The Love Nurtured Music program embraces the ideals and philosophy of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, founder of the Suzuki Method. The student, teacher and parent are the solid foundation of a learning triangle. The parent attends the lessons, creates a positive home learning environment, and organizes the daily listening and practice sessions.
No previous music or teaching experience is necessary.
The Suzuki Philosophy
More than forty years ago, Suzuki realized the implications of the fact that children the world over learn to speak their native language with ease. He began to apply the basic principles of language acquisition to the learning of music, and called his method the mother-tongue approach. The ideas of parent responsibility, loving encouragement, constant repetition, etc., are some of the special features of the Suzuki approach.
As when a child learns to talk, parents are involved in the musical learning of their child. They attend lessons with the child and serve as “home teachers” during the week. One parent often learns to play before the child, so that s/he understands what the child is expected to do. Parents work with the teacher to create an enjoyable learning environment.
The early years are crucial for developing mental processes and muscle coordination. Listening to music should begin at birth; formal training may begin at age three or four, but it is never too late to begin.
Children learn words after hearing them spoken hundreds of times by othe rs. Listening to music every day is important, especially listening to pieces in the Suzuki repertoire so the child knows them immediately.
Constant repetition is essential in learning to play an instrument. Children do not learn a word or piece of music and then discard it. They add it to their vocabulary or repertoire, gradually using it in new and more sophisticated ways.
As with language, the child’s effort to learn an instrument should be met with sincere praise and encouragement. Each child learns at his/her own rate, building on small steps so that each one can be mastered. Children are also encouraged to support each other’s efforts, fostering an attitude of generosity and cooperation.
Learning with Other Children
In addition to private lessons, children participate in regular group lessons and performance at which they learn from an are motivated by each other.
Children do not practice exercises to learn to talk, but use language for its natural purpose of communication and self-expression. Pieces in the Suzuki repertoire are designed to present technical problems to be learned in the context of the music rather than through dry technical exercises.
Children learn to read after their ability to talk has been well established. in the same way, children should develop basic technical competence on their instruments before being taught to read music.
How do I get my child started on Suzuki Violin?
The Love Nurtured Music Suzuki Strings Program’s 2016-2017 school year consists of 40 weeks of instruction (40 individual lessons and 32 group lessons, in addition to play-ins, recitals, and concerts). Group lessons of various levels are on Monday evenings. The school year starts on August 22, 2016 and ends on June 23, 2017. There will be breaks usual to the school year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break (March 11-18, 2017). Holidays with no lessons will be marked with the legend “NO LESSONS.” Summer lessons can also be scheduled in advance for 4, 6, 8 or 10 weeks, depending on availability. Contact Mr. Rigo Murillo for further enrollment and tuition information.
Individual Lessons run from August 22, 2016 through June 23, 2017.
Group Lessons run from September 12, 2016 through May 15, 2017.
Group Lesson Schedule:
- Violin Beginners’ Class: Monday 3:00-3:50 PM
- Violin Book 1: Monday 4:00-4:50 PM
- Violin Late Book 1 to Book 2: Monday 5:00-5:50 PM
- Violin Books 3-4: Monday 6:00-6:50 PM
- Violin Books 5 + Advanced: Monday 7:00-7:50 PM
- Ensemble/Orchestra (Elective): Select Sundays @ 3:00-4:30 PM
Saturday, February 25 @ 10:00-11:30 AM
Sunday, March 5 @ 2:00-3:30 PM
Saturday, March 25 @ 10:00-11:30 AM (instead of April 1)
Saturday, April 1 @ 10:00-11:30 AM –CANCELLED, Mr. Rigo is judging in College Auditions–
Sunday, April 23 @ 2:00-3:30 PM
Sunday, May 7 @ 3:00-4:45 PM @ Spring Valley UMC- OUR TRADITIONAL SPRING RECITAL
LOVE NURTURED MUSIC PROGRAM 2016-2017 CALENDAR
Monday 22 – Individual Lessons Begin
Monday 5 – Labor Day – NO LESSONS —
Monday 12 – Group Lessons Begin
Monday 31 – Costume Play-In @ LNM Studio; 5:00 PM
Tuesday 1 – Four-Payment Plan 2nd Payment Deadline
Monday 21 – Thanksgiving Week — NO GROUP LESSONS —
Tuesday 21 – Sunday 27 – Thanksgiving Week Break – NO LESSONS –
Monday 28 – Christmas Program Mandatory Rehearsal @ LNM Studio; 5:30-6:45 PM
Saturday 3 – Christmas Carols Church Service @ Richardson Spanish SDA; Call Time 3:45 PM
