LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
FEATURED ARTIST:
Betye Saar
FEATURED ARTWORK:
Miz Hannah’s Secret, 1975
“I’m the kind of person who recycles materials but I also recycle emotions and
feelings. And I had a great deal of anger about the segregation and the racism
in this country.” (2006)
“I am intrigued with combining the remnant of memories, fragments of relics
and ordinary objects, with the components of technology. It’s a way of delving
into the past and reaching into the future simultaneously. The art itself
becomes the bridge.“ (1998)
- Betye Saar
1
CONTENT STANDARDS - VISUAL ART
1.0 Artistic Perception
Grade 6
1.1 Identify and describe all the elements of art found in selected works of art.
1.2 Discuss works of art as to theme, genre, style, idea, and differences in media.
2.0 Creative Expression
2.4 Create increasingly complex original works of art reflecting personal choices and increased technical skill.
4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
4.1 Construct and describe plausible interpretations of what they perceive in works of art.
4.2 Identify and describe ways in which their culture is reflected in current works of art.
5.0 Connections, Relationships, Applications
5.3 Create artwork containing visual metaphors that express the traditions and myths of selected cultures.
Grade 7
1.0 Artistic Perception
1.2 Identify and describe scale (proportion) as applied to two- and three-dimensional works of art.
1.3 Identify and describe the ways in which artists convey the illusion of space (e.g., placement, overlapping, relative size, atmospheric perspective,
and linear perspective).
1.4 Analyze and describe how the elements of art and the principles of design contribute to the expressive qualities of their own works of art.
2.0 Creative Expression
2.1 Use different forms of perspective to show the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface.
4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
4.1 Explain the intent of a personal work of art and draw possible parallels between it and the work of a recognized artist.
4.2 Analyze the form (how a work of art looks) and content (what a work of art communicates) of works of art.
Grade 8
1.0 Artistic Perception
1.1 Use artistic terms when describing the intent and content of works of art.
1.2 Analyze and justify how their artistic choices contribute to the expressive quality of their own works of art.
3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
3.1 Examine and describe or report on the role of a work of art created to make a social comment or protest social conditions.
3.3 Identify major works of art created by women and describe the impact of those works on society at that time.
4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
Grade 9-12 Proficient
4.3 Construct an interpretation of a work of art based on the form and content of the work.
1.0 Artistic Perception
1.5 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work.
2.0 Creative Expression
2.6 Create a two- or three-dimensional work of art that addresses a social issue.
4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
4.1 Articulate how personal beliefs, cultural traditions, and current social, economic, and political contexts influence the interpretation of the meaning
or message in a work of art.
4.3 Formulate and support a position regarding the aesthetic value of a specific work of art, and change or defend that position after considering the
views of others.
2
Grade 9-12 Advanced
1.0 Artistic Perception
1.1 Analyze and discuss complex ideas such as distortion, color theory, arbitrary color, scale, expressive content, and real versus virtual in works of art.
2.0 Creative Expression
2.1 Create original works of art of increasing complexity and skill in a variety of media that reflect their feelings and points of view.
2.4 Demonstrate in their own works of art a personal style and an advanced proficiency in communicating an idea, theme, or emotion.
3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
3.1 Identify contemporary styles and discuss the diverse social, economic, and political developments reflected in the works of art examined.
3.2 Identify contemporary artists worldwide who have achieved regional, national, or international recognition and discuss ways in which their work
reflects, plays a role in, and influences present-day culture.
4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
4.2 Identify the intentions of artists creating contemporary works of art and explore the implications of those intentions.
4.3 Analyze and articulate how society influences the interpretation and message of a work of art.
Grades 9-10
Grade 8
Grade 7
Grade 6
CONTENT STANDARDS - LANGUAGE ARTS
Writing Applications
2.0 Genres and Their Characteristics:
2.3 Write research reports.
Writing Applications
2.0 Genres and Their Characteristics:
2.3 Write research reports.
Writing Applications
2.0 Genres and Their Characteristics:
2.3 Write research reports.
Writing Applications
2.0 Genres and Their Characteristics:
2.3 Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports.
