MPS Community Education
Facilitator: Tom Kanthak
763-438-3988
[email protected]
MN Indian Art and Aesthetics will explore the richness and diversity of Minnesota's Anishinaabe (Ojibwe/Chippewa), Dakota/Lakota (Sioux) artists in Minnesota. It is not possible to understand the Art and Aesthetics of the Native people of MN without understanding the culture of the Dakota and the Ojibwe p
eople. To that end, it is my intention to invite Native artists to our class to relate as much as they can about their cultural heritage and its' relationship to their art. We will also be reading a number of books that will help us understand more deeply the cultural and aesthetic underpinnings of Native art. Group sessions will include viewing and discussing Native art via Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), Aesthetic Scanning (DAIJ), and utilizing parts of the "Native Art As World Art" collection. Other resources will include a thorough reading of "Native Artists: Livelihoods, Resources, Space, Gifts." A new publication of the catalogue for the 2011 travelling art exhibit "Mni Sota: Reflections of Time and Place". The course will follow, as closely as possible, the techniques of Indigenous Pedagogy and Sensory Aesthetics, which includes learning outdoors, hands-on/experiential learning, peer teaching, curriculum based on the four seasons, attendance and maybe participation at powwows, and a culminating event that demonstrates the outcomes of our study. Be prepared to attend at least one Powwow in the Twin Cites area. Syllabus Determined by Participants might include:
Gallery Visits to:
1) All My Relations – Franklin Ave.
2) Bockley Gallery and Birchbark Books – Kenwood
3) Two Rivers Gallery – Franklin Ave.
4) Northland Visions – Franklin Ave. Guest Speakers including:
1) Pat Kruse - Birchbark
2) Dave and Valerie Larsen – Regalia and Culture
3) Missy and Ernie Whiteman – Filmmaker and Visual Artist
4) Dyanni Whitehawk Reynolds – Visual Artist
Viewing and Discussing Art:
1) Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), Aesthetic Scanning (DAIJ)
2) Native American Art As World Art (NAAWA)
3) Native Artists: Livelihoods, Resources, Space, Gifts.
4) Videos of MN Native Artists
Experiential Activities: (Sensory Aesthetics)
1) Leatherwork and beading
2) Cooking and food
3) Outdoor exploration of natural materials
4) Creating original art and craftwork
5) Attendance at a powwow(s)
6) Drumming, Dancing, Singing
7) Improvisational explorations
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The concept of Indigenous Pedagogical Techniques (IPT) has emerged in my teaching because of protracted, profound and persistent exposure to the American Indian culture of the Minnesota Ojibwe, Lakota, and Dakota people. For the past 26 years I have:
• maintained a friendship and mentorship with the hereditary Chief of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, George Earth, Sr. (http://georgeearth.wikispace.com), who is my primary teacher (wen'enh) and adopted brother;
• participated in, observed and documented countless Native powwows and ceremonies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_erQfzPCvOo );
• continued to learn from elders and singers with the Wakayzo Drum (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdNBLv2GEeg);
• participated in workshops conducted by the White Bison, Inc. (http://www.whitebison.org) on Native culture and health;
• served as an adviser and participant in the Recovery Maintenance Program at the Division of Indian Work (http://diw.gmcc.org/);
• instituted the American Indian Support Group, a student club for Native students at the Perpich Center;
• continued a strong relationship with noted author and researcher, Kent Nerburn ("The Wolf at Twilight", “Neither Wolf Nor Dog”, “Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy
• developed a collaborative relationship with the Leech Lake Youth Development Center in Cass Lake, MN, and its director Gary Charwood;
• for two years I was the Liaison for Indigenous Arts Education as a Teacher On Special Assignment (TOSA) for the Perpich Center for Arts Education. This exposure to the Native culture of MN has given me a renewed hope that educating our children with the ancient and proven teaching and learning methods of the indigenous people will help us survive. If we can learn from and implement basic pedagogical techniques practiced by our indigenous elders for millennia, we may have a chance to continue to live on Mother Earth with respect, dignity, and co-existence.
