February 4, 2004
Big Culture grand experience
Area sixth graders take part in week-long Inuit program at Dennos Museum
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Art as a reflection of culture was the big picture.
Literally, during the week-long immersion of sixth grade students from three area elementary schools entitled Inuit Partnership Big Culture Lesson. A pilot, one-year program created by Dennos Museum staff, participating students came from Central Grade School's TAG program as well as Willow Hill and Eastern Elementary schools. Funding for the program came from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Last week, the students from Willow Hill took their turn and headed to the museum on the days not canceled by snow. Students from Central and Eastern Elementary schools had already completed their weeks.
The Willow Hill students watched and participated in Native American drumming and dancing, tried their hand at Inuit art and learned about Inuit textiles. Tapping into the museum's extensive Inuit art collection, Terry Tarnow, the museum store manager, discussed the history of Inuit textiles and demonstrated Inuit weaving techniques. Tarnow, who has traveled to Nunavut and is also a weaver, also showed students a variety of Inuit artifacts including dolls, clothing and tools.
"It was really interesting, I liked listening to the drummers and dancing," Gina Taylor said. "I was surprised to learn how much they pay for the dance dresses, they cost a lot to make or buy."
The students also tried out throat singing, learned Native American dance steps and carved soft cut blocks. Friday morning, students created a rainbow of carvings showing Inuit images such as a caribou, seal, igloos, owls and kayaks, rolled them in vivid inks and pressed their own prints. Each sixth grade class at Willow Hill also made one sheet showcasing all the students' work.
"I liked the hands on part," Hannah Elliott said. "I like how you can learn about it with your hands, not just from a text book."
Before each school's museum visit, John Bailey, a Native American historian based in Traverse City, talked to the students at their school. He introduced them to Native American culture and artifacts, an important component of Big Culture Lesson.
While the Dennos Museum has for years offered an Inuit Partnership with area sixth graders, the expanded program this year also included Native American artists.
"I wrote the grant to tie in the Native American culture because I have always wanted to collaborate with this community, I think that it is a natural tie in," said Kathleen Buday, curator of education and interpretation at the Dennos Museum. "That way we would provide the kids with real live artists, because with Inuit artists, it is just too costly to bring them in every year."
This is also the first year students visited the museum for consecutive days, an intense schedule that helped reinforce learning.
"The kids, it's amazing, they really, really grasped the whole concept of art as a reflection of culture and were able to make a lot of comparisons of the two cultures," Buday said. "They even looked at their own culture and what's similar about these two cultures in their lives."
Pam McMurray, a sixth grade teacher at Willow Hill Elementary School, noted that the Big Culture Lesson captivated her students. She hopes that the two days her students missed, which included a stone carving presentation and a sled dog demonstration, will be rescheduled.
"It is so much more powerful to be able to come and interact with the artists," said McMurray, adding that she and her students spent two weeks before the museum trip learning about Inuit and Native American cultures. "The kids are going to remember it, it is a lifelong memory."