Reflection on Teaching Art and Culture, Part 1

One of the first “aha” moments in my educational life came during the second or third grade, at the Pacific Grove (California) Museum, when I looked into a display case at a basket made by a Native American artisan. I remember wondering who had created it, how it could have been woven so tightly, how it had been used, and how it came to the museum. These questions, and my initial excitement in articulating them, continue to inspire me as a teacher, researcher and curator of works of art and craft. I delight in sharing this enthusiasm with others – students, colleagues, and visitors to art spaces.

To this end, I have developed courses which blend presentation (of images, objects, and ideas), discussion, and hands-on activities (writing, creating art,  excavating artifacts, and preparing exhibitions), to actively engage students with the arts and cultures of our world.

Prior to teaching at the college level, I shared the exploration of art and culture with learners of all ages in community settings.  Several of these courses included field trips to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. During a visit to the art museum, one of my students (who was age 12 at the time) told me that “the best way to understand a culture is through its art.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I assign my students virtual visits to art museums in and beyond our Northeast Ohio region.  More about that in a future post...

The image above is by photographer Rob Corder, who shares his work on Flickr.  You can read more about the image, and follow a link to view it on Flickr, at the end of this post.

Resources:

"The Art of Basket Weaving," Artbound S9 E8 (KCET), video on YouTube.

This video focuses on Native American basket weaving of California's past and present, with numerous interviews, demonstrations, and examples.

"California Indian Baskets," page on California Department of Parks and Recreation website.

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (California), museum website.

About the image:

Photograph titled Pacific Grove, by Rob Corder, on Flickr.  Creative Commons License CC BY-NC 2.0.