. We just happen to be good at painting murals.
Make Promises and Keep Them
We’re an antsy bunch, and proactively committed to the commitment to be proactive. When we walk into a room , we walk in ready to make great things happen. And when we say we will, we will.
Take Turns
There is no such thing as not my job. We expect to take on unexpected burdens when it’s our turn to do so.
Think Deeply, Create Fearlessly
The surface is something to get beyond. And because we have each other’s back, we go beyond in bold fashion.
Expect Permission / Ask Forgiveness
Bureaucracy has its place. Just not in our mindset.
The Biggest Risk May Be Not Taking It
Why look back on a life not lived? We see our chances and we take ’em.
Art Is An Economic Engine
This is not art for art’s sake. Our institutional wisdom and intellectual property have value, add value, and are valuable. There’s no shame in earning fair compensation for unique professional expertise.
Yo, This is Fun!
We’re from Philly. We’re for Philly. And we’re having a hell of a good time.
Both organizations have made artmaking a public event with the community and its needs at the heart of it all. Alice Wexler states “art as inseparable from its context takes on a new meaning as narrative is written into place by its people.” (2007) Murals become a part of the landscape- their size and location force viewers to notice and interact with them. As a means of storytelling, the murals found in both of these large cities serve to unite the communities and tell the story of a people: their people. Since “the local streets have memory, history, and meaning for artists and nonartists alike,” the murals are relative to those around them and educational and introspective to those who visit them. (Wexler, 2007)
SPARC and Mural Art Program have both promoted public art and art education through the community based murals. These organizations reached out into their communities to encourage the members to transform and enhance their streets, ideas, and lives through art. Olivia Gude suggests that “art education as a field will continue to expand and shift, incorporation new artistic practices and important contemporary discourses such as cultural studies, visual culture, material culture, critical theory, and psychoanalysis.” (2007) Through their extraordinary mural programs, Judy Baca and Jane Golden prove this is true not only in classrooms, but in entire communities.
http://muralarts.org/
http://sparcinla.org/
Gude, O. (2007). Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st-Century Art & Culture Curriculum. Art Education, 60(1), 6-17.
Gude, O. (2004). Postmodern principles: In search of a 21st century art education, Art Education, 57(1), 6-14.
Wexler, A. (2007). Museum culture and the inequities of display and representation. Visual Arts Research, 33, 1, 25–33.
Digital Plate for Crystal Eastman- TEHalvorson, 2015
“A good deal of tyranny goes by the name of protection.” -Crystal Eastman
References and image sources:
The Dinner Party
Right Out of History (1980, Johanna Demetrakas, 75 min)
The Dinner Party: Tour of the Exhibition (1976, 45 min.)
The Dinner Party Curriculum Project.
Encounter II: Extending the Invitation
https://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/crystal-eastman/
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAWeastman.htm
https://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/alumni/crystal-eastman.html
Part 1:
I used Good Guide to check out the health, environmental, and social performances of some of the most used products/companies in my house. I was pleased by the scores the majority of the items I reviewed, though not fully surprised since my husband and I intentionally make sustainable choices and support companies with like beliefs. I did find it interesting that a few of the companies’ scores were significantly reduced due to transparency, or lack thereof. Trader Joe’s and Blue Buffalo were some of the hardest hit due to their low transparency scores of 2.7 and 1.3 in the Society category and 0.9 and 0.0 in the Environment category. Being a private person who believes things really do happen even if they are not posted on the Internet/social media, I respect the businesses’ rights to manage privately. It may be the eternal optimist in me, but a company known for being green and health conscious is most likely not dumping carcinogens in local waterways (or anything else deserving of a score of 0.) I do, however, appreciate a website like Good Guide to help consumers educate themselves on the products they use.
Part 2:
House. Home. Residence. Abode. Place. Habitat. Dwelling. Nest.
“Womanhouse reminds us that the female is our only direct link with the forces of nature and that man’s greatest creative acts may be but envious shadowings of her fecundity.” Faith Wilding, 1977
Upon viewing the examples of house metaphors in contemporary art, I realized that to me a house is safety, then comfort. Having a place for my family to live allows me to feel protected; feeling protected allows me to be relaxed and comfortable. And nothing is as comfortable as home (well, except maybe the beds at the Argonaut…I’m pretty sure they are made out of clouds.)
To my children, I am the ultimate house. My womb kept them safe and comfortable for 39 and 41 weeks, respectively, until my arms became their house. As they grew larger and more independent, they’ve expanded their boundaries of safety and comfort, yet still, whenever they are hurt, sick, sad, tired, or frustrated, my embrace is essential. My back, hip, shoulders, and lap continue to serve as a retreat or comfortable mode of transport, but even outside of my physical body, there is a sense of safety and comfort that a mother provides. My 4.5 year recently told me “I always feel safe because I know you love me.” A mother’s love is a house- providing safety and comfort to her children. Before having children I could not comprehend or appreciate the lack of personal space that comes with being a mother, however, I find great comfort in the comfort of my boys and knowing they are safe.
