EDUCATION GUIDES

These interdisciplinary education guides bring craft to your classroom! These lessons are designed to meet National Standards for Visual Arts education, encouraging the use of critical thinking skills and creative engagement. Teachers can use these guides to lead thoughtful discussions on art and culture, assign creative and responsive writing prompts, or engage students in meaningful […]

Students will learn about the exhibition, Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. This exhibition explores the artistic achievements of Native women and features a variety of media such as beading, pottery and traditional materials made by Native American women artists. Grade Level: 7–12 […]

Meet Tlingit and Unangax̂ multidisciplinary artist Nicholas Galanin whose works include totems, masks, jewelry, music and dance which deal with cultural perspectives and identity. Students will follow Galanin’s artistic process as he discusses his role as a storyteller, his inspiration, artistic process, cultural references and symbolism of his artworks. They will also see his use […]

Meet Cheyenne and Arapaho artist Harvey Pratt, designer of the National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Students will follow the design process as Pratt discusses his inspiration for the design, his artistic process for the design, the symbolism of the design, the design team of […]

In this lesson, students view two segments from the Craft In America DEMOCRACY episode. Students watch calligrapher Sammy Little inscribe a quote from the Declaration of Independence and curator Joanne Hyppolite, Ph.D., of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shows a patchwork-lettered quilt, one of many museum objects that help to educate […]

In this lesson, students meet artist Christina Bothwell from the Craft In America STORYTELLERS episode. Bothwell creates figural sculptures that mix portions of opaque, unglazed clay with translucent glass. The translucent glass adds to the dreamlike quality of the sculptures. As she states in the above quote, she tells stories through her sculptures. The lesson […]

In this lesson, students will watch the segment from Craft in America’s IDENTITY episode featuring photographer Cara Romero. Romero states that when she went to college at the University of Houston she discovered, “I was the only Native American and everyone around me was completely unaware that we existed… And I knew almost instantly that […]

In this lesson, students will view two segments from Craft in America’s QUILTS episode and will meet artists Victoria Findlay Wolfe, who creates new designs by altering traditional quilt block patterns, and Michael A. Cummings, who creates quilted portraits of prominent African Americans. Both artists refer to their quilt making as similar to painting, and […]

In this lesson, students consider the human tendency to collect objects that have meaning to us. They meet Forrest L. Merrill, a long-time collector of vessels made of wood, metal, glass, fiber, and clay. They learn how Mr. Merrill has spent his life collecting these hand-crafted objects and developing friendships with the artists who make […]

In this lesson, students will learn about basket making through the Pomo basket weaver Corine Pearce in the CALIFORNIA episode. Students will inspect and analyze the materials and functions of a wide variety of baskets. They will learn about the practical and ceremonial importance of baskets and basket making to people living in communities around […]

In this lesson, students will view the work of Magdalena Pedro Martínez and Jaime Guerrero in the Craft in America: NEIGHBORS episode. Afterwards, students explore the way each artist uses the figure to portray significant aspects of Mexican and Mexican-American life. In studio work, students will generate ideas for how the figure can represent important ideas. […]

In this lesson, students will view Día de los Muertos observances in East Los Angeles and in Teotitlán del Valle, Mexico, and examine the artistic traditions and the translations within and between the celebrations. Students will look within their own communities and consider the varied ways that loved ones are memorialized. In studio work, students […]

In this lesson, students will view the Preston Singletary segment from the NATURE episode of the PBS series Craft in America. Students will hear from the artist, the team of assistants that help with his glasswork, and independent curator Miranda Belarde-Lewis, who is curating a show of Singletary’s work. The program features the Tlingit origin […]

In this lesson, students will view the segment on artist and educator Therman Statom in the TEACHERS  episode. The episode highlights how Statom encourages students’ investigation of their heritage, their understanding of self, and their connections to others as topics worthy of study in school. After viewing the segment, students will discuss various aspects of Statom’s […]

In this lesson, students will view the MUSIC episode from the PBS series Craft in America. The episode features the skilled craftwork required to make ukuleles, trumpets, banjos, guitars, and timpani mallets. Students will hear musicians playing each of the instruments. Students will also hear the musicians talk about their personal connection to their instruments. […]

In this lesson, students will explore the work of ceramic artist Ehren Tool, who creates clay cups on the potter’s wheel and embellishes them with military images. Tool gives away his cups and to date has given away over 14,000 in an attempt to provide a catalyst for conversations between veterans and those who have […]

In this lesson, students will explore various forms of fabric construction while considering ideas of hand work, time invested in creating art, the marketing of textiles, and humans’ use of textiles. Students will view two segments of the Craft in America INDUSTRY episode; on the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and The Oriole Mill textile […]

Students will explore the work of metalsmith Chloe Darke, who produces silverware in traditional patterns for the company Old Newbury Crafters. Additionally, in her own studio work Darke creates expressive vessels she describes as “objects of empowerment,” and these reference the female form. In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the functions of Chloe […]

In this lesson, students get to know three American potters who are connected by their individual experiences as apprentices at Leach Pottery in St. Ives, England. Students will also be introduced to two internationally influential potters – Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada who took on many apprentices, as well as connect the notion of apprenticeship […]