Sunday 11 – Christmas Carols Concert @ Good Shepherd UMC in Lucas; Call Time 1:30 PM
Sunday 21 – Sunday, January 4 Christmas Break – NO LESSONS –
Friday 30 – 4-Payment Plan 3rd Payment Deadline
Saturday 25 – Play-In @ LNM Studio; 10:00-11:30 AM
Sunday 5 – Play-In @ LNM Studio; 1:45 PM Call Time, starts sharp at 2:00-3:30 PM
Saturday 11 – Sunday 19 – Spring Break – NO LESSONS –
Saturday 25 – Play-In @ LNM Studio; 9:45 AM Call Time, starts sharp at 10:00-11:30 AM
Sunday 23 – Play-Inn @ LNM Studio; 1:45 PM Call Time, starts sharp at 2:00-3:30 PM
Monday 1 – 4-Payment Plan 4th Payment Deadline
Monday 1 – Concert Rehearsal @ LNM Studio; 5:30 PM **All Participants Need To Attend**
Sunday 7 – Traditional Spring Recital @ Spring Valley UMC; 2:15 PM Call Time, starts sharp at 3:00-4:45 PM
Monday 15 – Last Day of Group Lessons
Friday 23 – Last Day of Individual Lessons
Who We Are:
The Love Nurtured Music Program provides world-class, expert music instruction to children and adults starting at three years-old.
Musical instruction consists of weekly individual lessons, as well as weekly group classes for every student in the program.
The Love Nurtured Music Program upholds great commitment to the Suzuki Method philosophy, quality of instruction, and the highest standards of professionalism.
More than 25 years of experience and proven success in music performance and teaching young children speaks of the quality of instruction your child receives. The program is headed by renown violinist and teacher, Rigo Murillo.
To foster a learning community of love, appreciation and respect for music and to promote early childhood intellectual, cultural and character development through the teaching philosophy of Talent Education that incorporates musical instrument instruction, parent involvement and community performances.
Suzuki Teachers’ Pledge
- We realize the unlimited possibilities of early education.
- We also realize that every child can be educated.
- Our purpose is to develop this ability, and present this fact to the world.
- We are delighted to be teachers of the Suzuki Method and fully comprehend the responsibilities we have as teachers.
- We will continue to study teaching in the future with much reflection, and through this continuing study we will be better able to concentrate energies toward better teaching.
- We solemnly affirm that we will keep this promise as a Suzuki Method Teacher, and always do our utmost for our common purpose of educating the children of the world.
Suzuki Music Lessons: Music, Excellence, and Fun!
– Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, founder of the Suzuki Method
Welcome to the Love Nurtured Music Program!
Our goal is to foster a community of learning, love, appreciation and respect for music, and to promote early childhood intellectual, cultural and character development through the teaching philosophy of Talent Education.
We provide Suzuki violin lessons to children and adults, starting at three years old.
With the Suzuki Method, your child can successfully learn to play the violin beautifully by listening, imitating, and repeating sounds, just as we learn to talk.
In order to do this, we create a partnership between the teacher, parent, and child, inspiring a fine musical ear, self-confidence, and a lifelong love of music.
The highest standards of music teaching, violin technique, performance, musicality, and enjoyment.
We have a great commitment to the Suzuki Method philosophy, quality of instruction, and the highest standards of professionalism, with more than 25 years of experience and proven success in music performance and teaching young children.
Suzuki Teachers’ Pledge:
- We realize that every child has the opportunity to realize unlimited possibilities through early education
- As dedicated and responsible teachers, we will help develop this ability
- We will continue to reflect and concentrate on the best methods for teaching
- We solemnly affirm that we will keep this promise as a Suzuki Method Teacher, and always do our utmost for our common purpose of educating the children of the world
How the Suzuki Method of Talent Education works:
With the Love Nurtured Music Program, children learn violin through both individual and group lessons.
Musical instruction consists of weekly individual lessons, as well as weekly group classes for every student in the program.
Parents receive all the necessary guidance and tools to help your child with daily home practicing, as well as to provide for the Suzuki violin music listening assignments.
No previous music or teaching experience is necessary.
In addition to individual and group violin lessons, students take music reading and theory instruction as part of their weekly individual music lessons and group classes.
This comprehensive approach assures that students not only play the violin beautifully, but that students also learn to read, write, and understand music notation and how music works.
