Making Dias De Los Muertos Meaningful

Ceramic Calaveras

Making Dias De Los Muertos Meaningful

(ROUGH DRAFT___ Feel like I will read this tomorrow and say, what was I thinking?!?)

Ok, so I'm a member of an art teacher Facebook page.... and of course I have to keep up with all 11k AWESOME art teachers there. One day I saw that an art teacher had posted they were doing Calaveras.  They had found cookie cutters and were stamping them on slabs.  I really wish I could remember who this was to give credit, as it was years ago.  Of course I had to keep up with them!  If someone is doing something amazing my kids have to do it too!  Thus began the hunt for the cookie cutters.  They are made by FRED.  And at the time were being sold at Francesca's.  So I called every Francesca's in my area... sold out.... finally found one and the sales person was sweet enough to hold it for me.  Now you can order off AMAZON... 

https://www.amazon.com/Fred-Friends-SPIRITS-Cookie-Stampers/dp/B00B5EE1IM

I wasn't Amazon savvy then.  (And Amazon prime is a blessed curse!) Then I get this idea... I should invite all the Spanish classes in for this... Totally reasonable... 100+ kids in my classroom.... And a math teacher I'm buddies with too just because his Calculus kids deserve a break and he hates missing out on fun.

About my community.  I teach in a very diverse community. It used to be mainly Hispanic and I had many kids of migrant families.  As our area began to grow, suburbs popped up.  After Hurricane Katrina we had another influx of people. I also have quite a few kids whose families are from Africa, Iraq, Albania, the Philippines to name a few.  Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and Hispanic Catholics are dominant religious beliefs. (Last year I actually had a kid say to me after he asked about my religious beliefs; "I never met a white Catholic before." After saying it he said he didn't mean it offensively.)  It is a conservative community but a truly American Melting pot if there was one.  And it is beautiful. In doing this for the last... 3 years?  I have never had a problem... One kid choose to sit out because of their beliefs, and I will respect that.  My grandmother was raised Jehovah Witness.  I try to be sensitive to my kids feelings as they navigate high school.  Why am I giving you all this cultural context?  Because I think that if this is addressed respectfully you can create an amazing learning opportunity that is not offensive to anyone. And I'm not doing this for "fun". But I will admit I do have a coveted pair of leggings to wear the day of glazing....  Not really Dia de los Muertos... but multi functional for Anatomy drawing too!

One thing I really try to emphasize is that this is NOT Halloween.  It is a way to honor those who have passed before us, to remember them, to celebrate them.  And many cultures do this... Look at Greek Vase Painting... Egyptian tombs...  the vinyl "In Loving Memory of...." that people put on the back windows of their cars.

The prep work: Roll out tons of slabs and stamp them with the skulls.  Cut and punch holes.  I will enlist the help of kids if I can get them, but I will punch the holes.  Sometimes they get them in the very center of the forehead and the skull looks as if it was executed, and then other times too close to the top and it won't hold.  Smooth the sides so they are not sharp after bisque firing.  Let dry.  If I can I like them to dry on a light grate.  I think I found mine for $14 at Lowe's.  

       

Prep your kids:  Here are a ton of resources I have not compiled yet... But I will do 4 centers... they have 25 minutes for each activity.  I want them to learn about the History and purpose of Calaveras.  Make a symmetrical paper flag, learn about Veronica Castillo and Trees of Life, and then evaluate the image.  In the end I would also like the kids to be able to define Cultural Appropriation and be able to evaluate how it is or is not okay in their work....  Post Assessment could be a Frida Dia De Los Muertos skull image where I ask my students to evaluate the validity of the work... maybe we could move on to tattooed Marilyn Monroe?

http://exhibitionofthedayofthedead.blogspot.com/2011/11/drafted-up-kids-fact-sheet-tonight-to.html

http://archive.azcentral.com/ent/dead/teachers/teacherpacket_edited.pdf

https://www.tes.com/us/teacher-lessons/day-of-the-dead-powerpoint-11288244

http://nationalgeographic.org/media/dia-de-los-muertos/

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1972-november-2-the-day-of-the-dead

http://www.mexic-artemuseum.org/images/uploads/education/Day_of_Dead_Guide.pdf

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/chngmexico/210

http://www.fridakahlostory.com/frida-blog/frida-and-dia-de-los-muertos

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi7gs6E6_fPAhXHlFQKHQxkCrsQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anothermag.com%2Fdesign-living%2F1467%2Ffrida-kahlos-monkeys-dogs-birds&bvm=bv.136593572,d.cGw&psig=AFQjCNEs6eMGiIGzf6I8b5d4ViZTXV8Ing&ust=1477549455861540

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-cubias/dia-de-los-muertos-is-not_b_6056734.html?