Part 3:
Unit 1:
- Enduring idea: Relationships
- Key Concepts and Essential Questions: Exploring table as metaphor to define roles beyond familial labels. What relationships occur at a table? How can table layout delineate roles? What do you bring to the table?
- Rationale: To provide the foundation on which students can comprehend the many uses of a common physical concept everyone uses: table. “Me outside of it all.”
The first unit in my sixth grade art curriculum is Table, an adaptation of The Dinner Party Curriculum Project’s Encounter 1: Table Talk. The first four cycles of the year long curriculum focus on exploring the idea of tables, relationships, and metaphor.
- What do I bring to the table? Exploration of self, tables, and what happens at them. Exercise: Write a positive character trait on one side of an index card and an area of need on the other. Students will create tables/seating chart based on discussions and classification of the listed similarities and differences to balance the groups’ strengths and areas of need. {index cards; pencils}
- Still Life: Table- perspective drawing with shading {12×18 white paper; drawing pencils; kneaded erasers}
- Mixed media collage- add an image of an item to the table, add shadow. {magazines; glue sticks; pencils}
- Finishing mixed media table collage; writing prompt [metaphor]- I am the ___________ on the table because…. {scratch paper; mm table drawings; pencils}
The table being drawn in the studio
Students sketching the table
I fell in love with this sweet little table when I found it at a neighborhood church bazaar. I wasn’t sure where the table would go, but knew it needed to live in our house. It ended up being the perfect size to fit between the rocking chair and the crib to hold the baby monitor. A couple years later when rewriting my sixth grade curriculum, I knew this table should be the subject of the students’ still life drawing for both its aesthetic and metaphorical properties. I use the table as an example: for me, the table is security. After drawing the table, students add an image of their own metaphorical object on the table, and write how the object represents them.
Student sample:
“The feathers on the table represent me because I’m a free spirit and go for the highest flight in everything I do. I’m also a person who lets the past fly by and not to hold a grudge. These are how the feathers on my table represent me.” –B.C.
Keifer-Boyd, K. (1992). Deep-seated culture: Understanding sitting. Journal of Social Theory in Art Education, 12, 73–99.
Keifer-Boyd, K., & Maitland-Gholson, J. (2007). Engaging visual culture. Worchester, MA: Davis Publications. (Chapter 1 BELIEFS + part 2 & Chapter 8: STORIES)
The Dinner Party Curriculum Project
Womanhouse
A few blocks down from our house is a lake with a surrounding trail, a rec center, athletic fields, and a playground. We are fortunate to live in a community where many residents care for, utilize, and appreciate these public spaces: high school students design and paint benches around the lake, volunteers plant and upkeep flower planters, residents clean up after themselves and mother nature. I have selected the playground as my public sphere of influence representing myself as a mother, educator, and active participant in the community. The playground sits next to the trail that goes around the lake so there is plenty of beautiful scenery and people watching. It is fenced around the perimeter which adds a sense of security for any parent. There is a wide variety of play equipment, as well as a pavilion with tables and benches, trees for climbing, and open space for additional play- seemingly endless possibilities.
As I was watching the Steal This Sign video I thought about how objects become an important facet of the space they are in, such as the signs in Amarillo and Lynne Hull’s environmental works. While reflecting upon the community in which we live, I immediately thought of the playground as an important space that my family would miss if it weren’t there. My children have their own playset in our yard but there is something magical about “going to the park.” It’s less about the actual playground equipment and more about the community aspect: who will be there, will they have a dog, will they have bubbles/balloons/balls/other, is it and old friend/new friend? It is the excitement of the unknown paired with the joy of play, outdoors, and socialization. Since I teach in the school district in which we live, we are certain to hear the familiar call of “Hi, Mrs. Halvorson!” from at least a few students: which solidifies my sons’ idea that I am a true mama rock star and provides an excellent ice breaker to introduce them to other (older) children.
Taking part in a public space such as the playground gives us all the positive sense of community. In a manner of speaking we are taking bell hooks’ conceptualization of “the yard as a continuation of living space” one step farther- outside of our property lines and into public areas. (hooks, 149) As a mother, teacher, and resident, I am grateful for the public spaces we have which enhance our sense of community and the physical community itself. In my classroom, I make every effort to promote the same feelings of community, safety, possibility, and fun- through art.
Wilson McKay, S., & Keifer-Boyd, K. (2004). Steal this sign: A semiotic expedition into Dynamite Museum’s public pedagogy. In D. Smith-Shank (Ed.), Semiotics and art education: Sights, signs, and significance (pp. 25–34). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association. Also from “Public Art in Private Places”
hooks, b. (1995). Black Vernacular: Architecture as cultural practice. In Art on my mind: Visual politics (145-151). New York: The New Press.