The Suzuki music curriculum gives students a well-rounded music education that goes beyond the “typical” weekly private lesson.
Our curriculum has taken many of our former students to the heights of music performance. It is designed to take our music students to the highest levels of musical excellence.
The complete, all-inclusive Suzuki music curriculum includes:
- Weekly Individual Violin Lessons
- Weekly Violin Group Lessons
- Music Notation & Theory Instruction
- Recitals, Concerts, & Performance Opportunities Throughout the Year
- Parent-Help Meetings to Maximize Your Child’s Music Learning
To learn more about Lessons, please click here.
The teacher, student, and parent meet twice each week. Once for an individually-focused lesson -one child at a time. While one, two or three children may be present at the same lesson, the teacher’s violin instruction is focused on one child while the other children and parents observe quietly, learning from the instruction. Children come also to their weekly Suzuki music class, appropriate to their level.
The length of the individual lessons may vary depending of the number, age and skill level of the children in the lesson, being from 30 to 90 minutes. Listening skills, posture, rhythm, and tone are developed. At home, the parent works with the child on daily violin practice and listening throughout the week.
During a child’s first semester of Suzuki violin lessons, lessons #1 – 3 may be dedicated mainly to instruct the parent to develop a rudimentary understanding of the violin. The child observes and participates in those lessons. After that introductory stage, the child becomes the main focus of the lessons.
Essential to the Suzuki Method are weekly group lessons, where students listen to one another play, interact musically, work on violin technique, play musical games, learn theory skills, or loco-motor skills. Group lessons are part of the school year’s regular instruction. Other activities such as concerts, recitals, and workshops are also part of the program.
Music Theory lessons allow children to read and write music notation, to understand how music works and to hear and read is merely a means to an end – music students should be able to use their music theory skills to play their instrument in a more informed manner and to compose their own music.
Because of developmental differences in young children, Suzuki violin teachers recommend that children begin studying between the ages of two-and-a-half and six years old. Admission into the program may require a short meeting between the parent, child, and teacher to determine whether the program is what you and your child need. Additionally, parents receive training on the Suzuki philosophy and approach. Contact us to request more information.
How to Begin
Most Suzuki teachers recommend that parents and children observe several Suzuki lessons before registering. Parents take a course covering the basics of the Suzuki philosophy and principles of helping the child with daily practice. It is recommended that children younger than 4 attend at least a semester of early music education classes.
For further details on how to attend violin lessons and details describing the Suzuki Violin program, go to our contact page.
“Rigo has provided violin instruction to my daughter for almost two years now. I have been incredibly impressed with the patience that he displays working with her and her peers, since they are so young and new to playing an instrument. Under Rigo’s guidance I’ve watched my daughter progress tremendously, and we look forward to a continued partnership with Rigo in the future. Top qualities: Personable, Expert, Creative.”
“Students learn in an environment that encourages excellence at their own pace. The violin is not easy but Mr.Rigo makes learning easy.”
“Professional Suzuki Method class taught by a great teacher. He loves teaching string to his students. He understands how to work with each child individually and his work comes to fruition during the group sessions and recitals. It is definitely music to my ears to hear my daughter’s music grow along with her appreciation for music.”
“We knew about Mr. Rigo through one of my son’s friends who takes violin lessons with him. One time this boy played the violin beautifully at one of my son’s school music programs. I could not believe how well a five year-old could play the violin. My son had started to show an interest in violin, so we talked to Mr. Rigo about it. He was very personable and professional when I talked with him on the phone. I had several questions and he answered them thoroughly. Then, he invited us to visit his studio and watch him teach. After we saw Mr. Rigo teach and visited with him, my husband and I realized that he was the perfect fit to teach our son. Mr. Rigo is a great teacher with my son and explains to me how to practice every difficult spot in the violin pieces. I have been amazed at how my son longs to play his violin now. He’s been learning faster than I thought he would learn. Mr. Rigo has a way of making every lesson fun and memorable. He is very enjoyable, fun-loving and he’s as accessible and friendly as anyone can be. He is very professional and always communicates very well with us about all the things happening in his studio. We are very happy with him and would recommend him to anyone.”