Students will explore the work of Tanya Aguiñiga, including her furniture design, installations, accessory crafting, and community art projects. Students will consider the ways Aguiñiga crosses borders in her life and in her art making. In studio practice, students will felt with recycled wool and use the wool to alter and soften a hard surface […]

In this lesson students will discover the content packed weavings of Consuelo Jimenez Underwood. Across cultures and throughout time people have woven tapestries, blankets, and clothing to tell stories, signify status, and document events. Through looking at the work of Consuelo Jimenez Underwood students will consider the expressive nature of what often is assumed to […]

Students will explore the richly detailed work of quilter Terese Agnew, as she adopts the tradition of the quilt as a carefully made, warm and nurturing cover, for another caring purpose: encouraging empathy for others, whether workers, birds, or forests. In this lesson, students will consider the varied uses of perspective in Agnew’s work, as […]

In this lesson, students will learn about the artist Lisa Sorrell, her work as a boot maker, and the process of making leather cowboy boots by hand. Students will gain insight on how a family can contribute to the rich and purposeful life of the craftsperson. The studio portion of the “Instructional Strategies” is designed […]

In this lesson, students will study the woodturning tradition of three generations of the Moulthrop family. Students will watch Craft In America: FAMILY, featuring the Moulthrops. The class will focus on how the members of Moulthrop family support each other to achieve their goals, and the decision to make art their career. Students will examine […]

In this lesson, students will view the jewelry and sculptural forms of Thomas Mann. Students will consider how Mann produces his work, and how he goes about transmitting messages in his work. Through a collaborative activity, students will create a design vocabulary upon which all students can draw in order to create a sculptural form […]

In this lesson, students will study the sculpted beadwork of artist Joyce J. Scott. Students will watch the MESSAGES segment featuring Scott. The class will examine how Scott draws viewers to her work by making her pieces beautiful, with the hope that viewers will then consider the serious issues of race, class, and gender discrimination […]

In this lesson students will view the work of contemporary book artist Julie Chen. Through investigating Julie Chen’s non-traditional approach to bookmaking and the process she employs, students will contemplate and discuss the definition of a book, consider how books are made, collaborate and brainstorm ways to push the boundaries of books, and explore books […]

In this lesson, students will explore the collaborative work of Roberta and Dave Williamson. Through examples of the Williamsons’ found object jewelry, three concepts are explored: collaboration, juxtaposition and personal adornment. After participating in investigations dealing with associations and meanings of objects, students will create a piece of jewelry combining a number of found objects […]

In this lesson, students will explore the work of weaver Jim Bassler and learn about the basic techniques of weaving. Students will view the ORIGINS segment of Craft in America featuring Bassler. They will discuss the role of technology in craft, as well as consider the importance and origins of weaving in our world. After […]

In this lesson, students will study the work of bead artist Teri Greeves. After watching the Craft In America ORIGINS DVD segment featuring Greeves, students will examine how Greeves’ beadworking signifies and honors her Kiowa heritage. Students will look for examples of decorated garments in their experience that indicate belonging to a group. Following this, […]

Community has helped shape the creative processes of our collective craft history. Craft forms are passed from generation to generation in necessity and survival, but also in the spirit of community and commonality. This educational guide delves into the rich community of craft in order to provide educators with material that will relate to and […]

Community has helped shape the creative processes of our collective craft history. Craft forms are passed from generation to generation in necessity and survival, but also in the spirit of community and commonality. This educational guide delves into the rich community of craft in order to provide educators with material that will relate to and […]

Community has helped shape the creative processes of our collective craft history. Craft forms are passed from generation to generation in necessity and survival, but also in the spirit of community and commonality. This educational guide delves into the rich community of craft in order to provide educators with material that will relate to and […]

Craft artists depend on their natural environment for both materials and inspiration. Materials are collected, combined and transformed through the creativity and necessity of human hands. This educational guide delves into the indispensable and innate relationships between artists and their environment, thus providing educators with material that will relate to and reflect the core ideas, […]

Craft artists depend on their natural environment for both materials and inspiration. Materials are collected, combined and transformed through the creativity and necessity of human hands. This educational guide delves into the indispensable and innate relationships between artists and their environment, thus providing educators with material that will relate to and reflect the core ideas, […]

Craft artists depend on their natural environment for both materials and inspiration. Materials are collected, combined and transformed through the creativity and necessity of human hands. This educational guide delves into the indispensable and innate relationships between artists and their environment, thus providing educators with material that will relate to and reflect the core ideas, […]

Some hands create to record a place and time; others are more intimate gestures about personal histories. In any case our Nation’s collective memory can become tangible when we examine objects created by the hand. This educational guide helps develop craft in a larger context, providing educators with material that will relate to and reflect […]

Some hands create to record a place and time; others are more intimate gestures about personal histories. In any case our Nation’s collective memory can become tangible when we examine objects created by the hand. This educational guide helps develop craft in a larger context, providing educators with material that will relate to and reflect […]

Some hands create to record a place and time; others are more intimate gestures about personal histories. In any case our Nation’s collective memory can become tangible when we examine objects created by the hand. This educational guide helps develop craft in a larger context, providing educators with material that will relate to and reflect […]