Who lives, who dies who tells the story

3/19: Starting today, we are working on the "Protests Then and Now" page (link below).

3/16: We talked, in both classes, about the march photographs, about the connections between these and the four freedoms and evaluated the effectiveness of different tactics used in the marches.

3/15: HOMEWORK (both blocks): Here's the link to to photographs from yesterday’s nationwide walkouts. Please scroll through the photographs and choose 3 that strike you (among these, choose one that you think is particularly effective as a photograph, one that you think most effectively conveys the meaning of the march one that challenges you in some way). For each, write down the photo caption (where it’s from and/or the description), describe what you see, then explain to me why you chose it (why you think it is particularly effective as a photograph or as a representation of the meaning of the march, etc.).

C Block: in class, based on our discussion from the last class, we read and talked about "Why I Can't Forgive Dylan Root" and "How Meeting a Former White Supremacist ..." Both are attached below.

B Block: We looked at the new Four Freedoms pieces and talked about how/why they complement/challenge Rockwell's paintings. about why the Smithsonian commissioned them, etc.

3/12: C Block: HOMEWORK: Please go to the "Rockwell's Four Freedoms reimagined" page (link below) for homework and materials. In class, we finished our discussion about the Rockwell painting. Students responded on the notecard to the question: Does Rockwell's painting do a better job of positioning himself as artist to the subject, as Rankine suggests. We also watched a clip featuring Ruby Bridges now and one with Robert Coles talking about Ruby Bridges then (see "Bridges photographs and Barbara Henry" link below).

B Block: HOMEWORK: Please go to the "Rockwell's Four Freedoms reimagined" page (link below) for homework and materials. We looked more closely at the importance of Claudia Rankine's idea (from the article attached below) about how an artist positions him/herself in relation to subject matter (“' 'Until we are willing to look at the ways in which white Americans are culpable in the suffering of the people of color, and understand that culpability needs to be present in the representation of that, suffering will continue,' she adds, 'until we get to that point, we will continue to get caught up in the scandal moments.' ”) We then looked at the famous photograph of Ruby Bridges (the first person to integrate an elementary school in the deep south). The photograph is attached below. On the front of the notecard: describe what you see in the photograph and use that description to analyze the photograph. Then, take a look at Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With (attached below). On the notecard, do the same with Rockwell's painting as you did with the photograph.

3/9: C Block: We talked through the Dana Schultz controversy. As part of this discussion, we looked more closely at the importance of Claudia Rankine's idea (from the article attached below) about how an artist positions him/herself in relation to subject matter (“' 'Until we are willing to look at the ways in which white Americans are culpable in the suffering of the people of color, and understand that culpability needs to be present in the representation of that, suffering will continue,' she adds, 'until we get to that point, we will continue to get caught up in the scandal moments.' ”) We then looked at the famous photograph of Ruby Bridges (the first person to integrate an elementary school in the deep south). The photograph is attached below. On the front of the notecard: describe what you see in the photograph and use that description to analyze the photograph. Then, take a look at Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With (attached below). On the notecard, do the same with Rockwell's painting as you did with the photograph.

3/7 B BLOCK: We talked through the Dana Schultz controversy and responded on a notecard (see "Board questions, Dana Schultz controversy" attached below).

3/6 HOMEWORK: Read your two opinion pieces about Dana Schultz's painting . For each: take notes about the main idea presented in the essay (and write down any questions inspired by those ideas), plus a 1-2 sentence summary of the main idea (for your partner). Then, choose a few ideas from the opinion piece to wrestle with. These should be ideas that allow you to see aspects of the controversy through a different light (or to understand the issues differently). Write a meaty paragraph exploring the ideas.

In class: to start, read the first article linked to below. It gives you an overview of the controversy at the Whitney last year around Dana Schultz's Open Casket. Please take notes about the facts of the controversy. Then, given this information, tell me which side you would support and why. Then, read two of the other pieces linked to below. These are opinion pieces, so you'l take notes about the main ideas rather than facts (see homework listed above for more)

Here's the article about the controversy stirred up by Dana Schultz's painting.

Here's a piece about Claudia Rankine's view of the controversy.

Here's Dana Schultz's response

Here's an interview with an artist who does use Till's photographs in her art.

Here's Christopher Benson's opinion piece.