Imagining a Community
Neighborhood Map by a PS 88 Queens student, inspired by the work of Australian indigenous artist George Ward Tjungurrayi
Going on a journey without leaving home
Creative Art Works designed the Art Around the World program to teach young learners about arts and artists in under-represented cultures. When taught by an experienced CAW Teaching Artist, such as Fabio Puentes, a class can feel like a trip to a new country, an immersive experience filled with music, color, conversation, and new ideas. A Saturday class at PS 88 Queens proved that remote learning can not only be effective in achieving educational objectives, it can also be joyful and provide a sense of community for this group of students in grades 3 to 5.
The topic of the class was birds-eye dream maps of your neighborhood, and was inspired by the work of Australian indigenous artist, George Ward Tjungurrayi.
As a “Do Now” warm-up exercise, students created their own line and shape library.
Fabio has his Zoom setup down to a science, and he switched easily from video of himself to an overhead shot of his well-organized workspace, to sharing his computer screen with all his multimedia content. Slides with his lesson objectives and individual instructions for each task allowed students to see and hear instructions. PS 88 school teacher Mrs. Goldfarb helped to keep students engaged by redirecting students and encouraging everyone to try their best.
The lesson was divided into several short segments of five to ten minutes each. Each segment had a single clear objective, and he combined related music, images, and video to keep things moving. As a warm up, students listened to a sample of didgeridoo music with eyes closed. Afterwards, Fabio asked the class, "What images did you see in your mind? What shapes? What kind of lines?" Other segments of the class included an introduction to the artist and the desert landscape that informs his art, guided visualizations and lots of time for questions.
Time for a (literal) Bird’s-Eye View
To introduce the concept of a bird’s-eye view, students were shows a video of the earth taken by a small camera attached to the the back of an eagle. Students then viewed samples of colorful maps and debated questions such as, “Are these maps or art?” To which one student responded, “Maybe they could be both?” Finally, students were encouraged to visualize the landmarks and streets of their own neighborhood before trying their hand at their own dream map.
A bird’s-eye view from the perspective of a bald eagle…
…leads to a discussion of maps as art, which leads to...
…students drawing an artistic bird’s-eye view of their neighborhood.
“I always try to think ‘How can I also have fun in this class?’ My philosophy has always been that, if I am having fun as a teacher, my students will automatically catch that enthusiasm, and therefore they will naturally learn with passion. I add a lot of interactive resources, poll questions, virtual field trips, and soundscapes.”
CAW Teaching Artist Fabio Puentes
A gallery of images from Art Around the World at PS 88 Queens
Imaginary Pets Inspired by Nellie Mae Rowe
Moai Drawings Inspired by the culture of the island of Rapa Nui
Watercolor resist painting inspired by Ndebele painted houses from South Africa
Papier collé collages inspired by the Quilts of of Gee's Bend
This Creative Art Works program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural After-School Adventures (CASA) Initiative in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Robert F. Holden.