Self and Stories

Folk art is an effective means of reinforcing conventions, but it also provides a powerful forum for individual self-expression. At first glance, it may seem that the work of contemporary self-taught artists is the most individualistic, even idiosyncratic. However, individuality is found in the unique signature every artist, self-taught or not, brings to his or her work, even when creating within a conventional form, tradition, or medium. At times, this singular voice is expressed through a sense of whimsy or a highly developed aesthetic identity. Other works reveal a distinctive sensibility that is derived from an artist’s strong personal convictions or visions, or from a life lived in isolation. These lessons charge students to consider themselves as individuals with identities, idiosyncrasies, and self-expressive and artistic choices. By telling stories through artmaking, artists and students illustrate their individualism.

	Imagining Animals Pre-K–Grade 1 Students will explore individual artists’ interpretations of animals and create a drawing in response to a description of an unfamiliar and unusual animal.
	Stories from My Life Pre-K–Grade 1 Students will look at an artwork inspired by events in the artist’s life and engage in writing and artmaking based on personal experience.
	Exploring Folk Art through Poetry Grades 2–3 Students will observe, analyze, and interpret an object of folk art, using writing and drawing as observational tools. They will then develop these responses into poems that reflect their individual reactions to the artwork.
	Character Creations Grades 4–5 Self-taught artist Henry Darger envisioned an epic adventure for a character he depicted in a portrait. Students will write character descriptions and fictional narratives inspired by their individual analyses and compare and contrast Darger’s version of this character’s story to their own imaginings.
	History through the Eyes of Individuals: Bill Traylor Grades 4–5 Students will study individual accounts of slavery and emancipation through discussion of an artwork by Bill Traylor, a former slave, and of ex-slave narratives. They will then write a work of historical fiction from the artist’s perspective.