My iDENtity Prototype | SJMA Education

Sadie Barnette: Family Business March 10 – October 15, 2023

Sadie Barnette: Family Business is supported by the SJMA Exhibitions Fund, with generous contributions from the Myra Reinhard Family Foundation, the Richard A. Karp Charitable Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and support from Jessica Silverman Gallery.

Sadie Barnette photos by Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography.

My iDENtity Prototype San José Museum of Art Inspired by Sadie Barnette: Family Business Target Age Group: 9–11 (For accommodating 6–8 year-olds, see “Project Adjustments: Littles”) OVERVIEW: After viewing installation photos of Sadie Barnette: Family Business, students will design and construct a miniature living room space based on their identity and personal interests.

OBJECTIVES: •

Students will develop an understanding of equity and diversity by exploring the living conditions of children around the world.

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Students will apply creativity and critical thinking to design their own room within the mindset of equity.

STANDARDS: Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Standards:

English Language Arts (ELA) Standards, grades 1–5:

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VA: Cr1.2, grades 1–6: “Formulate an artistic investigation of personally relevant content for creating art.”

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“Add drawings or other visual displays...to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.”

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VA: Cr2.3, grades 1–6: “Identify, describe, and visually document places and/or objects of personal significance.”

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VA: Re7.1, grades 1–6: “Identify and interpret works of art or design that reveal how people live around the world and what they value.”

“Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.”

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“Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.”

CROSS DISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS: Health and Wellness: •

Students will reflect on their home life and systems of support, creating space for moments for mindfulness.

Language and Literacy: •

Students may choose to participate in group discussions, sharing ideas and final artworks.

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Students may choose to draw connections between literary works and their personalized views on the idea of home.

MATERIALS: General:

Tradable “textile” (optional):

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Printouts of the photographs from James Mollison's "Where Children Sleep" (if accessible, or shown on projector) Rulers Tacky glue Scissors Tempera paint

Walls: •

Precut sheets of sturdy white paper (legal 8.5 x 14”)

Floor: •

Precut sheets of cardboard (7 x 7”)

Small piece of paper Stamps Stencils Washable markers

Additional decorations: • • • • • •

Patterned or glitter construction paper or tissue paper Pipe cleaners Beads, sequins, and/or rhinestones Stickers or colored masking tape Stamps and ink pads Ephemera

Furniture: •

Plastilina modeling clay, rolling pins or dowels, sculpting tools (toothpicks, popsicle sticks, plastic knives, small objects for creating texture, etc.)

PROCEDURES:

SESSION I — (60 minutes) I.

INTRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION: (5 minutes) •

Begin with a discussion about homes and rooms, asking students to share what makes their room special to them.

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Introduce the "Where Children Sleep" photo series by James Mollison (if accessible), discussing how living conditions vary around the world. o

Show selected photos from the series, discussing the different living conditions depicted. Discuss the concept of equity, relating it to the diverse living conditions observed (use list of facilitation questions to help guide you).

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Share the video “Let’s Talk About Equity and Equality” exploring the concepts of equality and equity, highlighting the differences between the two and their implications. o

Facilitation Question 1: Discuss the metaphor of the ladder and mangoes used in the video. What does the ladder represent? What do the mangoes symbolize?

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Facilitation Question 2: Can you think of a situation where treating everyone equally might not be fair?

II. SKETCHBOOK BRAINSTORM: (5 minutes) •

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Have students respond to the following prompt in their sketchbook with written ideas: If you could design a living room that represented your identity, what would it look like? o

What is your identity? What makes you, you?

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Would the room be private for yourself or used for hosting others?

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What colors would the room have? What type of furniture would you want? What kinds of decorations or special features would be included?

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How would the room make you feel?

Pass out 1-Point Perspective Template (see “Attachments” section) and allow students to create a brainstorming sketch of their space in 1-point perspective, utilizing rulers to follow along to the vanishing point (for an extension to this, please view the “Project Adjustments” section).

III. ROOM CONSTRUCTION: (5 minutes) •

Teachers will pass out materials to construct wall(s) and floor of the model room along with tacky glue. Students will assemble the wall(s) and floor to end up with a miniature room structure—two walls forming a corner and a floor (see Step-by-Step Instructions in the “Attachments” section). o

Cut paper down the middle, just to the halfway point, and fold cut sides over to create a 3D corner.

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Glue cardboard over folded edges to create a floor.

IV. FURNITURE “BLUEPRINTS” SKETCHBOOK ACTIVITY: (10 minutes) •

In their sketchbooks, students will design items for their living room prototype: 1 place to sit, 1 table, and something for accessibility (students may design more things if time allows).

