In 2018 we began our now-annual Culture, Community, and the Classroom (CCC)series in New York, connecting traditional artists from many different communities with public school teachers and museum educators for two+ days of hands-on professional development. Each summer we visit a different part of the state to work with local artists and teachers to explore how cultural identity influences learning, and we share ethnographic tools, such as interviewing, to inspire respectful cultural inquiry. In the second phase of the program, artists are paired with an educator to collaborate on a short classroom residency in the fall. The final phase of the program brings everyone together to reflect on what was learned and to strengthen peer networks and connections. Over the past eight years, we’ve had a chance to work with over 160 inspiring teachers and 66 amazing artists across New York, and we’ve witnessed many powerful residencies that came out of those collaborations.
This past fall, veteran CCC teacher Jim Longbotham (2022 and 2023) and veteran CCC artists Maria Puente Flores and Mateo Cano (2023) came together to create a five-day residency with the third-grade classes in the New Paltz Central School District. In the classroom, Maria and Mateo used story to introduce students to son jarocho, a folk music genre from the state of Veracruz in Mexico. While learning about traditional instruments and their material origins, students also considered their own relationship to music and community.
Reflecting on the residency, Jim shares, “Students got so much out of the experience.They were able to draw a number of connections to Mateo and Maria and follow those connections into their own lives. It also gave them a chance to think about the importance of their own family stories and share those reflections with their own families.”
We often hear from teachers that artist residencies engage students in ways that traditional classroom activities do not and, introduce them to cultures and art forms that they were not aware of, and inspire curiosity to learn more about themselves and the world around them. What may seem like a daunting project to pull off becomes one of their favorite units of the year. We hope you’ll use the lesson plans and activities on our website created by other educators who have hosted residencies to inspire your own projects connecting your local cultures and communities with your classrooms!
Onward,
Mira Johnson
New York Folklore in Education Network Coordinator
Read all our news and updates about upcoming PD in our First Quarter News Bulletin: https://icont.ac/50ZzE