Making a Lasting Impression
Georgina Badoni Varner
The importance of exhibiting
student artwork in public
places such as art museums
and art centers is significant
for a variety of reasons. Awareness
of school art programs is promoted,
students’ self-esteem is increased,
new audiences are developed, and
partnerships between institutions
are strengthened.
My school—Moencopi
Day School—experienced
these and other positive
results when we teamed
up with the Museum of
Northern Arizona (MNA)
in Flagstaff to show student
artwork in the MNA’s galleries.
Final Results
Our school submitted ten works
of art, selected from students who
requested that their work be considered for the show. Students were
excited about having their work
selected for exhibition; but more
importantly, they were excited to be
recognized individually as artists.
After being recognized by several
newspapers who wrote
By integrating contemporary materials and about the students’ accom-
techniques with traditional Native American plishments, each was made
to feel like a local celebrity.
ideology, students were given a meaningful Beyond the physical
context for the creation of their art. awards, the response from
Museum of Northern Arizona visitors, local art educators,
and other community members was
encouraging. Sharing their artistic
gifts with others has given Moencopi
Day School students a new appreciation for art in their lives. Indeed, collaborating with a museum has left a
lasting and very positive impression
on these young artists.
in their school day. My goal was to
demonstrate that art is intrinsic to
self-expression and to learning.
The Art Show
To prepare for the MNA’s student
exhibition, I developed a curriculum that addressed specific learning
needs and interests of my students. By integrating contemporary
Moencopi Day School
Moencopi Day School is located in
Tuba City on the Hopi Reservation
in Northern Arizona. The small K–6
student population is Native American, predominately from Hopi and
Navajo tribes.
When I joined the faculty of the
school, most students had little
experience with creating art. The
value of making art had been relegated to the realm of free-time
activity and had little consequence
materials and techniques such as
watercolor paint or torn paper with
traditional Native American ideology, students had a meaningful context for the creation of their art.
Students also wrote stories to
accompany the artwork. The stories
became artists’ statements, which
were exhibited with the pieces.
The statements allowed students
to explain their ideas while giving
museum visitors an opportunity to
learn about their background, influences, and the role of art in their
lives.
Gina Badoni Varner is an art specialist at
the Moencopi Day School, Tuba City, Arizona. gbadonivarner@hotmail.com
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