Suggestions for classroom activities and connections into the curriculum
Language ArtsYounger students will enjoy African folk tales (see Suggestions for Further Reading). Ask for volunteers to dramatize the story in their own words. Other students can design simple masks from construction paper, reflecting the characters in the story.
Write a poem about one of the artworks you saw. Look through the object's eyes. What did it see in its homeland? How did it come to America? Read Langston Hughes's The Dream Keeper and Other Poems for inspiration.
MathematicsThe Baule Spirit Spouse's head is about one-third of her total height, making a ratio of 1 to 3. Find other examples of figures to measure, and then compare the data. What are the average proportions for West African figures? For models in fashion magazines? For the students in the class?
Social StudiesResearch and discuss village life in Africa (see especially www.uiowa.edu). Students can prepare brief reports on topics such as living spaces, the raising of children, village leaders, and common occupations.
Find out how life in Africa has changed since these artworks were made many years ago. Plan an imaginary visit to a modern African city, such as Dakar, Abidjan, or Kinshasa.
Many of the museum's African artworks were created to celebrate rites of passage. Think of some rites of passage for our culture. Do we mark these events with certain rituals? Do we use particular objects or wear special clothes? How would you explain an American wedding, graduation, or funeral to someone from Africa?
ScienceThink about the relationship between climate and art. What kinds of artwork would you expect to be made by traders crossing great deserts? By farmers living near the forest? By nomadic herdsmen on the savanna? Test your hypothesis by researching art made in these areas.
MusicListen to examples of traditional or contemporary African music. (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music has a CD with very fine excerpts.) How does it relate to more familiar types of music?
Research ways in which African music has influenced jazz and other American musical forms.