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
MATERIALS:
OVERVIEW:
Betye Saar assembles found objects to create unified
three-dimensional artworks that demonstrate how diverse cultural and
personal identities can come together in a hybrid form. Saar creates
assemblages out of man-made and natural materials that address
issues of memory and identity. Students will explore their own cultural
heritage, research and write a report on their family and cultural
identities, and create an assemblage using found objects to convey an
idea about identity.
Transparencies of
Miz Hannah’s Secret, 1975
Overhead projector
Boxes and/or other containers
Cardboard
Cutting tools
Tape
Paper
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Adhesives
Students will analyze how the media used by an artist contribute to the
message of a work of art.
Students will consider the organization of different elements of a work of
art to create a balanced, unified whole.
Students will consider the use of juxtaposition in works of art as a
means to express an idea.
Students will discuss and research family histories and cultural heritage
and write a report about these aspects of their identity.
Paint and painting tools
Felt and other fabrics
Decorative objects like feathers,
beads, dried flowers
Objects found by students
Using a variety of materials and techniques, students will create a
three-dimensional work of art that communicates an idea about identity.
Students will use placement, scale, overlapping, and texture expressively
in a work of art.
TIME:
6 class sessions
KEY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1.
How do family history and cultural heritage
inform personal identity?
2.
3.
What do you notice in this work?
How does the juxtaposition of found objects
in an assembled work create meaning?
4.
5.
6.
How is identity conveyed in a work of art?
How are overlapping, layering, and texture
used to enhance the three-dimensionality of a
work of art?
How can relative sizes be used to convey
meaning in a work of art?
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
SUGGESTED PROCEDURE:
DISCUSS:
Ask students what they know about their cultural heritage and
family history. How has this knowledge been shared? What
kinds of traditions and remnants of these histories are part of
their lives?
Ask students how much of an influence their cultural heritage
and family history have on their everyday life.
Ask students how these histories may shape their personal
identities.
Project transparency of Miz Hannah’s Secret, 1975
Tell students this is a reproduction of a 1975 work by the artist Betye Saar.
Ask students to describe what they see. Students may identify a stained wooden box with brass hinges and a lock
on the front. The box has a tray with compartments and appears to contain photos and other keepsakes.
Project transparency that shows details of the interior of the box and tray.
Ask students to examine the details of this work. What types of objects do they see? Students may notice a black
square on the inside of the lid with 12 small black-and-white photos of people, maybe small family groups. A screen
with tan-colored feathers around the edges shields the items in the bottom of the box. Beneath the screen are dried
rose-colored flower buds and an open metal case with spaces for photos. There are two barely distinguishable
faces on the upper left, and a circle on the right is propped open to reveal a void or marked-out space. Below are
two circles, each bearing a photograph of a woman wearing a hat.
The tray is divided into a number of compartments. The seven small square compartments at the bottom each
contain objects: a thimble, small shells, a broach or pendant, buttons, and a tarnished gold leaf. Above the bottom
row of compartments is a large, centered rectangle flanked by long rectangular compartments. In the left
compartment is a small metal crucifix tucked into a worn open leather case and a black or grey feather. In the right
compartment is a small oval frame with a photo of a man in a suit placed above a damaged and wrinkled image of a
ship. Another broach-like object is set below the images. The center rectangle is divided into five compartments with
a large diamond shape in the center and a small triangle at each corner. In the corners, students might notice
beaded fabric and dried flowers, a pincushion, felt, a small piece of lace, and what look like earrings. At the center is
a photo of a man and a woman in old-fashioned clothing who stand about a foot apart from each other. Fabric
leaves and a purple bow-shaped pin frame the photo.
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
Ask students what they think is the purpose of the box. Make
sure they justify their answers. Students may describe the box
as a jewelry or keepsake box. They may make connections to
boxes they keep for mementos and treasures.
Ask students to discuss what places, peoples, and beliefs
they associate with these individual objects or fragments.
Tell students this is an example of assemblage, a
three-dimensional work of art that incorporates “found” objects
not typically intended for the creation of works of art. Collage
can be described as the same idea in two-dimensional form.
Betye Saar, an artist of mixed race, is best known for her work
in assemblage, a medium that flourished in Los Angeles in the
1960s. In 1965, the Watts race riots, which lasted for six days,
acted as an impetus for local artists to respond to the social and political problems at the root of the riots.