“My daughter is 10 and loves her violin lessons with Mr. Murillo. She’s been making a lot of progress with her violin pieces since she’s been taking lessons with him. We moved to Allen about a year ago and now I can see the difference in my daughter’s violin sound, intonation, and musicality. Mr. Murillo is extremely knowledgeable of violin technique and also has just the right sense of humor to get the points across to my daughter. He really makes every private and group lesson fun and my daughter looks forward to having her violin lessons every week. She also loves Mr. Murillo’s group violin classes and has a great time playing with the other children and with the violin trivia games and gets sad when the lesson ends. Mr. Murillo’s instruction really makes all the group play at a very high level together. I don’t know what we would do if we had to move far away again. Mr. Murillo is a true gem. It is truly worth the drive from Allen.”
“Mr. Rigo is a great teacher and a lot of fun. He has a great sense of humor and both my daughter and I look forward to violin lessons every week. Now, after 2 years, I see a lot of things about the Suzuki method that I didn’t know before. Mr. Rigo always tells me how to practice with my daughter and I am learning a lot about how to deal with her personality. Mr. Rigo is constantly recommending things to do to learn the violin pieces well and how to get my daughter to learn faster and play better. I can recommend Mr. Rigo any day.”
“Suzuki violin has open so many doors to my son (he is 6 years old). At first, when my son said that he wanted to learn violin I thought that it was going to be more difficult than it came out to be. I played the piano as a child but I always thought the violin was more difficult and I wasn’t sure how I would help my son with violin. Mr. Rigo is very patient with my son and has helped him improve his concentration not only when he plays the violin, but also with his homework. Violin lessons with Mr. Rigo are fun and enjoyable. He explains how the Suzuki method works and how to practice the violin pieces better. He’s is an outstanding violinist and teacher.”
I just want to tell you how much my daughter and I enjoyed your group classes at the Suzuki workshop. She had a great fun time playing the fiddle songs and learning the body motions. I sure hope we see you at the Suzuki camp next year. You are wonderful with the children and have them play so well. Both my daughter and I have been inspired by your sessions. Thanks for your enthusiasm!”
Press About the Love Nurtured Music Suzuki Program
Very young children can be taught to play an instrument using the Suzuki approach. The child learns by listening, imitating, and repeating sounds, just as we learn to talk. The Suzuki music method takes children through music learning from infancy to excellence in music performance. The main purpuse of the Suzuki music lessons is to teach discipline, hard work skills, and a noble character to children.
The Suzuki Method creates a partnership between the teacher, parent, and child, inspiring a fine musical ear, self-confidence, and a lifelong love of music. The “Suzuki Parent” attends all individual and group lessons. Your Suzuki music teacher will give you all the necessary tools to help your child with daily home practicing, as well as providing instructions for the Suzuki music listening assignments. No previous music or teaching experience is necessary.
Call us: (214) 269-8545
Contact us to schedule a FREE lesson observation appointment if you want to get your child started with Suzuki music lessons or would like to visit our studio, or to obtain registration and tuition information.
Mr. Rigo Murillo will personally give you all the information you need about the Suzuki music program.
Scroll down if you would like to send an email.
Love Nurtured Music Program
11882 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75243
Phone: (214) 269-8545
Email Contact Form:
Dallas/Plano/Richardson/Preston Hollow/White Rock/Highland Park/Lake Highlands
Welcome to the Love Nurtured Music Program, where we provide outstanding Suzuki violin instruction to students aged three years and up.
My name is Rigo Murillo, and I am passionate about helping my students learn the discipline needed to achieve great skills in playing the violin while also creating an atmosphere of fun.
With my extensive experience (25+ years) as a professional violinist and a Registered Suzuki Violin Specialist I offer lessons, from beginner to advanced, at my Northeast Dallas studio.
In addition to performing and conducting, I enjoy sharing my life with Suzuki families, and offering my depth of knowledge to my students, while helping their parents to continue supporting their learning.
The Suzuki Philosophy
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki believed two main ideas about the natural development of language, which he realized could also be applied to musical education. This influenced his creation and implementation of the Suzuki Method:
- Children learn to speak by being immersed in the language-filled environment around them.
- By receiving the proper encouragement and nurturing, children imitate what they hear.
For young children, The Suzuki approach is the most natural and simplest method to learning music.
It extends from ear training, and goes beyond the basics to the most intricate aspects of musical expression.
Regardless of your child’s performance level, the principles of the Suzuki Method can bring excitement and progress toward musical excellence.
Suzuki’s influence has personally made me a better teacher by providing me with an extensive variety of performing, conducting and teaching experiences.
My students directly benefit from my experiences by acquiring a solid technical foundation of violin technique, thereby achieving the highest standards of musical performance.
