Being A Guest Lino

SCHOOL PROGRAM LESSON PLAN – 7 to 9

Being A Guest Lino

Final Project Description:

Several prints on lino softoleum blocks (two prints per block, front and back). One print will be themed “guest” and the other side will be themed “host”. These blocks can go back with students so they can reprint them as a class or at home. They will form a deck of cards as a class detailing their ideas about hospitality and indigenous/settler relations as a group.

Description:

Students will consider that Kamloops is a settled land. Its original inhabitants, the Secwepemc people, have been living in this area for thousands of years prior to the relatively recent arrival of European settlers, traders and explorers. The arrival of settlers created unequal relationships among these groups that have persisted today. Aboriginal people had much of their traditional land and rights removed during colonization as traders sought timber, gold and fur resources in BC. The Indian Act was enacted in 1876 by the Parliament of Canada, which provides Canada's federal government exclusive authority to legislate in relation to "Indians and Lands Reserved for Indians". The act defines who is an "Indian" and contains certain legal rights and legal disabilities for registered Indians, which has caused ongoing political dispute between the Crown and Aboriginal groups with respect to land claims, inherent rights of indigenous people and governance.

The recent omnibus (an omnibus bill is a proposed law that covers a number of diverse or unrelated topics) makes changes to the Indian Act that many are protesting under the movement Idle No More.

From Yuxweluptun's artist statement (from 1997):

"I have come over to this country to express my feelings towards the Indian Act, which was written by non-Natives representing the colonial interests of this empire. This performance is a symbolic act of how much hatred, anguish and anger that I have towards this legislation. I am symbolically trying to extinguish Canadian colonial supremacy over Aboriginal people by showing a physical act in spirit that some day this type of legislation will no longer exist on the face of this sacred mother earth. Aboriginal people are human beings and deserve the same dignity and equalities as all other Canadian citizens, we deserve the right to self-determination, self-government and self-rule."

Students will review first contact and the Indian Act in some detail and the concepts of being a guest and being a host as it relates to these issues. The respect between Aboriginal groups and Canadians is still strained on an interpersonal and national level. A lot of these attitudes are the result of systemic racism and misinformation. Using the lens of hospitality, we will think about how to create respectful person to person relationships through art.

Theory:

Students will (taken from the BC Curriculum PLOs):

-identify effects of early contact between Aboriginal societies and European explorers and settlers

-manipulate selected materials, technologies and processes to create images

-analyze and apply a variety of materials, technologies and processes to create artworks

-demonstrate safe use of materials and processes

Creation & Analysis:

-       Review Yuxweluptun's work and discuss the Indian Act, colonization as it relates to Kamloops, its current effects and the concept of settlement. Explain why protestors have formed Idle No More and why relations between groups have been strained (both historically and lack of consultation and information today).

-       Introduce the concept of guest and host. Relate political content to student’s lives – when they have a sleepover, for instance, how do they act as a guest? Does their behavior change from at home – why? What do you do if you’re not sure how to act in a new situation? Has anyone ever been new to a school or group? How were you made welcome? Has anyone experienced feeling unwelcome? What caused it? When you have someone over, do you treat them in a specific way? What about if you stay at a hotel or go to a party? How are you made comfortable? Review the hospitality traditions of a few world cultures, including the Secwepemc (feasting, etc). Do you have traditions you follow as a guest/host?

-       Have student choose an activity, tradition or action that they perform to create good relationships as both a guest and as a host. Have them carve their lino blocks to reflect this. Some examples might be offering the best place to sleep to your guest, eating special food, going on a special trip or letting your guest do things before you do. As a guest, this might be something like asking questions, observing what to do, saying please and thanks, bringing a gift, helping out in some way.

-       DO A VERY THOUROUGH SAFETY DEMO! It’s easy to slip and cut yourself. Give students some tips on carving safely and know where the first aid kit is. Encourage them to cut carefully and learn this skill, you can use the hand guards for corners, but try to get them to do it without and just GO SLOW. Also, remind them that some designs will work better than others and to take this into consideration when making a preparatory sketch.

-       Have them carve both sides and print – it’s best to have enough printing stations to avoid congestion. If you need to buy time, have students carve the other side of their lino and then print as the ink stations tend to get crowded and therefore rowdy. Have students make multiple prints on good paper and cut them into trading card sizes. Once they are dry, the class can exchange cards together and talk about what they learned. Have them rinse their lino blocks so they can be taken home.

Duration:

60 minutes in the studio – 10 mins on approach, 5 mins explaining tool use and safety and how to achieve different effects, 40 mins on project, 5 mins for wrap up and possible discussion or look at other’s work to end class.

Materials:

Sketch paper and pencils

Lino blocks

Brayers

Ink

Ink palettes

Good quality paper

Scissors

Lino cutting and scraping tools

Hand guards to share

Look & Discuss:

-HAVE STUDENTS PUT THEIR NAMES ON THEIR prints! This is important.

How do you open your home and heart to someone else? How many different gestures of hospitality can we identify. Take it back to the Gallery content – how might history be different if parties bargained in good faith and open consultation? What can we do to encourage good interpersonal relationships? Respect is the foundation of trust – how are we responsible for creating this?

Prep:

-Layout scrap sketching materials for planning their work – pencils, paper, etc

-Layout lino blocks, tools and good paper

-Cut paper into reasonable sizes but leave borders so students can cut their prints out. If prints dry quickly, they can print double sided.

-Set up ink stations and drying racks

Take it further:

Ask students to look at each other’s work at the end of class to see how other students approached their project. How are they similar? How are they different? How has this activity made them consider their relationships with others? How has it made them consider the impacts of colonization and contact? Do we better understand why Yuxweluptun created his artwork? As a class project with all of the cards forming a “deck” together, can you make a class pledge to treat each other as you would a guest and to be a mindful host?