CNR - Museum of Natural History Trip

Museum of Natural History : Museum of Natural History Class Trip to…

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Culture Halls : Culture Halls Asian Peoples Mexico and Central America South American Peoples African Peoples Pacific Peoples Northwest Coast Indians Eastern Woodlands and Plains Indians

Asian Peoples : Asian Peoples Asia is made up of 46 countries which share many cultural traits due to varied degrees of contact through the ages.

Asian Art : Asian Art The earliest civilizations were found in Asia. Art forms are varied, and run the gamut from utilitarian to decorative. As in many cultures, religion, tradition and ceremonies were a driving force for art. Theatre is represented by the many varieties of masks and puppets from different areas. Ceremonial Wedding Clothing is also an obvious art form.

Political Links… : Political Links… 175 foot tall Buddha. Afghanistan. Carved from sandstone cliffs around500-550.

Questions… : Questions… Were children and adults attracted to the same exhibits? What differences did age seem to make? How long did people (breakdown according to age/gender) tend to stay at each exhibit? Were visitors following exhibits in order? Were they reading the information? Talking to each other about the exhibits? Were adults explaining things to children? Asking questions? Were children asking questions? What kinds of questions? Who are they asking?

Education Connections… : Education Connections… If you took a class on a trip to this museum, how would you explain the following to your students? Why did people make these things? What was considered most important, therefore shown in art? How was beauty expressed in these cultures? Are ancestors a part of culture? Decorative art? What are differences between ancient and modern artifacts? How has art in Asia changed in modern times?

South American Peoples,Mexico & Central America : South American Peoples,Mexico & Central America The art, traditions, and architecture of the Inca, Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Aztec, and other Amerindian cultures all the way to Amazonia are represented in these halls.

Impressions? : Impressions? Did you notice any similarities with other halls? Which pieces caught your interest the most? Why? Do you feel the halls were set up well? What general impressions did you get of these cultures?

Questions… : Questions… Were children and adults attracted to the same exhibits? What differences did age seem to make? How long did people (breakdown according to age/gender) tend to stay at each exhibit? Were visitors following exhibits in order? Were they reading the information? Talking to each other about the exhibits? Were adults explaining things to children? Asking questions? Were children asking questions? What kinds of questions? Who are they asking?

Education Connections… : Education Connections… If you took a class on a trip to this museum, how would you explain the following to your students? Why did people make these things? What materials did they use? What was considered most important, therefore shown in art? How was beauty expressed in these cultures? Are ancestors a part of culture? Decorative art? What are differences between ancient and modern artifacts? How has art in Mesoamerica changed in modern times?

African Peoples : African Peoples Africa is a huge continent with many different cultures. There is much symbolism in African artwork, from the colors used, to the materials. As in many cultures, the art reflects tradition, ceremonies, and varied views of beauty and importance. Many of these objects are utilitarian in nature. Much of the textile work has meaning.

Materials : Materials Materials determine the ultimate form of the art. Africa comprises grasslands, deserts, woodlands, and tropical rain forests. Obviously there is quite a variety!

Sculpture : Sculpture West Africa – figures tend to have elongated bodies, angular shapes, idealized faces. Tend to be made for religious rituals. Central Africa – figures tend to have heart shaped faces and circular patterns. Eastern Africa – more basic, figures tend to be made from poles and decorated with geometric shapes, with figures carved on tops – these are often placed by graves and associated with death. Southern Africa – some of the oldest clay figures have mixture of human and animal features.

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Textiles : Textiles Some types of well-known cloth: Kente cloth – woven by Ashanti and Ewe people. Barkcloth – made by Buganda tribe. Mudcloth – produced by Bambara tribe. Kitenge – from Kenya and other parts of East Africa.

Body Art : Body Art Ritual scaring, piercing, stretching, filing (teeth), deforming and various mutilations are all forms of African Body Modification.

Pacific Peoples : Pacific Peoples Pacific culture encompass the South Pacific islands, including Australia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. This is a huge span, from the puppet theatre of Java to Australian Aborigine dot painting. Polynesia is well know for their tattoos and tikis.

General Impressions : General Impressions Do you feel this trip worked with this class? What suggestions do you have to improve the experience for future classes? What impressed you the most? Brainstorm!