Preparing to Discuss Difficult Topics through the Art of Kara Walker - Noaa Stoler Assistant Director of K-12 Learning & Gallery Interpretation ...
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Preparing to Discuss Difficult Topics through the Art of Kara Walker Noaa Stoler Assistant Director of K-12 Learning & Gallery Interpretation
Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and Other Works
September 15, 2018 – January 6, 2019
Kara Walker (b. 1969) Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Alabama Loyalists Greeting the Federal Gun- Buzzard's Roost Pass (Georgia) from
Boats from the series Harper's Pictorial the series Harper's Pictorial History of
History of the Civil War (Annotated), 2005 the Civil War (Annotated), 2005
Offset lithograph and silkscreen Offset lithograph and silkscreen, Ed. 29/35
sheet: 39 x 53 in. (99.1 x 134.6 cm) sheet: 53 x 39 in. (134.6 x 99.1 cm)
Museum purchase; Acquisition Fund, 2006.12 Museum purchase; Acquisition Fund, 2016.13
Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and Other Works
September 15, 2018 – January 6, 2019
Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Emancipation Approximation (Scene #18)
from the set of 26 screenprints The Emancipation Approximation, 1999-2000
Screenprint
44 x 33 15/16 in.
Courtesy of Wolf Knapp and Meg Malloy
Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and Other Works
September 15, 2018 – January 6, 2019
Kara Walker (b. 1969)
African/American, 1998 Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Linocut
46 ¼ x 60 5/8 in.
Consume, 1998
Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Cut paper on wall
69 x 32 in.
the Peter Norton Family Foundation, 1998
Collection of Jean Crutchfield
1998.456.3
and Robert Hobbs
Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and Other Works
September 15, 2018 – January 6, 2019
"The work is difficult because the history
is hard. But don't you want to see it?"
Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Virginia’s Lynch Mob, 1998
Cut paper and adhesive wall installation
Installation dimensions variable; approx. 112 x 444 in.
Museum Purchase; Centennial Fund
2016.9
Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and Other Works
September 15, 2018 – January 6, 2019
Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Virginia’s Lynch Mob, 1998
Cut paper and adhesive wall installation
Installation dimensions variable; approx. 112 x 444 in.
Museum Purchase; Centennial Fund
2016.9
Docent Survey
What are your concerns about giving
adult and public tours of the exhibition
Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and
Other Works?
- Finding neutral language to discuss Kara
Walker’s work and her intent.
- Facilitating fearless conversations that allow
people to learn.
- Dealing with reactionary comments and
attitudes productively and without judgement. Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Freedom, a Fable: A Curious Interpretation of the Wit of a Negress in Troubled
Times, 1997, Leather bound pop-up book, 27 pages, 9 x 8 in.
Gift of Gail Stavitsky 2017.11
What, if any, are the opportunities you are excited about as we look forward to
the exhibition Kara Walker: Virginia’s Lynch Mob and Other Works?
- Facing up to the history of slavery and racism in our country, which still affects us
today.
- A completely new challenge as a docent to navigate this body of work.
- I think the exhibition is great way to engage in issues
(race/gender) that are omnipresent but everyone is afraid
to talk about.
Tour Outline
Key Elements:
- Introduction with warning
- Open-ended questions
- Definition of a stereotype
- Historical background on silhouettes
Kara Walker (b. 1969)
The Katastwóf Karavan (maquette), 2017
Painted laser-cut stainless steel, Ed. 1/30
- History of slavery, Civil War, and lynchings Collection of Anne and Arthur Goldstein
- Connections to current systems of oppression
- Artist quotes
- Uplifting conclusion
Trainings with Keonna Hendrick & Marit Dewhurst
Reconstruction Era & the Fragility of Democracy,
Facing History & Ourselves
1. How race became a social construct
2. What is taught (or mis-taught) about Reconstruction in
schools, and why—the Dunning School and the “Lost
Cause”
3. Gone With the Wind & Birth of a Nation
4. Timeline of the history or slavery, the Civil War, the
Reconstruction Era, and Ku Klux Klan
5. Other contemporary artist who appropriate imagery from
this time period: Spike Lee & Childish Gambino
6. What Should be Done with Confederate Monuments
Today?Generous Listening in Three Steps Clarification When a student says something that is confusing or challenging, generously listen and ensure you understand what they said, what they mean, and where they are coming from before responding. - Ask follow up questions to draw out as much information as you. - Allow the student to reflect on what he or she is saying. - Give yourself time to plan your response. Continuation To provide multiple perspectives on the same topic, address the class with follow up questions, or provide information, an artist quote, or a story as a counterpoint. Closure If the conversation veers off-topic or becomes antagonistic or too uncomfortable, pivot to a new topic.
Docent-led Museum Tours
Looking & Talking Guide
Exploring Kara Walker With Families: Guided Inquiry Tour TOUR GOALS - Encourage family engagement - Gain understanding of Civil War - Connect to current events - Discuss strategies for family members becoming Change Agents ARTWORK: 20TH CENTURY RACE RIOTS: SKETCHES FROM AN AMERICAN COMIC OPERA - What’s going on in this scene? - This scene shows one group of people attacking another group because of differences in skin color. The Civil War was fought mostly because people in the South who were white thought they had the right to keep black people trapped and enslaved like animals. Others who were white felt this was wrong. - Can you think of an example of conflicts and fights still happening in the U.S. today where people who are of different races, religions, and cultures are still targets of attack by others?
Exploring Kara Walker With Families: Guided Inquiry Tour
Kara Walker Reflection Space
Kara Walker Reflection Space https://business.facebook.com/pg/mammontclair/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10158085046388761
Teaching Difficult History through the Art of Kara Walker
QUESTIONS?
Kara Walker (b. 1969)
Testimony, 2005
Photogravures on Twinrocker paper, with full margins. Published by Lower East Side Print Shop, New York, NY
each sheet: 16 1/2 x 21 3/4 in. (41.9 x 55.2 cm)
Gift of Patricia A. Bell, 2013.5.1-5You can also read
