Aaron Douglas and Arna Bontemps: Partners in Activism The Alexandria Museum of Art December 4, 2015 - February 20, 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS VTS AND LOUISIANA STATE STANDARDS AT THE MUSEUM .........................................................................................3 BEFORE YOUR VISIT .................................................................................................................................................4 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ..............................................................................................................................................5-6 VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES ACTIVITY ...................................................................................................................7 VISUAL ART/WRITING ACTIVITY: POETIC IMAGERY..................................................................................................8-9 IMAGERY WORKSHEET............................................................................................................................................10 EKPHRASTIC POETRY WITH THE ART OF AARON DOUGLAS ..................................................................................11-12 VISUAL POETRY WORKSHEET ................................................................................................................................13 POETRY TERMS ............................................................................................................................................... 14 DID YOU KNOW? THE GREAT MIGRATION AND THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE............................................................ 15 ABOUT THE GUIDE.............................................................................................................................................. 16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 17 LOUISIANA STANDARDS AND LOUISIANA STANDARDS FOR THE ARTS ..................................................................... 18 Visual Thinking Strategies Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, is a research-based literacy program that uses art to improve critical thinking and language skills. Through discussions about the art, participation is encouraged, while students experience a rise in self-esteem and confidence, even among struggling students. VTS directly correlates to the English Language Arts Standards of the Common Core Curriculum. VTS operates on a child’s natural ability to make sense of what they see, a skill we all begin using at birth. The method is a discovery process facilitated by the teacher, using three simple but carefully researched questions that provoke thoughtful responses and encourage lively, engaging conversation. The process has students focus, reflect and question, which builds their critical thinking skills. VT S Tours at AMoA Students touring any of our exhibitions will participate in group discussion where they will be asked to carefully observe artworks and explain “what is going on” in a particular piece of art. As we prompt them to support their explanations with evidence, we engage their reasoning and logic skills. Students can also participate in writing and sketch response activities, per the teacher’s request. Museum docents, trained in VTS, facilitate gallery discussions. Longitudinal field studies, employing control and experimental groups in multiple sites around the world, have been conducted on VTS since 1991. The studies prove that VTS builds critical thinking skills that transfer to other settings and subjects. Measurable academic growth is produced by the program in students of varying socioeconomic and academic backgrounds, including students who perform poorly on standardized tests or possess limited English language skills. To schedule a tour at the Alexandria Museum of Art, contact Nancy Noles at (318) 443-3458 or email her at nancy@ theMuseum.org Using VTS in Your Classroom Studies have shown that students who participate in at least ten sessions of VTS over the course of one school year will show measurable academic growth. Conducting a VTS session in the classroom is easy and engaging. For more information on learning to use VTS in your classroom, call Cindy Blair at (318) 473-6413 or email her at [email protected]. The Museum and Louisiana State Standards At the Museum, you will find support for the standards you use in your classroom. Here students can explore primary and secondary sources that will be helpful in project-based learning. They can participate in discussions through VTS, in which they will reach conclusions about art and support their ideas with evidence from the artwork. 3 Before Your Visit • Discuss the featured artist with your class and the type of work that will be on display. • Encourage students to look carefully at the artwork they are shown. This will be a good time to practice their observational skills. • Explain to students that they will be taking part in a discussion about the artwork and they will need to raise their hands as they would in the classroom. Let them know there are no wrong answers and we are very interested in their thoughts and opinions. • Explain to students that they must not touch the artwork. It may seem harmless to just touch a piece of art once, but even when they are clean, our hands contain oils that over time can damage artwork. Even gases from our breath can be harmful. • At times they may want to come very close to see details, but generally, it is good to stand at least two feet from the work as it gives one a better overall view of the work. • Above all, have fun! 4 About the Artist: Aaron Douglas Aaron Douglas, born in Topeka, Kansas in 1899 is often referred to as “the father of African American art.” He was one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, moving to New York City after earning a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska and teaching high school art, in 1924. Once in Harlem, he quickly became an integral part its social and cultural scene. He began illustrating for Opportunity, the National Urban League’s magazine and Crisis, the magaziine published by the NAACP. He immediately began receiving praise and awards for his work for these publications which led to dust jacket covers and illustrations for authors such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. In addition to his graphic design work he is most known for his murals. His best known murals were created during the 1930s, beginning at Fisk University in Nashville, where he created a mural for their library. His most legendary work is a series of murals entitled, Aspects of Negro Life, consisting of four panels, each depicting an aspect of African American life. In the late 1930s Douglas returned to Fisk University as an assistant professor and founded the university’s art department. He would enroll in Columbia’s Teachers College in 1941 and earn a Masters in Education. Douglas strongly believed that education was the key to positive change in African American life. He would continue to create work and grow as an artist and educator Self Portrait, Aaron Douglas, 1945, Oil on canvas, From the permanent until his death in 1979. collection fo the David C. Driskell Center. Gift from the Sandra and Lloyd Baccus Collection. “We can go to Though Douglas’ early work was influenced by post-impressionism, his African life and get style quickly changed during the Harlem Renaissance to one that drew on the dynamic energy of jazz music, African sculpture and geometric forms. The powerful compositions employed sharp, animated silhouettes a certain amount inspired by Egyptian wall paintings combined with circles of light and often muted colors to tell the story of the lives and struggles of modren of form and color, African Americans. He also used these silhoutees in his smaller prints, and though these were printed in startk black and white they contain the same power and animation as the murals and illustrations produced in color. The understanding and work also referenced the linear rhythms of Art Nouveau and the colors and sharp angles present reference Art Deco painting. using this knowledge These strong geometric shapes present in his work and the Egyptian influence led cultural critic, Robert Powell to coin the term, “Afro- in development of Cubism” to describe his work. an expression that interprets our life.” Aaron Douglas 5 About the Author: Arna Bontemps Arna Bontemps was born in Alexandria, Louisiana in 1902 to Paul and Maria Bontemps. His mother was a school teacher and his father was a stone mason, both played music and enjoyed the arts, but his father hoped that Arna would also become a stone mason. However, Bontemps’ love of poetry and literature developed early. The family moved to California when the author was three years old and in 1920 he enrolled at Pacific Union College which would later be called UCLA. He graduated with a degree in English three years later. A teaching position would take him to Harlem, New York in 1924. Here he would become part of the Harlem Renaissance, writing alongside luminaries of literature, W.E.B. DuBois and Langston Hughes with whom he frequently collaborated. He also married Alberta Johnson while in Harlem and had six children with her. As Bontemps began to feel the imapct of The Great Depression, he was forced to take a teaching position in Huntsville, Alabama to support his family. Conflict over what the Huntsville school considered to be “radical political material,” written