William Edmondson and the Impact of Legacy: How Can One Life Affect Others?
Length: 90 minute class period (with homework/assignment to be completed outside of class)
The Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission engaged two internationally-known artists, Thornton Dial and Lonnie Holley, to create site-specific public art works for the newly revitalized Edmondson Park (overseen by the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency). This project honors William Edmondson, a native of Davidson County and a self-taught sculptor. Edmondson was the first African American artist to have a solo exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art (1937). Like Edmondson, Thornton Dial and Lonnie Holley are self-taught artists.
In this English/Language Arts Lesson, students will:
- Students will complete a Venn Diagram graphic organizer analyzing the differences in portrayal of William Edmondson in his biography and in the poetry of Elizabeth Spires.
- Students will prepare for a Socratic Seminar through close reading of the text and personal reflection and response to guiding questions.
- Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar, or student driven discussion, about the idea of a “legacy” and how our actions and work can affect others’.
- Students will craft a first person narrative poem that represents the legacy they wish to establish.
Originator:
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