I know firsthand the incredible benefits of working with great Suzuki teachers, and have had the privilege of learning from teachers like Nancy Jackson, Paul Landefeld, Pat D’Ercole, Michelle George, Cathy Hargrave, and Joanne Melvin.
By working with them, I was given a holistic approach and perspective on Dr. Suzuki’s teaching methods.
Suzuki Strings Specialist &
Registered Suzuki Violin Teacher
If you would like to learn more about how Suzuki violin lessons can help your child, I would be delighted for you to observe my teaching methods.
If you would like to schedule a visit to the studio, please Contact me here to make arrangements.
To learn more about lessons, enrollment and tuition, please click here.
Mr. Rigo’s Professional Bio:
Violinist Rigo Murillo has earned the warm respect from his listeners and colleagues through his signature vivid and multicolored tone, clear yet spontaneous eloquence, and well-defined expression.
He is able to capture even the youngest of audiences’ imaginations with his inspiring musical conviction.
Rigo has shared the stage with world-acclaimed artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Jean Pierre Rampal, Doc Severinsen, and Ray Charles, among others.
In addition, he has performed in master classes with renowned artists such as Mayumi Fujikawa, Gregory Feigin, and Alexandre Brussilovsky, and played as a member of the Pensacola Symphony, Meridian Symphony, Mississippi Opera Orchestra, as well as concertmaster of the USM Symphony and the Mesquite Symphony.
Rigo is producer of a compilation of instrumental songs performed on violin, titled “My Heart’s Music,” is featured on several recordings of Jewish liturgical and folk music, and has appeared as a guest soloist with the Ollin Yoliztli Chamber Orchestra.
He is the founder of the Suzuki strings program in the Greenville (TX) public schools, and teaches private and group violin lessons in the Northeast Dallas area while keeping an active performing schedule in the North Texas region.
Rigo has received honor degrees in violin performance and music education from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he was also granted the McGraw Violin Chair Award. He holds an Artist Diploma in violin performance from the Ollin Yoliztli Institute in Mexico City, where he studied with Sergei Gorbenko, the former concertmaster of the USSR Radio and TV Orchestra.
He is a registered Suzuki teacher and active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and Vice-President of the North Texas Suzuki Association, having studied Suzuki pedagogy with Michelle George, Joanne Melvin, Pat D’Ercole, and Paul Landefeld.
Additionally, he has been a faculty member at The University of Southern Mississippi Suzuki School, Bass Memorial Academy, Violinspire Suzuki Workshop in Hattiesburg, MS, and the American Honor Orchestra Festival. Rigo Murillo’s musical leadership has taken him to excel as music director of the USM Civic Orchestra, director of operations of the USM Symphony Orchestra, and music director at Mount Sinai Congregation in Mexico City.
* The Suzuki Method is a registered trademark of the International Suzuki Association and its administrators. Suzuki Method materials are published exclusively by a subsidiary of Warner-Chappell Music, Inc., Alfred Publishing, Inc.


In the writing world, characters tend to fit the mold of being straight and having no trouble with their gender identity. However, in real life, there are many people who don't fit this stereotype. People can be bisexual, gay, lesbian, asexual, or transgender, and it can be tough to create and write a character who has a different gender identity or sexuality than you do. It's possible, however, to accomplish the task and create a well-rounded character who can lead your story.
Method 1 of 4:
1Design a character, not just "a lesbian" or "a trans boy." Before deciding on your character's sexuality, identity, and relationship status, you'll need to decide on the basics of your character. What's their name and how old are they? What do they look like? What's their role in the story? Keep in mind that your character defines their sexual orientation—the sexual orientation doesn't define them.
- Your character should have a personality that is just as nuanced as the personalities of the straight and cis characters.
2Read from the community you wish to represent. What are their lives like? What are their struggles, their goals, the things they are grateful for? Which characters do they say are done well, and why? Which stereotypes do they hate? What advice do they have for you? If you take time to listen to the community, you will understand them better.
- Try sending out a message asking for advice on social media. You may get some great tips!
3Carefully consider your character's development arc. What lesson do they learn? What is their major flaw, and how do they overcome it (if at all)? If they are the main character, facing this problem head-on will mark the climax of the story. This may or may not be related to their gender identity. For example:
- Lane suffered bullying in childhood, and their dad died in a traumatic car accident. They are afraid to open up to anyone. With the help of their boyfriend, they begin sharing more. The climax is when they finally agree to sing karaoke at a party, only to forget the lyrics. Lane learns that failure is okay, and people can be more forgiving than they know.
