Native American Art: Edmonia Lewis- Ojibwe African American Artist
This Native American Art project takes a look at figurative sculpture by studying a overlooked but a quite remarkable artist! This lesson is a great resource for Native American and Black History Month! Supplies are simple and the results are always fun!
Edmonia Lewis was a truly unique individual. The story of her life and her success as a sculptor is quite remarkable.
As a child she lived with her Ojibwe Aunties after the death of her parents. She was raised hearing traditional stories about life before contact. She enjoyed making baskets and crafts to sell to tourists at Niagra Falls.
With the help of her brother, she attended Oberlin College and began to study art. Oberlin was one of the first schools to accept female and black students. She also studied in Italy! In this lesson students will learn more about this remarkable woman, her place in art history and explore her passion: sculpture!
Included are:
- Links to introduce Edmonia to your students and guide your planning
-Art History handout
-Quiz
-Essay and/0r discussion questions for older students
- Photos to print if needed for discussing her work.
- Elementary Q & A to engage in her incredible journey
- Step-by-step instructions to build a figurative sculpture using a wire armature
- Several options for assessment and reflection, choose what it best for your grade.