Assemblage—a practice that involves bringing together and negotiating different elements—proved to be an
effective medium for African-American artists to examine the relationship of their culture to that of the nation as a
whole. Saar combines personal mementos and found objects to create works that are often autobiographical and
engage issues of race, gender, and culture in our history and in our contemporary culture.
Ask students whether their knowledge of the artist’s gender and racial identity changes or in any way alters how
they interpret the work.
Ask students to consider the title of the work, Miz Hannah’s Secret. How does the title influence their
understanding of the work? Who do they imagine Miz Hannah is or was? How is the idea of a secret conveyed by
the work? What do the details of the work tell us about identity?
Tell students that the artist often adds elements of intrigue and mystery to her assemblages by giving them
compartments and moving pieces, so that parts of the story are hidden and can be uncovered by the viewer.
Materials associated with a more distant heritage are combined with objects that are more personal. In 1975, Betye
Saar’s great aunt Hattie died and left behind numerous belongings, many of which Saar has incorporated in her
assemblage works. The artist reinvents her personal and ancestral history and identity through her artistic
production.
Ask students to discuss the different ways that we describe our identities—through race, cultural heritage, gender,
religion, residence, profession, activities, etc. Are any of these aspects of identity evident in this assemblage?
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
Ask students to discuss how the arrangement of the objects in the box influences our interpretation of meaning.
Students may note which objects are given more prominent placement. They may note the size of the objects and
compartments relative to one another. They may discuss which objects would be visible as soon as the box is
open (the objects in the lid and the tray versus the objects that are hidden below the screen). They may talk about
the placement of certain mementoes near certain photographs and what story that arrangement might tell.
Tell students that assemblage artists use the juxtaposition of objects to suggest meaning.
Ask students how the artist emphasizes the three-dimensionality of the object. They may note the layering of
objects in the bottom of the box under a screen, which is in turn under a tray. Students may discuss the variety of
textures used—the flatness of the photographs contrasting with the fabrics and with natural objects like shells,
leaves, and flowers. They may also talk about how some objects overlap, which enhances the illusion of depth.
WRITE:
RESEARCH REPORT
Ask students to consider the role of family history and cultural heritage in defining their personal identities. Have
students brainstorm a list of questions they should explore.
Tell students to research their family histories and cultural heritage and to write a research report about what they
discover. Students may conduct interviews with family members and use book and electronic resources to explore
questions about cultural heritage. Reports should address the question: How do my family background and
cultural heritage inform my identity?
CREATE:
ASSEMBLAGE
Ask students to begin collecting objects before you begin the lesson. Students should look for objects that are
visually interesting and objects that may convey a message about personal or cultural identity. Encourage students
to incorporate discarded objects, personal mementos, and other objects that speak more broadly to issues of
ethnic, national, gender, and religious identity. Ask students to look for a box or another container that might serve
as a three-dimensional frame.
Tell students to make a plan on paper for a three-dimensional assemblage that tells a story and/or conveys a
message about identity. Their plans should incorporate a container and a number of found objects. Tell students
they will create a three-dimensional object from this plan, so they should consider how they will divide the space
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
of the container; which objects they want to use as dominant aspects of the composition; how they will use
overlapping, placement, layering, relative size, and a variety of textures to increase the illusion of depth; and how
they can use the juxtaposition of objects to suggest meaning. Students may want to get ideas for their
compositions by looking at other examples of assemblage work on the Internet by artists like Betye Saar, Joseph
Cornell, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Cover worktables with newspaper. Distribute boxes and containers (as needed), cardboard, cutting tools, tape,
paper, adhesives, paint, and fabrics.
Tell students to use the cardboard to make any compartments included in their plan, and to make sure they fit
into their containers. Students should then use paints, fabrics, or paper to create a unified finished surface for the
container.
Distribute additional objects for the construction of the work (e.g., feathers, beads, dried flowers, felts, and other
fabrics).
Tell students to begin constructing their assemblages, using their plans as guides. Students should place all of
their objects and make adjustments to the overall composition before they begin to paste. Remind students to use
a variety of textures and overlapping to enhance the sense of three-dimensional space.
CRITIQUE:
Display completed assemblages in the classroom. Ask students to critique the effectiveness of each
assemblage in communicating a message about identity. Students should assess the unity of the object and the
effectiveness of placement. Students should also discuss the use of overlapping, layering, and texture to enhance
the illusion of space.