- Dijon lives life according to social norms, working hard and studying medicine like his mom wants. He slowly learns to listen to his own desires, and accepting himself as asexual is part of this. The climax is when he announces to his mother that he is going to the state university to study engineering, not med school, because this is what he wants.
- Bayta is trans and bisexual, but this isn't very important to the story. Her character arc is about accepting herself as autistic and learning to ask for help.
4Map out your character's strengths. What are they good at? What positive contributions will they make to the plot? How do they help others? Give your character some real strong points, and readers will be reminded that LGBT+ people are talented and worth having around.
5Remember the diversity of people under the LGBT+ umbrella. Everyone is unique, and different people will have different experiences. Tailor your character's past and present to the demands of their story and their personality. There are thousands of ways to be bisexual, gay or transgender, and none of them are bad or wrong.Advertisement
Method 2 of 4:
Writing Characters of Different Sexualities
1Understand sexuality. Before writing a character who has a different sexual orientation than you do, make sure you have an understanding of sexual orientation and how one sexuality is differentiated by another sexuality. For example, asexuality isn't celibacy—it's lack of sexual attraction, and asexual people can still be in romantic relationships. Do research on the sexuality that you want your character to be.
2Decide on your character's sexuality. Lots of people aren't just "gay" or "straight"—there are many gray areas. Decide on your character's sexual orientation, and if you wish, their romantic orientation—which is who they're romantically attracted to.
- Gay or lesbian characters are attracted to only people of their gender identity. Gay men would be attracted to men, and lesbian women would be attracted to women. Keep in mind that the word "gay" can be used to describe a girl, but the term "lesbian" can't be used for a boy.
- Bisexual or pansexual characters are attracted to two or more genders. The difference between bisexual people and pansexual people depends on the individual's definition of their sexuality.
- Asexual characters lack sexual attraction. This doesn't mean that they aren't interested in relationships, sex, or anything with a romantic air to it—it simply means that they don't find people sexually attractive.
Aromantic characters lack romantic attraction. These characters may find other characters sexually attractive, but they do not desire a romantic relationship.
- The difference between a character's sexual orientation and their romantic orientation is that a character can be sexually attracted to one gender, but romantically interested in another. For example, a character could be sexually attracted to men, but romantically attracted to both men and women. Likewise, a character can be asexual and still be romantically interested in other characters.
3Consider their history. Have they come out, and if so, to who? Have they faced any bigotry? How have people reacted to them? What is their attitude towards their sexuality? Figuring out what they have faced and how they have adapted is important to understanding who they are today.Advertisement
Method 3 of 4:
Writing Characters of Different Gender Identity
1Understand gender identity. Gender identity is often confused with assigned sex, but they are not the same thing. Assigned sex (sometimes incorrectly referred to as biological sex) is what sex organs a person was born with, while gender identity is the gender that a person identifies as and wishes to be addressed by. For example, a person could be assigned female at birth, but have a male gender identity and would be referred to as a boy. In this case, he would be referred to as a transgender boy. A transgender girl would be someone who is assigned male at birth and identifies as female.
- There are different gender identities than just cisgender (non-transgender) and transgender. A person can be agender, meaning they identify with no gender; bigender, meaning they identify as two genders simultaneously; genderfluid, meaning that their gender identity shifts between genders, and some people just don't care about gender identity!
- Gender identity and sexuality are two different things, and they do not correspond. There are many transgender boys who like boys, and many transgender girls who like girls. Just because someone is transgender doesn't mean they automatically like one gender—sexuality and gender are not related.
- Crossdressing doesn't necessarily indicate your character's gender identity. A boy can wear a skirt or a dress and still identify as a boy, and a girl can bind her chest and wear "boy's" clothes while still identifying as a girl. While clothing is often a huge part of a trans or nonbinary person's self-expression, someone's gender is defined by their identity, not by the clothes they wear.
2Decide on your character's gender identity. Your character's gender identity may or may not be important to the story. Regardless, if you're writing a character with a different gender identity, you'll need to choose their gender identity.
- Cisgender (sometimes abbreviated to cis) means that a character identifies with the gender that corresponds with their assigned sex - in other words, someone who's assigned female identifying as a girl would be cisgender.
- Transgender (sometimes abbreviated to trans) means that a character identifies with a gender that does not correspond with their assigned sex. For example, a person who was assigned male and identifies as a female would be a transgender girl and would be referred to as a girl.
