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UCI IMCA (The Institute and Museum of California Art)
What did you see or participate in and where? I went to The Institute and Museum of California Art, aka the UCI IMCA. It’s very conveniently located in Irvine off Von Karman.
Why did you choose this? I chose to visit this museum primarily because another student presented a blog entry after having visited the same museum. Because I have never viewed an exhibit dedicated entirely to California Art, I checked it out. An added benefit to visiting this museum was that it was free of charge.
What did you learn that can contribute to what you are learning in this course? Exactly like the exercises we have participated in during lecture time, like the Mix Your Own Skin Tone activity, I learned that history and culture can both mesh well with art in general. The painting I photographed above is titled “Following the trail of Hetch Hetchy,” and depicts a beatiful and pristine Yosemite Valley, occupied by meandering Native American Indians. This work of art was a sobering reminder of our nation’s history, and additionally saddened me when I mentated the impossibility of ever being able to witness such a casual event with my own eyes. Art is a great way to remind us of our history, and I’m very grateful for these reminders.
What do you wonder now about what you have seen? I primarily wonder what Thomas Hill, the painting’s creator, was thinking when he saw those Native American Indians walking down below in the valley, or whether he actually saw them at all. I wonder if Thomas Hill knew what would come to pass, with respect to the Native American. Instinct and intuition tell me that Hill knew that someone like me would one day look upon this painting, and feel the pain we all feel when we think of the downfall of the Native American.
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Lesson plan on Teaching Tolerance – “What is a Learning Disability?”
Link:
https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/what-is-a-disability
Essential Questions
Explanation of Lesson Plan:
I selected a lesson plan focusing on learning about disabilities that people may live with, and ways to communicate with them in a respectful and kind manner. I originally chose this lesson plan because I have little experience working with students in the K-2 developmental range. The lesson’s objectives are two-fold: to increase knowledge about people with disabilities, and to explore ways to sensitively communicate with people with disabilities. Assuming that this lesson is for Kindergartners and not 1st or 2nd graders, the procedure of this lesson begins with reading aloud a reading titled “Reading About Some Disabilities,” which is rather short and to-the-point. The class is then asked to sound off some examples of people they know to have disabilities. Following this, students are encouraged to ask any questions they may have about disabilities. Finally, the lesson plan calls for impressing up students the following, which I got from the lesson plan: “While it is true that there can be differences among people, there are also lots of things that are the same. All people want to be treated with kindness and respect. Work as a class to come up with some ways that you can be kind and respectful to others.” Students are encouraged to come up with their own ways of communicating with people with disabilities in small groups.
Opinion:
While a somewhat basic lesson plan, I must remember that lesson complexity does not equate to better or more learning. This topic must definitely be covered in schools, especially at such a critical stage in these K-2 students’ lives. Being that Ed104E consistently covers the topic of equality and diversity and ties it to the activities we cover, I think the reasons for which I selected this lesson plan need no explanation. As to my opinion on the quality and content of the lesson plan itself:
While difficult to qualify, I believe the lesson plan could include more guidance for the teachers on more specific disabilities students are likely to encounter as they grow up and continue to go to school. I also had the first gut reaction of thinking this lesson could include a possible video of common situations of disabled people interacting with both respectful/kind people and with the unkind and disrespectful. After some thought, I changed my mind and did not think it a necessary change, nor a recommended one. I then also thought of the possible implementation of role playing situations, where students could have an opportunity to play the part of a respectful and kind person communicating with a a disabled person, but then quickly changed my mind on that as well after realizing the ethical and moral objections to such an idea. Overall, while the lesson plan is concise and curt, I find it to be satisfactory, save for the lack of concrete disabilities teachers should discuss, of which I think there are many more than what was mentioned in the lesson plan.
Reading Handout from Lesson
“Learning about Some Disabilities
Some people have disabilities that you can see right away. For example, some people use
wheelchairs to help them get around. People with hearing problems might need to use a
hearing aid. People who have trouble seeing might need to use a cane or a guide dog.
But some people have disabilities that you can’t see right away. Some kids have learning
disabilities like dyslexia. People with dyslexia often have a hard time with words and
reading. Another disability you can’t see is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, or ADHD. Kids with ADHD may have trouble staying focused. Autism is
another example of a disability that you can’t see. Kids on the autism spectrum may have
difficulty communicating and forming relationships with people.
Whether a kid has a disability you can see or not, remember that he is still just a kid! If
you try talking to him, you’ll probably discover that you have a lot more in common that
you thought.”
Questions required to be answered by students
What are some disabilities?
Dwarfism, autism, blindness, Down’s Syndrome, Tourette’s Syndrome
What are appropriate ways to communicate sensitively with people with disabilities?
With kindness and respect, just like everyone else should be treated.
What are some ways to support and encourage others to sensitively communicate?
Lead by example; I do my best to treat others with the most respect possible, and try to show others how it’s done. If one person is seen bullying another, I believe there are some people who will join in on the bullying to fit in.
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Visual Literacy-Aesthetic Scanning Exercise
First spend some time looking and seeing this work….Then write your responses you may need to ask an attendant to help answer the first three questions.
1. What do the records contain, and what is the significance of the colors? Choose three to listen to and describe what you hear.
I listened to three records, and all of them contained audio recordings of officer-involved shootings that resulted in the death of a black male, either of the audio recording of the encounter itself, or later testimony submitted after-the-fact. What I noticed most were two things: the lexicon the police officers used when describing the physical descriptions and mannerisms of the person to die. The best way I can describe what I hear is the following: there are police officers, before even meeting a suspect, who immediately go from zero-100 and seemingly say everything necessary to justify taking deadly action before the situation is even thoroughly assessed. Do I hear clear racial bias/racism in the radio communications of police the police officers I listened to on the records? Yes, I do.
