Submitted by: Jill
Hanson-Fahnoe, Blake
Lower School, Highcroft Campus
UNIT: Art of the Inca - Foil Tooling - Masks
Lesson: Inca Gods - Foil Tooled Mask
Grade level: Elementary (grades 4 through 6)
"Goddess
of
Silver"
"God of the
Sun"
"God of Water"
Lesson
Summary:
These
masks were made by fourth graders at The Blake School, Highcroft
Campus. As part of their classroom social studies they learned
about South America. During art class they explored the art of the
Inca, a lost civilization from Peru. They looked at hand-crafted
Inca objects made of metal- taking a close look at gold and silver
masks unearthed from Inca tombs. Through these they learned about
the Inca people's awesome craftsmanship. They thought their
use of design was very good - like patterns, geometric shapes and
symbols.
Next they drafted a design for a mask of their own - combining
what they knew about the Inca people with what they knew about
their style of art, and threw in a bit of imagination as
well! The ideas were then embossed into and then cut from a sheet
of metal foil. Some of them "antiqued" masks to make
them look like they were tarnished or old. Students then wrote
about the meaning of their masks - showing an understanding of
Incan culture.
Here
are the stories written by these students.
"Goddess of Silver"
I am the goddess of silver. I rule the world
with silver. I am made of silver and will be beautiful until the
end of the world. I make the light when the earth moves. When you
sleep I sleep. When I am asleep the god of gold takes care of you.
He makes the sand for the sandman. I'm getting sleepy now, so it's
time for the gold god to take over. Good night!
By “A”
Grade 4, The Blake School
"Incan Sun God"
I am an Incan Sun God. My people cherish me.
They say that I save them from famine after thunderstorms. They
decided to put me in the sun temple by a window to catch the
sunlight. The light makes me shine and sparkle. Instead of being
made of bronze or copper, I am made of gold. The moon goddess is
made of silver. She is my wife. According to the other gods in the
temple, she gave birth to the earth. Thank you for reading my
story.
By S
Grade 4, The Blake School
"God of Water"
I made this mask at
Highcroft. I used simple shapes because it is supposed to be a
mask from the Age of Incas. The mask represents the god of water.
It can make rivers in the deserts and can also make water appear
anywhere. It helps animals because it is the giver of water..
By C
Grade 4, The Blake School
Objectives: Students
will
- Show an understanding and
awareness of Inca culture and religion
- Show an appreciation for art of
the Inca - discuss artifacts
- Create a mask showing design
concepts of the Inca - pattern, repetition - adornment
- Demonstrate craftsmanship in
tooling and cutting foul
Materials:
newsprint -
pencils
handouts of Inca art - Inca gods chart
Tooling foil (gold, copper, aluminum)
newspaper pads
modeling tools (rounded and pointed)
masking tape - ballpoint pens
India ink - brushes
black poster board or mat board
Motivation:
- Present background information
on the Inca and Inca gods. Optional: Present
the Sun in Art - give a short overview of cultures and worship
of Sun God. Make connections to science.
- Show examples of Inca gold - and
metal tooling. Discuss the Inca gold masks
- Demonstrate foil tooling
techniques - working both sides of the metal
Procedures:
- Design a mask on newsprint
showing characteristics of Incan art combined with original
ideas. Design mask to meet the needs of the Inca or personal
need.
- Transfer mask drawing to tooling
foil - Tape drawing to foil. Place on newspaper pad and trace
over all lines making an impression. Remove drawing and save
for reference as needed.
- Tool mask. Place on newspaper
pad. Press down some shapes while making other come out in
relief. Go back over lines as needed to make shapes show up.
- Cut out mask - - Antique with
India ink if desired. Mount on black poster board or mat
board.
- Write about mask. What need does
your mask fulfill?
Evaluation: Modified rubric
- Design elements -Inca characteristics - originality
10 9 8
7 6 other
- Repoussé - tooling techniques -
pattern/repetition 10
9 8 7 6
- Craftsmanship - clarity of design - skill
in tooling
10 9 8
7 6
- Participation in discussion -
effort 10
9 8 7
6
Gods of the Inca (many charts can be
found online)
Students should not be made to memorize
these - just be aware of their importance.