- A character that is agender doesn't identify with gender labels. This doesn't mean they're completely androgynous, however!
- Bigender isn't limited to just male and female. A character can feel both like a boy and like no gender at the same time. These characters tend to pick their preferred gender pronouns (PGP's), and some choose to be referred to as "they".
- Someone who is genderfluid can alter between feeling like a boy, a girl, genderless, or bigender. These characters also tend to pick preferred gender pronouns, and can also be referred to as "they".
- Demiboys and demigirls only partially fit into the gender binary.
- There are also more obscure identities which you can research.
3Design your character. This is a little bit more tricky than just designing a character who isn't straight, since you will need to decide on your character's gender identity, and therefore, their sex. Their DNA influences their body and shape, as well as their voice and some other characteristics not immediately seen by the reader.
- Consider if and when they were able to have access to hormones and other treatments. A twenty-year-old who started estrogen two months ago will look different from a twenty-year-old who transitioned at age five and had puberty blockers.
- Without puberty blockers, puberty can be quite traumatic for trans people. Even if they have since gotten hormones and look great, they will probably have many bad memories.
4Understand common misconceptions. There are many misconceptions about transgender people that cisgender people come up with. Common ones to be ruled out are:
- It's just a phase!: While some people explore around with gender identity in their childhood and teenage years, just because they're young when determining their gender doesn't mean it's something they'll grow out of or decide isn't them.
- Transgender people are just gay!: Transgender people can be gay, but gender identity and sexual orientation don't correlate!
- Bigender/Genderfluid/Agender isn't real!: Gender identity is a spectrum, not a binary. There's more to gender than just "male" and "female".
- Don't all trans people have surgery/take hormones?: Many transgender people are not comfortable with having surgery or taking hormones. Even if they are comfortable with it, other factors can make it impossible to have hormones/surgery, such as health problems, financial issues, or unsupportive/unsafe environment.
5Consider how they have adapted. Living in a cis-centric world is difficult for a trans person, especially depending on how accepting the environment is. What tricks have they developed to stay safe? How do they cope? What have they faced in the past, and has it impacted their ability to trust others or feel safe? Common issues faced include:
- Public restroom safety
- Picking "male" or "female" on documents
- Street harassment
- Trying to look "presentable enough" to avoid discrimination (When? How much? Are they a bad person for doing this?)
- Cruel family members
- Mental health issues, suicidal thoughts
Method 4 of 4:
Avoiding Stale Writing
LGBT+ representation in fiction too often falls into the same trite plotlines and stereotypes. Here is how to avoid these and write something more interesting and creative.
1Recognize the stereotypes that exist. The LGBT+ community is very diverse, and people who share a sexuality or gender identity could be very different from each other. Watch out for stereotypes, because these can undermine your ability to write a three-dimensional character. Here are some common tropes:
- Feminine gay man, gay man who only serves to be a girl's sidekick
- Masculine lesbian
- Promiscuous, sly bisexual/confused bisexual
- Frigid or evil asexual
- Transgender person who is deceptive or a freak
2Remember the difference between sexuality and gender expression. Liking men does not make one feminine, and liking women does not make one masculine. Fiction is filled with gay men who love shopping and detest football, and tough lesbians who play rough sports. Recognize the stereotypes and work on making your character original.
- Of course, there are some feminine gay men and some masculine lesbians. If you are writing one of these characters, make sure that you are giving them plenty of unique and multilayered traits too, so that they are more than a caricature.
3Choose your words with care. Some terms have been used in degrading and dehumanizing ways, and can be very hurtful and alienating to LGBT+ readers. It can also suggest to readers who aren't in the know that it is okay to use these words to describe someone else. Use compassion when selecting words, and be aware of how this affects the message you send to your readers.
- Always have the narrative refer to a transgender person as their correct gender (the gender that they want to be referred to as), even if others are misgendering the character.
- If you have a character who uses these words, make it clear in the narrative that this character is being hurtful. For example, if somebody calls Laquisha a "d*ke," show how this upsets her, and/or have someone stand up for her.
4Make your LGBT+ character a character in their own right. Some writers use LGBT+ characters as one-dimensional plot devices, used to further the development of straight and cis characters.
- This doesn't mean your LGBT+ character shouldn't teach other characters anything, simply that there should be more to them than only this.
5Recognize that same-gender couples are, on average, just as sexual as mixed-gender couples are. There is no need to fixate on sex (unless you are writing erotica), nor do you need to avoid showing the characters doing anything more than holding hands.
