Interdisciplinary Arts Education
My research includes these three areas. Susan Goetz Zwirn
The Teacher/ Artist
Brain Research and Education Butterflies of the Soul: Cajal’s Neuron Theory and Art “…(M)y attention was drawn to the flower garden of the grey matter, which contained cells with delicate and elegant forms, the mysterious butterflies of the soul, the beating of whose wings may someday...clarify the secret of mental life.” S.R. Cajal
Artist and father of neuroscience
Our students decided to do a rendition of the story based on their Italian experiences. Student: Open your heart to a different culture, and you just might find some answers to questions about life, passion, and self. Through the folktales, which came to life in our play, we made sense of our experience of another culture. The students internalized their learning and experience in Italy and placed Pinocchio in their new world. He was now, they decided, the son of Leonardo and embroiled with Michelangelo. The dramatic device that served to foreshadow doom in the original story was the appearance of the donkeys. In our rendition, the impending eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, which our students viewed daily from their temporary residences, was now the threatening force. It would foreshadow the events in their own dramatization. As in the original, Pinocchio had to overcome his immaturity and develop his own value system in order to triumph over evil.
Shadow Theater— An Ancient Art Form Students dramatized their version of Pinocchio with the ancient art form of shadow theater, which integrates drama (enacting the story), art (making the shadow puppets), music (selected for mood), and movement (movement of the puppets). Scholars generally agree that shadow theater originated in Asia. It is an art form known in every Eastern country, providing innumerable opportunities for cross-cultural study. The Kara Walker exhibit “My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love” brings the mysterious and forceful imagery of shadow theater into the 21st century. This exhibit includes shadow puppet theater video pieces and compelling and disturbing figures in shadow. A deceptively sedate art form, shadow theater provokes deep responses. In addition to the language arts benefits discussed, shadow theater promotes interdisciplinary learning: · Science: the relationship of the light source and the kinds of shadows cast · Math: proportions and relative sizes of figures and scenery · Social Studies: the cultures that have enjoyed
shadow theater for centuries · Literacy: traditional stories from disparate cultures. This type of dramatic performance facilitates expression for all children, but especially the shy child, who can be expressive without feeling self-conscious, since the performer is hidden behind a screen. It was interesting for us to observe even our pre- and inservice, undergraduate and graduate, elementary, and art teachers select the roles and responsibilities they wanted in the production. They interacted with one another, making sure they had the roles they wanted. Even though our production was in a safe environment, several students merely wanted to be engaged behind the scenes. Student: I was the narrator while my roommate designed the setting. We had choices that reflected our talents.
Creating the Set for a Shadow Theater In creating a shadow theater, three elements are necessary: the light source, a screen, and figures and scenery. Ewart (1998) and Polsky (1974, 1980) provide detailed descriptions of variations on these elements and their implementation. Light Source. The light source can emanate from natural or artificial light and stimulates fascinating cross-cultural study. Torches were used in China, oil lamps in Java, camphor in bamboo logs in India, bon-