Challenge 4- Culture #ArtsEdMonthAK
Alaska Arts Education Month is here! We’re celebrating throughout March with a different Creativity Challenge each week. Get inspired by the week’s theme to explore music, dance, theater, cultural arts, media arts, and visual arts. Share creations by you and your students with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by tagging #ArtsEdMonthAK + @akartsed to join the party! Â
Our Creativity Challenge for March 19 – March 25 is ………….. #Culture!
In Alaska, Culturally Knowledgeable students are:Â
- well-grounded in the cultural heritage and traditions of their community.Â
- able to build on the knowledge and skills of the local cultural community as a foundation from which to achieve personal and academic success throughout life.Â
- able to actively participate in various cultural environments.Â
- able to engage effectively in learning activities that are based on traditional ways of knowing and learning.Â
- demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the relationships and processes of interaction of all elements in the world around them.
What does it mean to think about connecting the arts to culture; relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and cultural contexts?
Today we’re going to share a few ways to investigate #Culture through the arts. Some may work in your current educational setting and some may need to be saved for a different learning landscape. All can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
LEARNÂ ALONGSIDE AN ARTISTÂ
Try one of our AAEC Art Bytes: When we think of all the aspects of culture, and our own experiences of culture, there are many aspects we often see and hear such as art, language, how we eat, and how we gather to celebrate. There are many aspects of how we think, what we believe, how we build our relationships and families, live our lives, and pass down our traditions that help us know who we are. What are some ways we can share our cultures, and think about how culture shapes our lives and our families through music-making, language and rhythm? In this 63-minute training with Lorrie Heagy from Juneau, educators try a distance delivery lesson for elementary students.  This session features ways to think about individual culture and community experience through a mad lib chorus and hook activity.Â
FINDÂ A VISUAL ARTS LESSON PLANÂ
Faith Ringgold-Our Own Story Quilts: There are many ways to consider our memories of culture, and tell stories about our experiences. This lesson is designed to teach in two sessions. Students study the work of artist, teacher, author and illustrator Faith Ringgold. They create a story quilt with a well-developed drawing based on a personal memory. This lesson was designed for students, grade 3. It is from Project ARTiculate, designed by Karen Stomberg.
Pililuki-Make them! Bring Alutiiq culture to your classroom, camp, program, or event with traveling education boxes created and offered by the Alutiiq Museum and Archaelogical Repository in Kodiak. Each box explores an aspect of Alutiiq heritage with hands-on activities that can be adjusted for many ages. Materials come in a sturdy box with instructions.
SING AND DANCE ALONGÂ
Learning that Lasts with Suzzuk Huntington: From the ARTbytes series shared by the Alaska Arts Education Consortium, join Suzzuk Huntington in exploring music as a way of teaching and learning language. Language is a powerful agent of culture, and in understanding people and their histories.   Applicable across multiple grade levels
Homegrown Concerts from the American Folklife Center: Did you know that the American Folklife Center has music concerts from many cultures?Music and verse is a great way to introduce multi-cultural perspectives, learn about instruments and hear stories. Visit this series of 15 concerts, including Alaska’s own Pamyua!Â
We hope these ideas spark your creative thinking for this fourth week of Alaska Arts Education Month. Whether you create something from this list or from your own inspiration, remember to showcase your work on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #ArtsEdMonthAK + @akartsed. Visit again for a new Creativity Challenge and more ideas next week!