Identity Vessels, School Monuments & Healing Rituals
This sculpture unit was designed around Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Hill Pedagogy framework, encouraging students to explore their identities, critique inequities around them, and find joy within their school community. The unit is divided into three parts. First, students designed a vessel inspired by a personal object that represents an aspect of their identity, displayed on abstract or symbolic plinths they created. Second, students developed design proposals for static or interactive monuments to be displayed in the schoolyard, drawing inspiration from how the Black Lives Matter movement transformed the Robert E. Lee memorial and contemporary artists who create socially impactful monuments. Finally, students created a sculpture and an accompanying action to address and heal a school-related issue. They studied artists such as Guadalupe Maravilla and Paul Ramirez Jonas, learning how sculptures can serve as props in communal performances. For example, some students crafted music-making objects paired with poetry to address the mispronunciation of immigrant names, while others created plates of food to foster cultural competency and ease student isolation. This unit empowered students to see themselves as active creators of change, using art to address challenges and build connections within their community.
7th Grade, Acrylic Paint on Air Dry Clay