Tree of Life

http://www.treeoflife.net.au/Tree-of-Life-Craft-(Mexico)-from-Tree-Of-Life.net.au.html

http://folklorebazaar.com/the-magic-of-mexican-tree-of-life/

https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/ver%C3%B3nica-castillo

http://www.mastersoftraditionalarts.org/artists/385?selected_facets=

Veronica Castillo video https://docarts-cms.s3.amazonaws.com/asset/video/video-000385-1415386785.mp4

http://www.treesoflifeexhibit.com/veronica-castillo/

http://www.kpbs.org/photos/2013/dec/06/33011/

http://lakeshorepublicmedia.org/stories/craft-america-veronica-castillo-builds-tree-life-poinsettia/

The day of the gazing... have lots of glaze (or acrylic paint if you choose) palettes all ready made.  You can cover with saran wrap to prevent from drying if you need.  I like to use Mayco Stroke and Coat Underglaze for this....  It is stable low and mid range firing.  Colors don't change much, light can go over dark.... But they are $$$$...  Right now I am mostly using Duncan Concepts, well because years ago I ordered a lot for a lesson and still have them.  Yes I do mix them with the Stroke and coat.  Turns out fine.  Choose 5-6 colors.  Do not over complicate the color thing.   Concepts do need a coat of clear.  I will have clear glaze also laid out in containers and have instructions at the tables for each kid.  Brushes will also be at the tables.  I and a few students will have an under-gaze pencil for the kids to put their initials and the first initial of their teacher and period.  (R.T.   B3)  When you have four different teachers this is a help to ensure everyone gets their work back.  Kids apply underglaze.  Small brushes are helpful.  Then they let it dry for a few minutes... and put on a coat of clear.  Teacher make sure everyone has their name on back.  I generally have the kids bring the skulls directly to the kiln and I load them in from there checking the back of each one.  If I have a TA or good student this becomes their job.  Send one or two kids around to refill glaze and make sure all brushes are washed. 

  

Make sure you go home and relax.  Have a good dinner and go to bed early.  This is exhausting.  And I imagine what it feels like everyday to teach elementary, except you have what 8 different lessons?

When you unload enlist a few kids to tie some yarn on these so they hang.  If I have kids that did not want their or were in more than one class I have them put a dot on the back.  The dotted ones become gifts for the support staff, maintenance.... everyone that makes our job possible.  You could get a little frame from the $ store and out it in with a nicely written Thank you....  Just an idea...  

  

Honestly I was thinking about not doing it this year... I am tired, I have no TA's.  My classes are 40, 39, 38....  my sons need a lot of help on their homework... one has Latin and is studying Medea (That's a joyful story...) But my husband delivers for a big company and saw one in someone's window... he told me about it because he wanted me to know the impact I make on the daily life in my community.  There it is folks.  We make an impact. Everyday.  Even though we don't see it in the hundreds of pounds of clay to pug, or the hours of kiln loading, the paper towels left on the floor... we are there peeking out of windows as a reminder of the amazing times school held for these amazing people.  IMPACT. )  And I remember pulling into parking lots and seeing them hang from car windows. Ok, ok.... now one of my former student teacher is in my district and is doing these, so I guess I can no longer assume in the near future they are all from my kiln.  But this impact is why I spent two hours last night making 41 and why I am spending the time right now to share what I have learned with everyone else.... it is worth it.  Do it. Many kids will never have the opportunity to take Ceramics or to decorate a sugar skull.  But because of this lesson... they had it and maybe, just maybe it will bring us together rather than pull us apart.  In the long run kids will not remember what we taught them, but how we made them feel.