FAU Galleries-Guayasamín-Fall 08

Activity: The Chapel of Man

Oswaldo Guayasamín’s life is forever memorialized with the Chapel of Man, a monument he dedicated to humanity with its many ups and downs: pain, tears, songs, anger, protests, dreams, violence, fights, heroism, sacrifices, and victories. Sadly Guayasamín never had the chance to see its completion.

The idea for the Chapel of Man was conceived in 1985. Guayasamín wanted it to be part of a cultural complex administrated and cared for by the Guayasamín Foundation, which he created in 1976.

The Chapel of Man has two levels. One of them includes a complex of murals about the odyssey (or voyage) of the Latin-American people from their ancestral pre-Columbian world and its evolution from the past to contemporary times. The structure is a cultural space that protects archaeological findings (there are 14 pre-Incan tombs), a reconstruction of indigenous architecture (the structure of the Chapel itself), and pictorial artifacts and artworks (the murals of Guayasamín).

Activity - All About My World

  • Students will make a scrapbook about their culture, neighborhood and community, including both good and bad aspects, using images and words. Much like Guayasamín’s Chapel of Man, they will describe the world around them, making a representation of current events in their home, community, country and/or world. This project could be a reaction to anything, from bullies and other troubles in school to world issues like war, hunger or poverty.

Materials:

  • construction paper- punch with a 3-hole punch prior to the activity
  • string
  • magazines
  • glue sticks
  • photos (optional)
  • markers or crayons (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Have students cut out pictures and words from magazines and/or newspapers that describe their world.
  2. Paste images onto construction paper.
  3. (Optional) Students can draw on the pages that they glued the images onto for further decoration.
  4. Tie string in the pre-punched holes. Students now have a souvenir from their visit to the FAU University Galleries they can wear around their neck or hang up in the classroom.

Applicable Sunshine State Standards:

SS.B.1.3.2 - uses mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments.

SS.C.2.3.6 - understands the importance of participation in community service, civic improvement, and political activities.

SS.C.2.4.1 - develops and defines his or her own political beliefs and tendencies.

SS.C.2.4.2 - assesses the role that his or her own political behavior plays in determining the flow of power through our political system and for resolving conflicts in a pluralistic society.

VA.A.1.1 - The student understands and applies media, techniques, and processes.

VA.B.1.1 - The student creates and communicates a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas using knowledge of structures and functions of visual arts.

VA.C.1.1 - The student understands the visual arts in relation to history and culture.

VA.E.1.1 - The student makes connections between the visual arts, other disciplines, and the real world.

VA.A.1.2 - The student understands and applies media, techniques, and processes.

VA.B.1.2 - The student creates and communicates a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas using knowledge of structures and functions of visual arts.

VA.C.1.2 - The student understands the visual arts in relation to history and culture.

VA.E.1.2 - The student makes connections between the visual arts, other disciplines, and the real world.

VA.A.1.3 - The student understands and applies media, techniques, and processes.

VA.B.1.3 - The student creates and communicates a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas using knowledge of structures and functions of visual arts.

VA.C.1.3 - The student understands the visual arts in relation to history and culture.

VA.E.1.3 - The student makes connections between the visual arts, other disciplines, and the real world.

VA.A.1.4 - The student understands and applies media, techniques, and processes.

VA.B.1.4 - The student creates and communicates a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas using knowledge of structures and functions of visual arts.

VA.C.1.4 - The student understands the visual arts in relation to history and culture.

VA.E.1.4 - The student makes connections between the visual arts, other disciplines, and the real world.