2. What is the significance of the tables, why are they different lengths?
I could not discern the significance of the different table lengths. As far as their overall significance, all I could think when I approached them and sat at them was that they felt and looked a lot like the tables I would see in jail and juvenile hall during my previous times spent in such institutions.
3. What is in the file folders? Choose 3 to open up and describe what you see inside.
In two of the file folders, I found case files of murders of some well-publicized murders of black men, use of force reports, and 911 call transcripts. In the last folder, I actually found absolutely nothing inside, except the opinion form that exhibitors could fill out if they had any input on what they observed. I can’t remember the exact name of the person, but it was involving a murder that happened in Texas. Because I was puzzled by the blank box, and perhaps because of overthinking it, I filled out one of the forms and submitted it asking, “What is the meaning of the empty box?” I have not yet received a reply. They have my contact information. I will keep you posted, professor!
What do you “see” (close “scientific” observation)?
What is the story or visual narrative presented? Is it abstract or representational (figures and recognizable objects)? Explain:
My experience may have been different than other exhibitors, purely because I happened to walk in while there was a record table that was playing on a loop. All I could hear was a very loud “Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired!” over and over and over until I took the needle off the record vinyl. I then walked back to the ‘start’ of the exhibit and carefully observed the black and white drawing of the person who was shot over 15-20 times (I do not remember the exact number). The picture illustrates the entry, exit, and recovery wounds sustained while being gunned down by police officers. The circles and triangles indicating entry and exit wounds was simple but dramatic: it showed this young man, who I believe was in his late teens, to have been shot in both the front and back of his body.
I then moved back to the record tables and was overwhelmed with how many there were. I chose three at random to the best of my ability and was expecting slightly better sound quality with some of these recordings; it was often difficult to discern what was being said. I then proceeded to the evidence room and took a look at a few boxes I picked at random, as I did not have time to look at all of them. The tables were full of other UCI students who were examining boxes and reading documents. The tables felt much like those I experienced while incarcerated and believe their deployment in this exhibit was intentional to exude the feel of a jail.
After examining some boxes, I read both of the photographic enlargements of the Zimmerman statements and case document excerpts.
What is the medium (paint, metal, stone, photography, video, etc.)? How has the artist/sculptor used the “tools” of the artist? Describe the “elements”: color, value, line, texture, shape, form, space. Describe how these elements are organized in the composition: unity, contrast, repetition, balance, etc.
For medium, the artist employs many different types: photography, physical paper media, light design, and interactive media design. These tools were employed in a manner that I found to be very straightforward, unambiguous, and direct. This was achieved by the highly simple, yet stark layout of the various elements like the entry/exit wound piece being exhibited very plainly, so as to highly the severity and fatality of each x and o. Walls and rooms differentiated each installation, which I felt was underscored by the record tables being exhibited all on their own in the very dimly (and grimly) lit room. The entire exhibit, but mostly the records portion, was so symmetrical and sterile, yet did the perfect job at filling the exhibit with death, fatality, tragedy, racism of police, that no exhibitor could escape the feeling.
What does it mean (interpretation)?
All art is communication, a “conversation” between the artist and the viewer.
What is the title of the work? Does this help explain the “artist intent”?
The title of the work is “American Monument.” At first glance, I did not believe the title to readily and accurately represent the work. However, after some brief thinking, I believe the title (in line with your question) was more to explain the artist’s intent, which I perceive to be the following:
I believe the artist is indicating that police brutality has become one of the cornerstones of America, so to speak; that it’s an indelible black mark on a country that bills itself as an equality-harboring, fair, and just government and society.
What is the date of the work and what does this tell you about the historical and/or cultural context of the work?
I don’t know if I am aware of the correct answer to this. All I know is that this project effectively began in 2018 with the gathering of information via the Freedom of Information Act process. It tells me that before the enactment of the FOIA, police brutality was legally and wrongly kept from the public eye. Only because of the FOIA and the persistence of good and oppressed people was this art installment created. Now that we have more information on previous police brutality from the last 50 years, can we now start processing, appreciating, and acting on this information.
What does the work mean to you? What is your emotional and intellectual response to the work (there are no wrong answers)? If you had choices why did you select this work?
I have experienced police injustice. I have experienced a dozen sheriff’s deputies drawing their guns on me, itching to gun me down. I have experienced watching my friends, while I was in jail with them, get abused by jail staff. All I can say about my emotional and intellectual response is that I could not help but feel the intense frown and furled eyebrows that were on my face the entire time I walked the exhibit. When I walked out of the exhibit, I was exhausted both mentally and physically. It was an uncomfortable experience. But I also felt that my experiences were no where near as dangerous or fatal or unjust as the experience of the American black man in the United States today.
Is it any good (judging)? How do you know? Explain:
Yes, it is a very good exhibit. I think it’s good because it made me think, empathize, and FEEL. It was a reminder that police brutality is something I, as a citizen of this country, must stand up against. However, I really wish each recording was connected to its own headphones, so I could hear the audio better.
What else do you want to know about this work of art, what do you wonder?
I want to know why one of the boxes I opened contained no documents or files on the man who was killed by police in Texas. I’m really hoping someone calls me and says that was a deliberately designed box, and not that someone just misplaced the file contained therein.
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