Richard Hunt

"I saw the movie "Dragon Heart" and really liked the dragon. It's always been one of my favorite animals. I'd like to be able to blow fire, fly and stay on water for long periods of time the way dragons can.

I put the spines on the dragon's head to show how strong it is. The color red has always been one of my favorite colors so I used it here because it's hot looking. I put the long paper strips at the top and bottom to hide my body so the dragon shows up more. It was easy to make!"

"In the beginning...all animals had the appearance of human beings, until the Transformer came along to designate and transform each into a particular species according to the person's activity, attitude or behavior at the time of the encounter." (Stewart, 1979)

Because of the Indians' perceptions of the oneness of all earth's creatures, human and animal, they held the belief that animals could supernaturally change their appearance at will and take on human form. Similarly, humans could transform into animals, birds, fish and mythical creatures when it was propitious to do so, or as a result of some socially unacceptable behavior.

"This act of transformation was often played out in dances and theatrical presentations, usually with the help of of mask specially designed to create the illusion. In 2-dimensional design, transformation is portrayed by showing a creature as part human; just an arm or hand may be sufficient for the purpose. A human head incorporated into a faunal design (other than the ovoid joint) may simply be a reminder that the creature has transformed from human to its present form, or that it is able to do so."

from Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast by H. Stewart

The art of the Northwest Coast Native Americans is very distinct in its style. It contains a collection of basic components including the Form Line, Ovoid, Inner Ovoid, U Form, Split U Form, and S Form, that once learned, becomes the "alphabet" for creating any image desired. Teacher Note 1: Forms A very spiritual and historical art style, once studied, becomes easily recognized from all other Native American art styles. This lesson will concentrate on the art of the Kwagiutl from the Vancouver, B.C. area by creating a transformation mask. It will also explore the power of masks and how cultures have used them for many purposes in their lives. Teacher Note 2: Red Snapper

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

Learn about a different art style and culture by studying the work of the Northwest Coast Native American artist, Richard Hunt.

Use mixed media to produce an original art work.

Use the Elements of line, shape, space, color and texture and the Principles of balance, pattern and unity in an original art work.

Combine a language arts activity with the visual arts.

MINNESOTA GRADUATION STANDARDS-VISUAL ARTS

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:

1. Use appropriate tools and processes
   -drawing and paper sculpture (mask making) techniques
   -markers
   
   
2. Use the elements and principles to effectively communicate ideas
   -Elements used: line, shape, space, color, texture
   -Principles used: balance, pattern, unity
   
   
3. Associate artwork with various cultures or historical periods
   -Primary study of the Native American art of the Northwest Coast
   -Richard Hunt
   
   -Secondary comparisons with:
   -African Masks
   -Mexican Masks
   -James Ensor, Belgian painter
   
   
4. Describe selected works of art in terms of the elements and principles of visual art.
   -discussions and comparisons of styles and cultures
   

TASK DESCRIPTIONS:

Students will research and view Northwest Coast Native American art and discuss their observations of style using the vocabulary of the elements and principles of art.

Students will view the masks of other cultures and compare the styles, and cultural purposes to those of the Northwest Coast Native Americans.

Students will explore the concept of "transformation".
They will draw their animal helper and write about why they chose that animal.

Students will create an original mask that shows their transformation from their human form to their animal helper form.

RESOURCES:

The following lists are the resources I have found. However, there is a wealth of books, magazines, slides, etc., available on the art of the Northwest Coast and masks. You can provide a rich visual reference for your students in many ways. Here are mine:


BOOKS:

Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast. Hilary Stewart. University of Washington Press. Seattle.1979

Mask Arts of Mexico. Ruth D. Lechuga & Chloe Sayer. Chronicle Books. San Francisco. 1994

Face of the Spirits: Masks from the Zaire Basin. Frank Herreman & Constantijn Petridis. Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon. Ghent. 1993.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masks. Metropolitan Museum of Art and DK Publishing, Inc., New York. 1997.

Ready-To-Use Activities and Materials on Coastal Indians. Dana Newmann. The Center for Applied Research in Education. 1996.

North American Indian Design Coloring Book. Paul E. Kennedy. Dover Pub., Inc. New York. 1971.

Cut and Make North American Indian Masks in Full Color. A.G.Smith & Josie Hazen. Dover Pub., Inc. New York. 1989.

Cut and Make African Masks in Full Color. A.G.Smith & Josie Hazen. Dover. Pub., Inc. New York. 1991.

Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest. Gerald McDermott. Viking Press. 1993.


MAGAZINES:

Scholastic Art, November, 1995. "American Tribal Art: Working with Nature". Pp.4-5.

TEACHER TOOLS & STRATEGIES:

Pair students 2/computer. Start with the Richard Hunt site:

At this site they will see Richard Hunt's "Transformation Mask". Have the students read about the art and then research about the artist. Notice the vocabulary terms. The art of Richard Hunt and the Northwest Coast Native Americans is very distinct. Discuss the use of the ovoid, inner ovoid, S-form, U-form, Split U-form and Form-Line—the basic shapes used by the Northwest Coast Native Americans. Have students point to an ovoid, inner ovoid, etc, to assess their grasp of the style elements. Move on to the next site:

Here is another mask—but totally different in style. Have students read about the art. Ask the following questions:

What differences do you see between the Transformation Mask and the Sande Society Mask? (Show students how to go "Back" to relook at the transformation mask, if needed.)

What kind of designs do you see? How are the masks different? How are they the same?

How is this mask used? How is the Transformation mask used?

Ask the students:
How do we use masks today?

