Analyzing Works of Art to Interpret Hard History

Presented at the National Council for Social Studies Conference in Nashville on December 2nd, 2023.

Explore "hard" history through the lens of art and photography. Two thematically similar eras of US History will be connected (Reconstruction through Civil Rights). Works by visual artists Kerry James Marshall, Alfredo Jaar, and photographer Gordon Parks will be featured, and participants will receive links to all worksheets and slides.

Participants will be able to enrich their US History curriculum with two lessons that challenge their students' analytical skills regarding artistic interpretations of difficult moments in American history.

Participants will simulate the classroom environment with a highly structured question and answer discussion format.

Participants will learn how contemporary art can reveal the past in novel ways and inspire discussion of current events.

Transcript

1. Analyzing Works of Art to Interpret Hard History Spiro Bolos, Danny Rothschild, and Cassie Yoon ____________________ New Trier High School
2. Professor Hasan Jeffries MOCHE: October, 2022 Confronting ‘hard’ history o Definition o Our purpose
8. Martin Luther King, Jr. o Assumptions o Purpose
9. Gordon Parks
11. Gordon Parks for Life Magazine MLK funeral procession April 9, 1968
13. SEE, THINK, WONDER
16. “Behind the brown mules and an old farm wagon that creaked along the Atlanta streets, the procession of mourners extended beyond sight”
19. Alfredo Jaar, Life Magazine, April 19, 1968 1995, three chromogenic prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum
22. 2:10
23. “Nothing can be so deceiving as a photograph.” — Kafka
24. What is happening in this photo?
25. “I have seen many demonstrations in the South, but I have never seen anything so hostile and so hateful as I’ve seen here today.”
33. July 26, 1965 Winnetka, Illinois
34. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 May, 1963 August, 1964 May, 1965 August, 1966 August, 2011 Favorable Unfavorable “Views About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” GALLUP POLL
35. “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam” Sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on April 30, 1967
36. “Let me say finally that I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak out against this war, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and, above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world. I speak out against this war because I am disappointed with America. And there can be no great disappointment where there is not great love. I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism.”
38. “[A]fter giving the speech...King was dropped from Gallup’s annual list of the most admired Americans and was ridiculed by the New York Times, among too many others. Soon after, he was murdered.” — Robert Scheer, Truthdig.com
40. Is there someone alive today, having expressed an unpopular opinion, whom you believe will be looked upon more favorably by history than they are currently? Who would you name?
41. Kerry James Marshall o Assumptions o Purpose
45. Three ink-jet prints on paper in wooden artist’s frames with rhinestones 57 × 54¼ × 3” Kerry James Marshall, Heirlooms and Accessories
52. 3:28
53. [content warning]
55. Thomas Shipp Abram Smith
56. Not pictured: Dr. James Cameron Photo by Lawrence Beitler on August 7, 1930
57. Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit”
58. Beitler post card, au verso
59. Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit” Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) 2023-24
60. Elgin, Illinois: May 19, 2016 David Powers, “American Nocturne”
61. Elgin, Illinois: May 19, 2016
62. Elgin, Illinois: May 19, 2016
63. Elgin, Illinois: May 19, 2016
65. 1:49
67. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice Montgomery, Alabama
71. 2018: South Cumberland Elementary School, Crossville, TN
72. What values do institutions communicate through their displays of art?
73. What values are communicated by an institution through its displays of art?
74. What values are communicated by an institution through its displays of art?
75. “Hey, that’s our school.” What values are communicated by an institution through its displays of art?
77. Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s address on the removal of Confederate monuments, 5/19/17
78. Analyzing Works of Art to Interpret Hard History Spiro Bolos, Danny Rothschild, and Cassie Yoon ____________________ New Trier High School
79. All materials available at www.spirobolos.com