My Folk Art Journey to Santa Fe

Have Art, Will Travel!

Nancy Walkup, Editor of School Arts Magazine

Stevie Mack, owner of Crizmac

Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Workshops

Augustin Cruz Prudencio Oaxaca, Mexico

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Cilau ValadezHuichol Yarn Painter

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Manuel Abeiro Horta Ramos Modesto Horta RamosMexican Mask Carvers

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Taos, New Mexico

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Staying in an Earthship...

What I learned...• At the International Folk Art Market, almost all exhibiting artists

sold their art to support their communities back home.

• Participating artists were screened beforehand to ensure items were traditionally made with quality materials.

• New Mexico has a rich and interesting Pueblo Indian community that stretches throughout the state. One can meet the artists, see, and buy Native American art in local shops and museums.’

• The landscape of New Mexico is vastly different than Alabama (obviously). However, I didn’t know I would be inspired to create a Southwestern landscape drawing lesson plan.

• I can travel to new places, alone, and be adventurous enough to explore on my own. With doing so, I had experiences I can share with others.

• I have the ability to create multi-disciplinary lessons/units, based on my trip, that allow me to collaborate with other teachers and artists.

Folk Art UnitStandards: Create original works of art using reflective ideas, personal experiences, and imaginary content.Apply steps artists use in the production of art.Apply the elements of art and principles of design to the production of 2-D/3-D artwork.Demonstrate the use of traditional and multimedia techniques to create works of art.Demonstrate safe and responsible handling of art materials.Describe personal, sensory, emotional, and intellectual responses to the visual qualities of a work of art.Utilize specialized terminology from art history, aesthetics, criticism, and production in discussions of works of art.Describe historical themes, symbols, and styles associated with works of art from various cultures, times, and places.

Through the experience of this fellowship, I will use the information gathered including, videos, photos, artifacts, and examples to create an art unit about folk art. The unit will consist of evaluating artwork, working with artifacts, interacting with folk artists, class discussions about folk art, writing about the work, creating art inspired by my trip, and showcasing their work in a folk art show open to the community. The unit will focus on the global idea of “community” and how it relates to the lives of my students. We will focus on their personal culture and how it can be expressed through art. Their artwork will be featured in several art shows by the end of this school year.

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*During the unit, I will utilize strategies to ensure my ESL students understand the content.

*Students will produce several artworks that focus on specific cultures, such as Oaxaca, Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Pakistan.

*Students will have access to my books, artifacts, photos, and videos, while working on their projects. They may use these resources to enhance the production and understanding of their work.

*I will contact local folk artists to communicate with my students and be available as a resource for research.

*Students will have access to various materials and tools in order to create authentic cultural artwork.

*I will assess students in several ways, such as monitoring them during their art process, using graphic organizers for deeper understanding, and grading their projects with a rubric.

A HUGE thank you to Fund for Teachers

for accepting my proposal and sending me on this journey. As both an artist and art teacher, this experience was precious

and invaluable to me. I cannot thank you enough!

Also, THANK YOU to to APT and Kathy Heiman!

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Casey Williamson

cwilliamson@jefcoed.comRudd Middle SchoolJefferson County Schools

http://artteachercasey.blogspot.com