Go on to the next site:

This work is by James Ensor, a Belgian painter. It depicts the use of masks in a manner that is not cheerful, festive, or respectful. In this work the people are using the masks to hide their trueidentity—allowing the mask wearers to behave in some inappropriate ways. Ask the students:

Do people behave differently when they are wearing masks? How does wearing a mask help a person to behave differently? Can people "wear a mask" without really putting a mask on? Is the power of the mask in the mask or in the person's mind?

Discuss: What style or shapes do you see in James Ensorís masks? How are they different from the transformation mask? How are they different from the Sande Society Mask?

How are they alike?

Continue the search to:

In artsconnected, click on "art gallery". Type in the keyword "masks" and click on "go". There will be many more masks to look at or read about. Allow time for the students to browse and share with each other.

Where are the masks from that you see here? How are they different from those we've already seen? How are they alike? How are they used by their owners/societies?

Conclude the lesson with the following lead-ins to the next session:

Take some time to think about the masks you have seen. All the masks you've looked at today are available to see at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts or at the Walker Art Center, also in Minneapolis.They have been collected from many different parts of the world. You can do your own search for more masks on the internet, also. In our next class we will take a closer look at the masks and art of the Northwest Coast Native Americans. You will need to draw and write about your mask. Start thinking about what your mask might look like. If you could transform into another creature what would it be? How would it look? What colors and shapes will you use?

SESSION TWO:

Remind the students of the masks they viewed during the last class.Gather them around the display youíve prepared showing examples of the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast. Discuss:

Can you find the basic shapes used by the Northwest Coast Native Americans? (Take time to identify the Form Line, Ovoid, etc.) Richard Hunt is from the Vancouver area and a tribal group called the Kwakiutl. Take a look at his transformation mask. Teachers: look at

for excellent questions to ask during this discussion time.)

Look at African and Mexican mask examples also displayed (books or mask examples-see Resources). Discuss differences in styles and uses.

For the remainder of the class time have students draw the animal/creature that they would like to be able to transform into. Ask them to list the traits, skills and qualities of their chosen animal. Where would they use their mask? What ceremony would it be used in? It may help them to see themselves in a dream with an animal helper coming to their rescue in some situation. Write about it. This is a planning time to assist in the making of their mask. Allow them to use markers to color their drawing/mask. Notice how Richard Hunt sticks to the traditional Kwakiutl colors of black, red-brown, and green. (If time, you could discuss how colors usually are symbolic in Native American art and that different groups don't use the same colors to mean the same things.) What colors will you use? Why did the Kwakiutl people use only a few colors? Save these drawings/writings for the next session and for assessment later.

Teacher Note 4: Brainstorming


SESSION THREE:

The students have researched, discussed, viewed and planned. Today the mask making begins! Some ground rules:

The mask must have a face in the middle of the inside.
It must have two sides that fold shut across the front—closing up the inside face.

It must be designed and decorated/colored in all areas that will be seen when either opened or closed.

Giving the students set "musts" is a good way to work their creative problem solving skills. Discuss how the elements of art (line, shape, space, color and texture) will all be used in this project. Use the terms when discussing their progress and expect them to use the terms when they come to you for help. Also discuss the principles of balance and unity. Their mask must be balanced to fold together well. There needs to be unity in their design so the human element and animal element look like a transformation from one to the other. What designs or colors will they use to create the feelings of balance and unity?

Explain that we won't be stringing the mask to stay shut and that it will be displayed with the side sections open to see the center—but the side sections will be free to fold together to show the viewer how it looks closed. At this point I would make the option of figuring out how to string the mask so it can be opened and closed to those who are interested in doing so. This is a time-consuming part of mask building and may be too advanced for the intermediate level student. See Modifications for older students for more on this.

Paper sculpture has five basic techniques easily demonstrated and learned:

1. Cut-using scissors, cut the desired shapes to fit together on the mask. Tell the students they may overlap and layer shapes
2. Curl-demonstrate curling paper by rolling it on a pencil or by gently pulling it over the edge of a table to put a curve into the paper. Another curling method is to take a long strip and curl it by running it over a scissor blade with the paper between their thumb and the scissor blade.
3. Fold-putting fold marks in paper adds to the texture of the shapes and helps in molding the mask pieces.
4. Tear (controlled)-demonstrate tearing paper to get the more gentle and textured edge
5. Score-demonstrate running the tip of a scissors over a pre-cut shape to "score" or mark an area that will be folded or creased. This also adds a texture and a look of depth to a shape.

Encourage the use of the sculpture techniques to avoid the simplest mask of an oval face with two flat side pieces added. Allow students to help each other and share their ideas.

Ask students:

What shape will you need for your center face?

How large should it be?

Will it be a "life size" mask that would actually cover your face, or will you work in a smaller size?

How can you get the two side pieces to end up exactly alike so they come together in the center when folded in?

How will you connect the side pieces to the center face?

Do you think you might need to double any areas of the mask for strength?

Where will you attach the strings to tie it onto your face?

If you have time and want to, how can you make the two side pieces come together and stay shut?

Students begin work. Suggest they not glue anything today as their work time will be limited. Store all cut/torn pieces into a folder with their name on (fold a 12 x 18 sheet of paper into a folder).

Teacher Note 5: Notes on Using Corrugated Cardboard


SESSIONS FOUR AND FIVE:

Students work to complete the building and coloring of their masks.

Ask students while they are working:

Is your design looking like the animal/creature you first planned in your quest?

What can you do to make it look more like your chosen animal/creature?

Does your mask have balance?

What are you doing to give a look of unity to your mask?

What colors have you chosen and why?

Take time at the end of the last session to show each other the finished products. Can everybody guess the animal or creature their classmate(s) transformed into?

Teacher Note 6: Knife Safety

Modifications for older students

Assessment