Facilitating a Group Discussion: A Brief Survey and Comparative Analysis of Native American Perceptions in Art, Then and Now

S. Norton Pease, M.F.A.
S. Norton Pease is the College Chair of Education, Arts & Sciences and Nursing at Montana State University-Northern. Holding an MFA from Washington University, St. Louis, Norton's work revolves around cultural identity.

Facilitating a Group Discussion:  A Brief Survey and Comparative Analysis of Native American Perceptions in Art, Then and Now
This OER takes a comparative analysis of Native American perceptions in Art and integrates this into an Art Appreciation survey course discussion. The context with which the content fits is "Themes of Art." This dialogue begins with the students' base knowledge of the subject, proceeded by observations of the works of contemporary, female Native American Artist, Wendy Red Star and the paintings of non-native, male artists from the 1800s (i.e. Alfred Jacob Miller, Charles Wimar, George Catlin, Frederic Remington, and Charles M. Russell). The primary pedagogical approaches will be engaging students in dialogue and allowing for a broader visual vocabulary through the study of historical works of art. Large groups will break into more detail specific, smaller groups.  The crux of the exercise is to facilitate an appreciation of these works, through socio-political means (outsiders looking in) and the perspective of self-reflection, that of the insider's view.

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       http://wesmell.com/arth160/artists.html