IdentityArts in Education February 18th, 2017

Dr. Paige Vitulli

Man's Head (Self-portrait III) Lucian Freud (1922-1011), self- portrait, oil on canvas, 1963 NPG 5205 © Lucian Freud Archive

National Portrait Gallery: Image and Identity

• How do we see ourselves? (Individual/personal identity) • How do we portray ourselves? (Chosen identity) • What do we project to others? (Implied identity) • What do others see and impose onto us? (Imposed or perceived identity)

http://www.npg.org.uk/assets/files/pdf/teachers-notes/NPG_IMAGEIDENTITY_2013.pdf

Museum of Modern Art: Investigating Identity

“Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves. Factors and conditions that an individual is born with play a role in defining one’s identity. However, many aspects of a person’s identity change throughout his or her life. People’s experiences can alter how they see themselves or are perceived by others. Conversely, their identities also influence the decisions they make: Many artists use their work to express, explore, and question ideas about identity.”

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/investigating-identity

Museum of Modern Art: Investigating Identity

• Identity Exchange This activity is for a group or a classroom.• Brainstorm. Each person should receive five to ten index cards. On each

card, write a word or a phrase describing something that is important to their identity.

• Connect. Lay the cards out on a desk or surface. Walk around the room, reading what others wrote on their cards. Anytime you see a word or phrase that you also identity with, add a dot sticker to that person’s card.

• Reflect. As a group, discuss what you noticed during this exercise. Which cards had the most dot stickers on them? Did anything surprise you?

Discovering My Identity from the Teaching Tolerance Site (A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center)

http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/discovering-my-identity

Ibiyinka Alaohttp://www.ibiyinka.com/

• The Art of Ibiyinka Alao http://www.ibiyinka.com/gallery.htm

• Published on Aug 17, 2016 Ibiyinka Alao's 3rd large canvas painting explained. Inspired by a story about Ibi's father and fireflies that was also used to generate the award-winning book written by a team of ten 3rd graders from Willow Lane (Macungie, PA) and published by Scholastic. This video was produced by Matt Weimann. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1WGQuz2dLA

Ibiyinka’s Visit to the College of Education

http://ponderingpaige.blogspot.com/search?q=Ibiyinka

Symbolic Self-Portrait

• Create a Symbolic Self-Portrait• Revisit the 10 words that describe you. Consider those

words and come up with symbols that represents who you are. Make a drawing, painting, or collage of yourself, incorporating the symbols into your composition.

• What did you learn about visual symbols? In your experience, was it easy or difficult to incorporate a symbol into your self-portrait?

Mask-making preparation worksheet from Identity & Community: An Introduction to 6th Grade Social Studies

Mask-making preparation worksheet1. What aspects of your identity would you like to present to others?• Biographical information:• Experiences and accomplishments:• Hopes and fears:• Likes and dislikes: 2. What labels or adjectives would you like others to use when they think about you? 3. What are some aspects of your identity that you may not present to others but that you still want them to know about? (These are ideas you might want to include on the inside of your mask.)

More IDENTITY Lessons

• Facing History and Ourselves: Identity & Community, An Introduction to 6th Grade Social Studies https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/identity-and-community

• Facing History and Ourselves: Who Am I? https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/identity-and-community/who-am-i

• Incredible Art Department: Name Art http://www.incredibleart.org/files/names.htm