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Ceremonial Skirt (20th Century Cotton and synthetic materials H. 25 inches, W. 35 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Hartwell 82.138 MIA |
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" I enjoyed working on this project because it made me look at a piece of art from the view of the artist instead of just looking at it and saying how neat it was. This made me think about why we do art and helped me create my own art that had some meaning for me."
Student response: Laura
This project started by looking at a Green Hmong New Year's skirt
and a discussion about the symbolism represented by the skirt. The Hmong
women and girls use the skirt to display their prowess with a needle, as
well as to display to the world their prosperity of the past year. The
skirt takes most of the year to complete and is a symbol of good luck and
hope for the New Year. The skirt also is an advertisement to the young men
of the culture of a young woman's ability to manage the skills of a
successful Hmong woman.
We had a discussion about the symbolism of the Hmong skirt and its
significance during the New Year celebrations. I asked her to think about
what we do for the New Year and if there were some other ways she might
want to symbolize something in her life related to the New Year. The
project she decided upon was a visual representation of her New Year's
resolutions. It included a wooden cutout of her favorite flower, the
hibiscus. On this hibiscus, she placed several symbols of goals, hopes, and
dreams for the coming year. The symbol will hang in her room until the next
New Year at which time it will be burned and the ashes used to fertilize a
new flower in the garden. The project is a model made of paper and
cardboard.
Mentor: Ellen Downs - Bemidji State University Elementary Education
Student