Discover and share individual identities and create community connections through art and story telling.
Show Us Who You Are uses art and storytelling as students deepen their understanding of humanity and build understanding and connections that foster work for the common good. This project is a valuable interdisciplinary resource to bring explorations of history, identity, and social justice to the school curriculum.
With guidance from AWTT founding artist Robert Shetterly’s video “How to Draw a Portrait” students will create art featuring their own identity, the identity of a community truth teller, or the identity of a member of a marginalized community. Following the Narrative Writing Guidelines, they will write companion narratives about an event, person, and/or belief that guided them or their featured portrait subject.
AWTT encourages displaying these stories and art in public locations, e.g. libraries, community centers, coffee shops, to foster knowledge and understanding of the human condition and to help bridge identities and issues that divide our communities and world.
Show US Who You Are aims to inspire honest participation in the ongoing conversation about how good, and great, America can be if we all take an active part in creating awareness and understanding.
The storytelling portion of Show US Who You Are is an integral part of the art. Reflections often come from who we are, how we perceive the world, how we think of ourselves — the parts that we love about ourselves and the parts we want to change. You may wish to complete this part first and let the thoughts, ideas, events inform the image you create with your art.
Become familiar with Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits by completing the Lesson Plan: “Who Are the Portrait Subjects?”
Before you write the narrative, complete the following:
A.) Read the selection “Little Things Are Big” by Jesús Colón (From Facing History and Ourselves)
B.) Talk about the “real” and “assigned” identities of Jesus Colon.
C.) Ask students to do the same for themselves:
D.) Ask students to share their lists.
E.) Discuss what makes these two lists different and how they can become closer to the same list, e.g. change behaviors, openly address misunderstandings, talk about stereotype
Select the Show Us Who You Are option you plan to complete and proceed to that section:
Before you share your story, complete the following exercises:
Describe something you want people to know about you:
Something that isn’t apparent from just meeting you, e.g. something you are passionate about or something the you have experienced that shapes the way you live your life.
A behavior that none but those closest to you would see.
Let yourself be vulnerable:
Write about a feeling, thought, idea that you have never shared with anyone. Take a few moments to think, travel to your inner thoughts and feelings. Be willing to take risks and let yourself be vulnerable.
Share any or all of the above if you are comfortable doing so.
Keeping in mind that cultural diversity includes, but is not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical and mental ability, language, education, occupation, national origin, etc., respond to the following questions:
____________________________________________________________________
that makes me feel proud or good is: ________________________________________
Worksheet taken from “A Campus of Difference”. Participant Workbook for the University of Minnesota-Morris. Copyright 2002 Anti-Defamation League. A World of Difference Institute.
How did you get to be who you are today? What concerns you? What is important to you? Narratives accompanying portraits may reflect any of the following:
Confine your thoughts to one or two critical events, ideas, issues, or beliefs. Go deep and write from your heart.
Examples:
Complete Lesson Plan: “What are Truth Teller Characteristics”?
NB: Do all but this part of the lesson: “Use the creative arts to present this person to the class, school, or community, e.g. portrait, piece of music, spoken word, collage, dramatic piece.” This “Show Us” step is covered by the instructions below.
Complete the following prompts:
Writing the Narrative for your chosen Truth Teller:
How did this person get to be who they are today? What concerns them? What is important to them? Narratives accompanying portraits may reflect any of the following:
into the wonderful human being they are.
Suggestions for writing:
Tell a story: Be specific. …ground your story in the events of the truth teller’s life. The story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny—but it
should be real. Consider moments when your truth teller was tested or changed.
Be brief: Your narrative should be one to two pages and focus on the events and qualities that are central to your truth teller’s life.
(from This I Believe, The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman in association with NPR, Holt Paperbacks, 2007.)
View the ways the creative arts builds connections and understanding:
*Marginalized communities, peoples or populations are groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions (National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health.
Watch video – Understanding Marginalization: What do Marginalized groups, and people mean?
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