Cultural Connections 

Educator: Lisa Cook, Library Media Specialist

Cultural Partner: Paul Rodriguez, Author and Illustrator

School: Newfield High School

Grades: 9-11

District: Middle Country Central School District

District NYSED link: https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000037601

Summary:

Students were shown examples of masks from around the world with a focus on African masks and ritual. They explored visual symbolism as a means of expressing their identity and created personalized masks as well as written descriptions of how their masks represented who they are. 

Rationale:

We worked with a predominantly 9-10th grade class on a lesson combining research, art, culture and storytelling to help these students to understand the real life connections between their personal heritage and culture, while enhancing their art skills in an entry level art class.  By presenting examples of how African masks and rituals have influenced story telling throughout other art disciplines like dance (Revelations by Alvin Ailey) and visual arts (Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Picasso), this project fostered a deeper understanding of how art can help one represent oneself and one’s own story and culture.  

What learning goals/standards did this meet?

Arts: for students to be inspired by the variety and creativity of masks and African ritual, understand and develop personal symbols and how to incorporate them into creating a mask that represents themselves.

CCCR:for students to translate their understanding of how rituals unite communities around common values and discover how their strengths can be a valuable contribution to their communities.

CR-S: for students to understand how ritual can unite communities around common values and strengthen bonds. For students to discover how their strengths can be a valuable contribution to their communities. 

Outcomes:

Students’ learning has expanded as a result of this project because now they…

KNOW… skills for creating compelling and moving personal masks using symbolism and how to present their masks in community ritual.

UNDERSTAND… the value of how African masks and ritual provide an example of expressing personality identity as a means of building community and how they can emulate that value in their communities.

ARE ABLE TO… create personal masks using symbolism that reflects the power and value of how African masks and ritual strengthened their communities.