Including Asian art in your classrooms

[kendra Farrell]

We are western oriented in international schools but as we become more global it important to have our students experience the entire landscape of the arts. How do you include Asian arts in your curriculum?

[Sarah McCarrison]

My students recently completed a 'Dinner with an Artist' project. They chose an artist from history or a contemporary one and had to create a dinner set inspired by that artist. After it's completion, I took 3 trips to Dashanzi art district with all 120 students to show them around the galleries for a morning. On return to school the students reflected on the work they saw and created a new art piece inspired by one of the artists they saw on that trip.
I am trying a lot harder to incorporate Asian art into my curriculum but want to make their experiences relevant to living in Beijing, I felt this linked well with the beginning project.

[kendra Farrell]

this sounds like an awesome project and very relevant. I would want to be one of your students!! farrell



Sarah McCarrison said:

My students recently completed a 'Dinner with an Artist' project. They chose an artist from history or a contemporary one and had to create a dinner set inspired by that artist. After it's completion, I took 3 trips to Dashanzi art district with all 120 students to show them around the galleries for a morning. On return to school the students reflected on the work they saw and created a new art piece inspired by one of the artists they saw on that trip.
I am trying a lot harder to incorporate Asian art into my curriculum but want to make their experiences relevant to living in Beijing, I felt this linked well with the beginning project.

[A. Waddell]

As this is my first year teaching full-time art to elementary kids (previously taught photography for older groups), AND because I am not a native Chinese person but can speak well and have a good understanding of Chinese art history, I decided to spend the whole month around the Chinese New Year to devote to Chinese art. In order to develop lesson ideas, I worked with my assistant (a terrific Chinese painter and teacher) and with the head of the school's Chinese program. We made things like koi fish paintings (3 and 4 year-olds), Chinese fans (5 year-olds), lanterns, and oil pastel door gods (grades 3-5). I would lead a short discussion of history and or tradition around the art form, and the assistant would demonstrate (if needed) the technique...While some of these things felt a bit rote and/or crafty to me, I still think the children really enjoyed it and the children who already participate in the school's after-school Chinese painting classes were really able to show off their talent. As for the door gods, we allowed the kids to create their own after discussing what a door god's shared attributes were (usually a beard, a sword/something menacing to protect the emperor, bright colors, limited white, etc.).
These lessons are also not unlike some of the ones that would be done around Christmas in American classrooms--it teaches the children the importance of the holiday and the arts tradition itself.
I have also tried to have an active dialogue with the head of the Chinese program, as she also tries to incorporate arts into her classroom (she has invited in Chinese painters to do work with the kids in her class). At the end of the month of May, it is likely we will be painting masks with the upper grades in order for them to be part of the school's show.

[A. Waddell]

In May, I am also taking the elementary students to 798 to see the Qiu Zhijie (Chinese contemporary artist) show at the Ullens Center... YAY!

[kendra Farrell]

Lucky kids... I am impressed at your approach and respect for the culture that we live in. I would love to know how young kids relate to Qiu Zhijie's work. I think that what is on display is the work of a genius. Please share comments and pictures with us!!! kendra

[Samantha Caddey]

We just had a wonderful Professional Development Program in Hanoi, Vietnam where 12 Art teachers got together. Using the theme "Teaching Art in South East Asia" we shared lesson and unit plans, we went to some Traditional and Contemporary Galleries, and we did a 4 hour silk painting workshop. I will share some of the "Culturally Relevant" unit plans, hopefully other teachers will join this that were there too, because their units were great!

[barbara gail block]

A significant componet of our G.r 11 PHL?PSL course is a weeklong field trip (all Gr. 11 and 12's scatter across India for field trips, most choose theirs, but IB art students in Gr. 11 are REQUIRED to join the art one, in Gr. 12, they may choose...this trip goes to a significant art site in India, linking HIndu and Moslem elements, and also allows opportunity to ssee art studios and exhibitions of comntemporary Indian art in a major city as they travel to and from....they sketch and have art projects (such as site specific and how to get a panoramic image...) along the way (focus is Investigation books for IB) but then have to plan and create a piece of art reflecting an aspect of the trip on their return...some will then incorporate art techniques and styles they were exposed to along the way.