Fall 2005 - National Portrait Gallery

NPG IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Volume 1, no. 4. Fall 2005
Experience the Riches of “Retratos” with...
Our Talented Teen Ambassadors
Six students from Washington, D.C.’s Bell
Multicultural High School were selected by
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery staff this
past spring to serve as Teen Ambassadors for
the “Retratos” exhibition. During the summer,
these young people participated in training that
included trips to museums and other cultural
institutions, as well as an introduction to various
careers in the museum field. The ambassadors, who are being mentored by Education
Department staff, served as curators for “Faces
of Inspiration,” a photography exhibition that
features people from their community. It will be
on display in the corridor of the S. Dillon Ripley
Center that leads toward the National Museum
of African Art and will run concurrently with
“Retratos.”
In the words of these talented young people:
The exhibition “Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin
American Portraits” was an inspiration to us in
many ways. It not only helped us learn about
portraiture but also inspired us to learn more
about our own communities. “Retratos” taught
us about pride and the importance of sharing
our communities and cultures with others. The
curators of “Retratos”
met with us and spoke
about the creation of that
exhibition. We used their
ideas to help create our
own exhibition, entitled
“Faces of Inspiration.”
Through our photography
exhibition, we hope to
share our pride in our
community and show
appreciation for the
heroes who help us in our
communities every day.
Ultimately, we discovered
that the most important
heroes to us were right
under our noses the whole
time!
The National Portrait Gallery’s 2005–6 Teen Ambassadors (left to right): Victor Benitez,
Deborah Zelaya, Lily Castillo, Fritza Marie Camille, Katherine Feliz, and Curtis Latimore
Our Stupendous School Tours
Our Cool Costume Van
The Portraits in Motion outreach program uses a
van outfitted with trunks—containing eight costumes inspired by portraits in “Retratos,” painted
backdrops, costume plate cards, a digital camera, laptop computer, and portable printers—to
visit schools before or after students see the
exhibition.
Three life-sized canvases serve as backdrops
for instant portrait sessions, produced with a
digital camera so that students can take their
portraits home the same day. The Ford ArtReach
van will travel to different local communities.
Woman from Bahía (Dama de Bahía) by an unidentified artist
(Brazilian school), oil on canvas, mid-nineteenth century.
Museu Paulista, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
October 27–December 15, Tuesdays and
Thursdays by appointment, at the International Gallery, S. Dillon Ripley Center, on the
National Mall
Composed of more than 100 portraits from over
fifteen countries, “Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin
American Portraits” begins in the Precolumbian
era, continues through the viceregal and independence periods, and ends with the modern
and contemporary eras. Tours will incorporate
the National Portrait Gallery’s innovative “walk,
talk, think, and do” approach to museum programming. Participants will solve puzzles about
figures in the exhibition using objects, portrait
details, and biographical information. This program is available to grades 4 through 12.
Simón Bolívar (detail) by José Gil de Castro (Peruvian, 1785–
1841), oil on canvas, 1830. Museo Nacional de Arqueología,
Antropología, e Historia del Perú, Lima
Our Enriching Evening
for Educators
October 25, 4:30–7:00 p.m., Discovery
Theater (Room 3111), S. Dillon Ripley Center,
on the National Mall
In this teacher workshop, the National Portrait
Gallery’s Education Department staff will focus
on pre- and post-visit programming using exhibition content and will introduce participants to
the “Retratos” Teacher Resource Guide and the
Portraits in Motion ArtReach van.
Teachers attending
this workshop will
receive a copy of
the “Retratos” catalogue and Teacher
Resource Guide. Dinner will be provided
for attendees.
For more information and to schedule
a school tour and van visit, or to
register for the free teacher workshop,
call Briana Zavadil White, school and
teacher program coordinator, at (202)
275-1824.
Our Fabulous Family Days
November 5, November 19, and December 3,
noon–4: 00 p.m., Discovery Theater (Room
3111), S. Dillon Ripley Center, on the
National Mall
Three Family Days are planned in November
and December for the upcoming “Retratos”
exhibition. Visitors will see portraits come to
life with the help of our fabulous Teen Ambassadors! Currently, the ambassadors are working
with NPG and Arena Stage education staff to
prepare a theater piece to complement the
“Retratos” exhibition, which they will perform in
the gallery during all three Family Days.
These special fun-filled days will also include
performances by local musicians; Portrait Stories in English and Spanish; thematic hands-on
arts activities; and a costumed photo session
from the Portraits in Motion ArtReach costume
van. Special themes include “Celebrating Frida
Kahlo and Diego Rivera” on November 5; “Tribute to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz” on November
19; and “Ancient Civilizations of Latin America—
Moche and Maya” on December 3. All Family
Days programs are recommended for children
ages 5–12; children must be accompanied by
an adult.
For further details, call our information line at
(202) 275-2617.
Special thanks to the following contributors:
This project, and all related national and local
programs and publications, are made possible by
Ford Motor Company Fund.
Ford Motor Company Fund ha hecho posible este
proyecto y todos sus programas y publicaciones,
tanto nacionales como locales.
Tia Powell Harris, Associate Director, Education
Programs
Briana Zavadil White, School and Teacher Program Coordinator
Geri Provost, Youth and Family Program Coordinator
Carol Wyrick, Director of Education
Dru Dowdy, Head of Publications
Caroline Wooden, Graphic Designer
Education Department
National Portrait Gallery
Smithsonian Institution
750 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202‑275‑1824
NPGEducation@si.edu
© 2005 Smithsonian Institution
All rights reserved
Our Astounding Activity
Frida Kahlo
©2004 Banco de México Diego Rivera
and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust
This painting, made in 1940, is one of many
autobiographical portraits made by the Mexican artist
Frida Kahlo. Mainly self-taught, she combined Mexican
folk elements with highly personal, and often mysterious,
symbols to express her inner reality.
Excerpted from the
“Retratos” Teacher
Resource Guide,
pages 71 and 73
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (Autorretrato con Collar de Espinas y
Colibrí) by Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954),
oil on canvas, 1940. Harry Ransom Humanities
Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Nahum Zenil
Frida in My Heart (Frida de Mi Corazón) by Nahum
Zenil (Mexican, b. 1947), oil on wood, 1991.
Private collection, courtesy of Galería de Arte
Mexicano, Mexico, D.F.
This 1991 self-portrait by Mexican artist Nahum Zenil
suggests that his sense of self was shaped by his
appreciation of Frida Kahlo. His art has been compared to
Kahlo’s in the way that he uses depictions of his own body
to confront issues of personal pain, as well as to make
social commentary.
A Closer Look
You may use the following “looking exercise” as part of a classroom discussion, or divide it into
individual writing assignments.
Have students look at the images from Nahum
Zenil and Frida Kahlo. Ask students the
following questions:
•
Are these works of art true-to-life? What
makes them seem real or unreal?
•
What is the main idea of these works of
art?
•
What emotions do these works of art
convey?
Have students compare Zenil’s and Kahlo’s
self-portraits.
In order to receive this Teacher Resource
Guide, be sure to register for the October
25 “Evening for Educators.”