Aboriginal Dot painting for kids.

 While my older art students were studying Yayoi Kusama, Princess of Polka Dots, younger students were learning how dots and pattern have been used in traditional cultures in Australia. I gave a simple lesson that touches on the wildlife, geography, and art of Australia, then we discussed the symbols used in the art, including arrows, circles, hands, wavy river lines. Animal motifs are also very important. Some students chose to do turtles or snakes, others traced their hands, and others used more abstracted symbols. They dipped the backs of pencils or paint brushes into latex paint, which makes tactile dots when it dries. That, along with high value contrast is the perfect combination for my low vision students.  You can see from the picture, that some students, with no vision used Wiki Stix to use as guides as they painted their pieces.

Inspired by Origami

The Museum of Art and Science in Macon, GA currently has a wonderful exhibit of New York artist, Gloria Finklestein's work from the 80's and 90's. The pieces have titles related to Japanese culture, such as "Obon" (the sash one wears around a kimono) and "Hanabi" (which literally translate's into "fire flower" and means "fireworks"). The title of the show was "Origami Interpretations," so to prepare my students for our field trip, I had them make several origami objects. We started very simply with a cat and/or dog and tried to use tactile methods of making it more believable and meaningful for my blind students. They then chose whatever they wanted to make: boats, cootie catchers, balloons, boxes. We also watched Robert Lang's Ted Talk "Flapping Birds and Folding Telescopes" about new origami methods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNdD5Kxdkpg

The museum was so accommodating, in terms of our visual impairments, offering tactile swatches for students to feel, and a template of the obon shape since the actual canvas could not be touched. Several of Finklestein's pieces were meant to be touched, however, with circles that spin and panels that flip. While we were there we attended a planetarium show, animal show, explored the Discovery House, took a nature walk, and had a picnic before coming back for the last three periods of the day.

The follow up assignment was to create a sculpture or collage in the style of Gloria Finklestein. In other words, to make something inspired by the artwork that was inspired by origami. Students used cardboard triangles, glue sticks, and origami paper, or colored copy paper with their own pattern. Some of the collages had cardboard shapes under the paper to help it become easier "see" with their hands.

When a relationship is formed between a teacher and a museum, it can take education to the next level, and make a learning unit more memorable for the students who experience it.