©2005 Microsoft Corporation.
Resources
Inca
Gold Sun Mask Check your local library for books - the
best web source is no longer online. Inca
Gold Sun (Nova)
Inca Masks
Art of Ancient Peru- some good gold examples
http://www.tribalarts.com/feature/peru
Here are some sites to give you background information - not necessarily
for students.
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/INCAS.HTM
http://lsa.colorado.edu/~lsa/texts/Incas.html
PBS site - good for students - Conquistadors
http://www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/peru/peru.htm
http://www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/peru/adventure1/a2.htm#txt
Inca Empire:
http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560004/Inca_Empire.html
Inca Ceramics
http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/peru/ceramic/sect4.htm
Information on Inca Sun God
Information
on Inca Sun God - brief (not a good site for students to use
as resources are not given)
Inca
Sun Rituals - History:
"The central god of the Incan
religion was the sun-god, the only god that had temples built for
him. The sun-god was the father of the royal family. There were
many gods among the Incas, but the sun-god outshone them all. The
Incas also believed that there was a heaven, a
hell, and a resurrection of the body after death." -From Civilizations
in America
"The Incas revered the Sun as
the sole universal God who creates and sustains everything through
his light and power. They believed that the Sun was the 'natural
father of the first Inca, Manco Capac, and of his wife, Mama Ocllo
Huaco, as well as all of their descendants who were sent to
Earth for the benefit of all people.'" - Religion
and Ceremonies of the Inca (this is a student project - home
page)
Art-Science-Social
Studies Connections
"The
Sun: Man's Friend or Foe" ThinkQuest student created site
(1998). See the Sun's
influence on Culture - Names
of the Sun Gods for various cultures. Summaries given for
several world cultures. Images are not high quality so you may
want to search online for better images.
Sun Images for contrast/comparison
(these images were all on line at time lesson was published)
Books
Peru: Art from the Chavin to the Incas
- Included in the book are the important sites and landscapes representative of the three major ecological levels of Peru, as well as a general view and a historical perspective of the pre-Columbian cultures of Peru.
Ancestors of the Incas: The Lost Civilizations of Peru
- Presents a myriad of objects - including figures, pitchers, textiles, masks, and metalwork - the majority of which are from the collection of Lima's National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History.
Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca
- This book examines the arts, with an emphasis on textiles, and culture in scholarly essays that also discuss the city's religion, layout, and architecture, as well as the contemporaneous Wari civilization in Peru. Photographs and drawings abound, including aerial views and documentation of portrait ceramics and gold discs. Despite its importance to Incan culture, Tiwanaku is too little known, a lack this surpassing volume will help correct.
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: “M” IS FOR MONKEY
Grade: K-2
Resources:
Collection from Orlando
Museum of Art - Ancient
Americas
Materials:
12x18 brown construction paper, pencils,
Sharpies, oil pastels
Procedures:
(We first looked at, discussed, and sketched
the monkey vessels in the gallery. Some of the monkeys were
wearing headbands and/or had geometric designs on them, and most
were in a human-like pose. This simple lesson can be done with any
animal.)
Draw a large monkey or vessel in the shape
of a monkey, then trace line drawing with Sharpie. Geometric
designs can be added. Color with oil pastels. (I made my sample by
repeating the letter “M” all over the monkey to create an
implied texture, but the students just had fun experimenting with
the oil pastels and mixing new colors.
***************************************
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: JAGUARS
Grade: K-2
Resources:
Collection from Orlando
Museum of Art - Ancient
Americas
Materials:
Cardboard (can be thin, like cut up cereal
boxes), scissors, glue, tempera paint and brushes
Procedures:
(We first drew step-by-step jaguars together
by following the steps from a How to Draw Animals book. Then we
looked through animal books and sketched jaguars in various
positions, such a leaping, running, sitting on a tree limb, etc.
Then we made sketches from the wooden and ceramic jaguars in the
gallery. We also discussed jaguars’ unique spots: the
“rosettes” have spots in the center, unlike leopards’
spots.)
