|
ARTreach: Experience Mali
ARTreach: Experience Mali is an exciting
distance-learning initiative designed to enhance Standards of Learning-based
education. These
50-minute programs on the West African country of Mali include storytelling
and dance demonstrations, a visual arts workshop and a presentation
by a collector and scholar on Malian art.
These programs specifically address 3rd grade History/Social Science
Virginia SOLs History
3.2, Geography 3.4 and Economics 3.8, but are suitable for other subjects
and grade levels as well.
THE PROGRAMS ARE FREE TO VIRGINIA SCHOOLS. The cost
is $50 per program to schools outside of Virginia.
 |
| Students try out their drumming skills. |
To sign up for one of these programs or if you have
any questions, please contact the Education Department at the Peninsula
Fine Arts Center at education@pfac-va.org or
757-596-8175 ext. 205. Once you have registered for a program,
you will need to return a short pre-program survey in order to receive
the appropriate password. After the program, please return the
short post-program survey as well. These surveys provide feedback
that is required by the granting agency and they also assist us in
developing future distance learning programs. Please register
for programs at least 10 days before the anticipated viewing date.
ARTreach: Experience Mali was made
possible through a generous grant from the Institute of Library and
Museum Services. Computer
support provided by Empower Information Systems and Christopher Newport
University. Video production provided by Cinebar Productions,
Inc. Storyteller, dance and mask making presenters coordinated
by Young Audiences of Virginia. Live audience and program participants
provided by
Hidenwood Elementary School and Tarah Morelli. Thanks to Anne
Cipriano for lending her expertise to this program.
To view any of these programs, please visit www.pfaclearning.org.
Storyteller Demonstration:
Tales of the Griot
Atumpan
Atumpan teaches the importance of the
drum and the storyteller as a means of communication in Malian
society. The memory of ancient Mali is alive today in the tales
of the griots—the professional historians, praise-singers
and musical entertainers of the Manding people. Malians still
depend on their griots, or jelis, to remind them of their place
in history. The griot will use drumming and storytelling to take
students back to the glory of ancient Africa.
|
Dance Demonstration:
Dance from the Kingdom of Mali
Ancestral Footprints
Ancestral Footprints explores the rich tradition
of music and dance in Malian culture. Students experience exciting
and informative demonstrative performances of African dance and
music based on traditions from the empire of Mali. Dancers introduce
students to traditional themes of respect, harmony, teamwork,
and cooperation through rhythm and dance |
|
 |
|
|
Ancestral Footprints and live audience |
Visual Arts Demonstration:
The Masks of Mali
Phillip Muzi Branch
Masks are face coverings that alter and transform
the identities of the African performers wearing them. Most
masks and costumes in Africa are physical representations of
spirits, beings associated with spirits or cultural heroes.
They are an important part of ceremonies of initiation and
transformation. They bridge the human and spirit realms through
elaborate spectacles that combine music, dance, costumes, sculpture,
and feasting. Phillip Muzi Branch will demonstrate to your
students how to create their own masks in the tradition of
Mali using simple materials. A materials list is provided
and students follow along with the program to create their
own masks.
View Materials List
|
|
 |
Students participate in dance presentation
|
Discussion with a Collector:
The Arts and Culture of Mali
Anne Cipriano
Educator and collector Anne Cipriano
will lead students on a tour of Mali using photographs selected
from the Eliot Elisofon Archives of the National Museum of
African Art, Smithsonian Institution, and traditional objects.
Cipriano will discuss masks, trade and ritual objects in the
context of historic and contemporary Malian existence. The
history of Africa will come to life as students learn about
the ceremonial and utilitarian importance of the arts in Malian
culture throughout the centuries.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
