LESSON 2: FAMILY MIGRATION
Cultural identity is part of a person’s identity. Where a person is from and who s/he is
surrounded by plays a part in identity formation. This lesson explores the
students’ cultural identity.
About the lesson
Youth are more resilient to change when they know their
families’ histories. Knowing that
members of their family have endured hardships and come out of it just fine is
a motivator for adolescents, encouraging him or her to endure through hard
times.
The purpose of this lesson is for students to learn about their families’ past, cultures and traditions and to use some of this information in a work of art. In this lesson, students will explore their families’ histories by interviewing a family member and collecting images from their family history. Students will add a section to their mind map, responding to questions about their families’ histories and cultures. They will then create a mixed-media work of art that includes photocopies of photographs or other images related to their families’ histories. |
Artists
Some artists use their families’ cultural identities as the
subject matter for their work. Judy Baca
is a mural artist, activist and educator in the Los Angeles area. She believes
that the youth of the area become empowered when they know their cultural
history and realize that their ancestors actions helped create the place where
they live. She works with youth to learn about their cultural history of Los
Angeles and create a half-mile-long mural to tell the story.
Kara Walker and Jacob Lawrence are other artists that create narratives from their cultural history. Both artists represent their cultural history from the time of the Civil war, addressing issues such as slavery, Jim Crow laws, racism, and migration. |