12/26/19
2pm-4:30pm
Laura and I worked on our lesson plan for the Native American Pottery Workshop for December 28th-29th, 2019, to be held at the Plains Art Museum. We went through our learning objectives. Laura had me start a PowerPoint for the lesson.
1/2/20
7pm-8pm
Finished powerpoint for the pottery lesson.
1/4/20
11am-5pm
We spent the beginning of the time discussing the plan for the course and getting set up. Then we had the class. Laura presented the PowerPoint, which discussed Laurel and Blackduck pottery of the Midwestern region. I found this lesson very valuable, especially as I have been thinking about ways in which art classes can be decolonized. Most of the time when people think of Native Pottery, they think of pottery from Southwestern tribes. So, discussing pottery from the tribes of the region we are in, is a good way of Indigenizing an art lesson. Then I got to lead a lesson. I showed the students how to make pinch pots and then how to add coils to them to make them into larger pots. The rest of the class time was for the students to work on their pots.
1/5/20
12:30pm-5:30pm
With some time to set up and clean up. This day was the day to start decorating the pots. Laura and I referred back to the PowerPoint pictures and showed the students techniques in which they could use the tools to make their pots in the style of Blackduck and Laurel. But they had the option to do other designs as well, not necessarily Blackduck and Laurel. Students spent time exploring different ways to decorate with a variety of tools.
1/11/20
12pm-5:30pm
We first spent some time discussing the plan for the Ribbon Skirt Making class at the Plains Art Museum for January 1st and 2nd 1-5pm. With some time to set up and clean up. Laura led a discussion about the importance of ribbon skirts and then went through the first few steps of how to make a ribbon skirt. I assisted with organizing and helping students navigate the space, as there was a lot of material people could choose from. I also assisted students with measuring and cutting fabric.
1/12/20
12:30pm-5:30pm
With some time to set up and clean up. Laura went over the last few steps of making a ribbon skirt. Some new students weren’t there on the first day, so Laura had me help them get up to speed on what to do. I do not have a lot of experience with sewing machines, but Laura had me watch her every time she would help a student get set up with a sewing machine. It was helpful that she still had things that I could help her with, but also just to see how she does it.