LESSON EXTENSION:
Tell students to research the Watts Towers in Los
Angeles and write a short report on what they
discover. Students should describe the Towers
and explain why they might be considered an
example of assemblage. Students should state
whether or not they think the Watts Towers are a
work of art and justify their opinions. How would
they classify the Towers—is this work architectural
or sculptural?
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
ASSESSMENT:
Did students analyze how the
media used by an artist
contribute to the message of a
work of art?
Did students consider the
organization of different
elements of a work of art to
create a balanced, unified
whole?
Did students consider the use
of juxtapositions in works of art
to generate meaning?
Did students discuss and
research their family histories
and cultural heritage and write
a report about these aspects of
their identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
RESOURCES:
Betye Saar
http://www.netropolitan.org/saar/saarmain.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=
6688207
http://www.michaelrosenfeldart.com/artists/
artists_represented.php?i=56&m=biography
Assemblage Artists
http://www.assemblageartists.com/
http://collagemuseum.com/list.htm
Watts Towers
http://www.wattstowers.us/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/Default.asp?page_id=613
http://www.trywatts.com/towers.htm
Did each student create a
three-dimensional work of art
that communicates an idea
about identity using a variety of
materials and techniques?
Did students use placement,
scale, overlapping, and texture
expressively in a work of art?
VOCABULARY:
Assemblage:
a three-dimensional work comprised of found objects arranged to create a work of art
Collage:
a two-dimensional work comprised of found objects arranged to create a work of art
Juxtaposition:
placement side by side, especially for the purpose of comparison and contrast
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LESSON 5: ASSEMBLING A PAST
How do history and cultural heritage inform personal identity?
PERSONAL IDENTITY
WHO IS BETYE SAAR?:
Betye Saar—who is of African American, Irish, Creole,
German, and Native American descent—was born in
Los Angeles in 1926. As a child, she would visit her
grandmother in Watts. It was in this neighborhood that
Saar had one of her first experiences with artmaking.
Just a few blocks away from where her grandmother
lived was the site where Simon Rodia, an Italian
immigrant, was assembling the famous Watts Towers
out of masonry walls and tall metal spires decorated
with pieces of broken glass and ceramics, rocks,
shells, and other objects.
Saar was educated in Los Angeles, receiving her
Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 1949 and later
undertaking graduate studies at California State
University, Long Beach; California State University,
Northridge; and the University of Southern California.
She married artist and conservator Richard Saar, a
Caucasian, even though interracial marriage was still
rare and quite controversial at the time. They had three daughters. In 1968, the couple divorced, and Saar worked as a
teacher and costume designer to help support her family. In the 1960s and 70s, Saar established herself as an artist,
becoming known for her work in assemblage, which describes works of art that are created by assembling and arranging
“found” objects that are not typically used as materials for artmaking. She had begun her career as a printmaker, but was
influenced by a 1967 exhibition of the assemblage boxes of 20th-century American artist Joseph Cornell at the Pasadena
Museum of Art. She began collecting boxes and materials at thrift shops and flea markets.
Saar creates a hybrid of cultures, races, and self in her works, which often take the form of boxes or altars. Her work often
combines objects from African American culture with objects from different cultures and time periods. Her 1972
assemblage, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, uses the image of the black mammy frequently featured in advertising and
other popular media to problematize racial and gender stereotypes. Saar has also created room-size installations and
public art works.
Saar continues to live and work in Los Angeles. Two of her three daughters—Alison Saar and Lezley Saar—are also
artists, and she has often collaborated with them to make art. A survey exhibition titled Family Legacies: the Art of Betye,
Lezley, and Alison Saar toured the country between 2006 and 2007. Secrets, Dialogs, Revelations: The Art of Betye and
Alison Saar toured the U.S. in the early 1990s. Betye Saar has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions in
galleries and museums around the country and abroad. She has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by California
College of Arts and Crafts, California Institute of the Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, Otis College of Art and Design, and
San Francisco Art Institute.
Betye Saar
Miz Hannah’s Secret, 1975
Betye Saar
Miz Hannah’s Secret, 1975 (detail)
Betye Saar
Miz Hannah’s Secret, 1975 (detail)