Color, Culture and Gender: Deeper discussions in the art area

“We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.” (Education for a New World, p. 69) Maria Montessor

Curiosity and questions are absolutely vital in the art area.

Working with children will, inevitably, bring up conversations of identity, as children are interested and absorbing symbols of the culture around them. I think it's important to take a moment to consider what symbols we are putting into OUR classroom culture. The art, artwork, subjects and discussions we have with our kids that important. Obviously, we edit our artist selection to artists who have kid friendly themes. I don't focus on topics of violence or sexuality, or artists who focus on those overtly. However, I do believe there are a lot of meaning, more serious conversations you can have with even very young children!

Here are some of the concepts I like to weave into my work:

Culture - It's important for them to know that our culture isn't the only culture. You can spend some time doing in-depth studies of one area or place, but add diversity. Where does this art come from? Who made it?

Gender - Is pink a girl color? Is blue a boy color? Is it like that in every culture? Was it like that 100 years ago? Do colors have bodies or genders?

Race: Children may have questions about their race, or the race of children around them. You can talk about color and skin in a really healthy way using the vocabulary they learn in this part of the classroom. People come in different colors, and everyone is beautiful in their own way.

How did they make that? How do people practice? Often children see master artists and think "that's impossible!" Breaking a project down into the base skills, and letting children make an impression of an artist, rather than doing a craft style reproduction of a piece will help them feel accomplished. However recreating a piece can be fun if it's culturally important and is a great skill/language activity.

Emotion: What was the artist going through and feeling? What do you feel when you look at it? What emotions do I like to make in my art?

Memory & Imagination: Is this picture a memory, or is it from imagination? This kind of abstract thinking will let kids blossom!

Let me know if there's a conversation you've had with your kids you'd like to share! I want to hear where your conversations have lead.