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After sketching, have students reflect on their drawings and consider: o

What shapes did they create in their furniture blueprints?

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How can these 2-dimensional shapes be made into 3-dimensional volumes when we form them from clay?

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How does their accessibility feature assist them or others to increase functionality?

V. FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION: (30 minutes) •

Distribute a small amount of clay to each student from which they will form their furniture pieces. Students can use rulers and graph paper to measure their furniture prototypes and ensure that they will fit inside their living room prototype.

SESSION II — (70–85 minutes) I.

REVISIT SKETCHBOOK BRAINSTORM: (5 minutes) •

Encourage students to reread their original brainstorm notes for this project. This is an opportunity for students to revise and add to their ideas before they arrange and decorate their room models.

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Students can circle or underline words in their brainstormed notes that feel most important to their vision. How will these ideas translate to the arrangement and decoration of their living room prototype?

II. ADD COLOR AND DECORATIONS: (30–40 minutes) •

Students can add color to the floor, walls, and furniture of their living room prototype using tempera paint or colored paper.

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Students can use various materials to add additional texture, color, and special features to their living room prototype and fulfill their vision of a personalized living space.

III. TRADABLE “TEXTILE” CREATION – OPTIONAL: (15 minutes) •

Students will create a pattern using stamps, stencils, or original drawings to translate onto a small piece of paper. This patterned “textile” can be hung on the wall or used as a rug in their living room prototype.

IV. “TEXTILE” TRADE – OPTIONAL: (5 minutes) •

Students can choose to trade their patterned “textiles” with one another and implement someone else’s artwork into their living room prototype. The decision to trade must be mutual between students.

V. PLACE AND SECURE FURNITURE: (10 minutes) •

Students will arrange their clay furniture and secure it to the base of their living room prototype using glue dots.

VI. REFLECTION: (5–10 minutes) •

When room models are complete, encourage students to share with their peers and explain why their model reflects them.

PROJECT ADJUSTMENTS: Littles (ages 6–8)

Middles (ages 9–11)

Compression:

Expansion:

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Students will design and create only 2 pieces of furniture rather than 3.

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No rulers needed for measuring, possible use of laminated graph paper for measuring size of furniture.

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Rather than trade “textiles” before securing the furniture to the prototype, students have the option to trade a piece of furniture that they created with their peers.

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Give students the option to find a small object at home (not valuable) that would fit well in their space and bring it to the classroom to include in their prototype.

If including the “textile” trade steps in the lesson, have students partner up to make a “textile” specifically for their neighbor. o

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Rather than creating a pattern for a small “textile,” students can design a pattern and translate it to the wall(s) and/or floor of their living room prototype.

Exclude the “textile” trade steps or give less options for materials used to create these patterned “textiles.”

Expansion: •

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What are their interests and inspirations for the room?

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How does this object relate to their identity and enhance the space?

Give students the option to find a small object at home (not valuable) that would fit well in their space and bring it to the classroom to include in their prototype. o

How does this object relate to their identity and enhance the space?

ADDITIONAL BEDROOM ART ACTIVITY: (30–60 minutes) Have students complete a drawing of their dream bedroom using pencil to sketch and then coloring materials to finish.

Materials: printed templates for each student, pencil, eraser, colored pencils/crayons •

Using room template, students can begin to lightly sketch their furniture and other common bedroom items. Encourage students to include special items they would like to have or items that aren’t exactly typical for bedrooms. o

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Examples for special items: waterslides, swings, mini fridge with endless snacks, etc.

Have students erase any excess pencil marks before coloring bedroom using coloring materials like crayons or colored pencils.

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Sharing out: In small groups of 3–4, students can share about each item they included in their imaginary bedroom. o

What is included in your dream bedroom?

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Why did you include this in your dream bedroom?

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What if you had to design a dream bedroom for a family member? What would you include then?

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What if you had to leave your room and could only pack 1 suitcase, what would you take?

ONLINE RESOURCES:

Equality and Equity (Video) youtube.com/watch?v=9isVHRDeGis

Jeff Mollison, Where Children Sleep jamesmollison.com/where-children-sleep

ATTACHMENTS:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Drawing 1-Point Perspective Sample

1-Point Perspective Template

PHOTOS:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: A special thanks to SJMA teachers who contributed to the lesson plan: Linda Franklin, Shelby Hendricks, Leslie Kim, Ruby Morales, Lydia Watson, and Julian Zamora.