Draw and cut out each part of the jaguar
separately (body, legs, tail, a larger circle and overlapped
smaller circle to form the head, and ears). Glue together. Paint.
They let their imaginations run wild, and very few of them
actually used “normal” jaguar colors!
***************************************
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: PRINTING WITH ANIMALS
Grade: K-2
Materials:
styrofoam meat trays, scissors, pencils,
glue, brayers, tempera paint (or ink), white drawing paper
Procedures:
(We first sketched animal vessels in the
gallery.)
Etch a drawing of an animal into a flat
piece cut from the tray. Use scraps from the styrofoam tray to
make stamps. We made jaguar spots/rosettes, but Inca influenced
geometric designs can be a theme for the stamps. Do test prints,
and use the proper technique for printing (inking up a brayer,
placing the paper on top of the printing plate, etc.) and pull a
print in the center of the paper, or several prints depending on
sizes of paper and printing plate. Use stamping technique (dip in
paint) to make a border with the stamps.
***************************************
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: Mummy Bundle: MUMMY HEAD
Grade: K-2
Materials:
1’x 3’ white felt (or other material),
blunt metal tapestry needles, white yarn, fiberfill stuffing,
tempera paint and brushes
Procedures:
Fold felt over and sew the 2 long sides.
Turn inside out. Stuff and shape the head, then tie yarn around
the neck. (The body can be stuffed and sewn shut, but I leave it
open like a hand puppet.) Paint the face. Complete the mummy
bundle with TUNIC, HEADBAND, and WOVEN BELT.
***************************************
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: Mummy Bundle: HEADBAND
Grade: K-2
Materials:
White drawing paper, colored pencils,
feathers, stapler
Procedures:
Cut white paper into a large strips- length
and width will vary depending on size of MUMMY HEAD. Draw and
color geometric designs. Glue feathers. Staple together so it
slips onto the top of the MUMMY HEAD.
***************************************
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: Mummy Bundle: TUNIC
Grade: K-2
Materials:
1’x 2’ blue felt, 9’’x 9’’ red
felt, white felt, scissors, glue, tempera paint and brushes
Procedures:
Cut an “X” opening in the center of both
the blue and red felt. Position the red felt in the center of the
blue felt, turn it so it makes a diamond (rhombus), and glue it in
place. With pencil and ruler, draw a square grid on white felt to
make 10 squares (approx 1 ½- 2 inches each). Paint a geometric
design on each square, cut them apart, and glue on the front side
of the tunic. Stick the MUMMY HEAD through the “X” hole, add
WOVEN BELT.
***************************************
Submitted by: Tammi Fox
Unit: Empire of the Incas
Lesson Plan: Mummy Bundle: WOVEN BELT
Grade: K-2
Materials:
telephone wire, string, matbaord strip
(length and width can vary), masking tape, scissors
Procedures:
Make a loom from the mat board by cutting 4
notches at each short end, then warp with the string, and tape
down the ends. Wire should be cut in a length in which it can be
woven across once, and then bent to wrap around the back. Of
course every other row should be alternated (under/over, then
over/under), but it’s OK if several wires in a row do not
alternate from the ones next to them, as this is a difficult
concept for some students and the belt can be completed
regardless. Wrap the completed belt around the TUNIC and secure
with a few wires which are cut long enough to wrap several times
around.
NOTE from Tammi: I taught a week-long
art camp at the Orlando Museum of Art during the summer of 2004.
These lessons were done with 5 through 7 year olds. The theme was
“Empire of the Incas”. These lessons were appropriate based on
the artifacts in the museum. They have many animal vessels,
including a case dedicated to jaguars and another dedicated to
monkeys. Though all of these lessons can be adapted in many ways,
and most of the activities are things we’ve all done many times,
I put this together all in one place because I was stumped at
first when handed the Inca theme and hope that putting this on the
internet will help some one else who is handed an Inca unit and
doesn’t know where to start! I did not include the objectives in
the lessons, though many visual art benchmarks are covered
throughout the unit through the use of a wide variety of materials
and techniques, and of course the obvious cultural connections.
Feel free to contact me with questions- put “Empire of the
Incas” in the subject line (email: jatafox@yahoo.com)