- If all the mixed-gender couples are kissing when the bell tolls for New Year's, let the same-gender couple kiss too. They can have the same romantic opportunities.
6Avoid killing off your LGBT+ character. Killing gay, bisexual, transgender, etc. characters is an old plot line often meant to show that the character is "too good for this sinful earth" and other characters should have treated them better. However, this pattern can send a very unfortunate message to LGBT+ readers: that suicide is the most common and sensible option.
- If your story absolutely requires killing an LGBT+ character, make sure that there are other LGBT+ characters who survive and have bright futures ahead of them.
7Name the sexuality or gender identity. Tell readers that Lana is bisexual, not just confused, and Richard is asexual, not broken. Labeling their identity can help readers who share the identity feel validated, and help readers who don't have that identity learn and empathize more. You may even have a reader or two who realizes they have that identity thanks to your story.Advertisement
QuestionI'm creating a web comic where the characters are all demons. Some of them are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Would that be too offensive and rude? I don't want to be disrespectful.Community AnswerAs long as their being LGBTQ+ isn't portrayed as something that makes them demonic or adds to their evil, it won't be offensive or rude.
QuestionI support LGBT people, but it's really weird for me writing transgender characters. Does this make me a bad person?Community AnswerNot at all! Even if you're accepting of transgender people, it can still be difficult to immerse yourself in the culture, language, pronouns, etc. when it's so different from what you've known your whole life. However, don't be afraid to try! There's always a need for more LGBTQ+ characters, and this gives you an opportunity to really learn about what it means to be transgender and how it influences someone's thoughts and personality.
QuestionWould be a bad idea to make the villain LGBT (pansexual, to be exact), even if there are other characters, good guys, who are also LGBT? There are other pan characters (who aren't horrible), but it's a nagging concern.Top AnswererThat's fine. It helps if you avoid hypersexualizing or negatively stereotyping the villain, such as making them obviously queer while the others could pass for straight. Showing good pan characters will make it clear that you don't believe pansexuality is evil, especially if you are showing pan characters in healthy relationships. This is a tricky one, and it may be helpful to talk a bit with some LGBT+ friends (online or in-person) and hear their advice.
QuestionMy character is the oldest of three brothers. He is gay, but that isn't touched on much by any of the characters, is this alright?Community AnswerThis is a perfectly plausible scenario. A gay character is like any other character. You do not need to touch on it unless you need to for your plot.
QuestionWould it be homophobic, to make a comedy about a gay or lesbian person's crush? I have seen this on successful comedies, but as a lesbian I find it kind of offensive.Community AnswerI'm not sure why it would be considered offensive. There are many comedies that revolve around a straight person and their crush, so a lot of people think of it as a double standard. Of course, if it makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason, just write about something else.
QuestionHow can I make a lovable and relatable gay or lesbian character?Top AnswererThe same way you would make a lovable and relatable straight character - give them appropriate strengths and weaknesses, a good role in the story, and display them as a person rather than a tool or flat character. Good characters are multilayered and are far more than stereotypes or caricatures, regardless of their sexuality. The main difference between straight and gay characters is who they might end up dating; a gay character wouldn't be vastly different from a straight character just because they happen to be gay.
QuestionI want to write two females getting together in one of my stories. They are both 13, and the story would probably be aimed at that age group. Would the story be considered appropriate by parents?Community AnswerThat depends upon the parents. As long as the parents are at least somewhat progressive, it should be fine, but it also depends what you mean by "getting together." If you're not writing anything sexually explicit, you should be okay with that age group.
QuestionIs it rude or offensive to have an LGBT+ character that is considered a bad guy in the story?Community AnswerIs it rude or offensive to have a person be considered a bad guy in the story? No. LGBT+ people are just people. As long as you make it known in the story that they aren't bad because they're LGBT+, you're fine.
QuestionWould it be offensive if some of my LGBTQ+ characters are evil or 'insane'? I've got good and supportive LGBTQ+ people too, and none of their 'evil'' is linked with their identities.Community AnswerIt sounds like you're doing good things: showing that LGBTQ+ people can also be good, and that evil isn't inherent to being LGBTQ+. It helps to be aware of negative stereotypes about orientations (e.g. the "greedy" bisexual, "robotic" asexual, "freakish" trans person, or hypersexed LGBTQ+ person), so that your villain isn't a stereotype either. Be cautious about making characters "insane" too: at best, it's a cheap writing gimmick and at worst, it feeds into terrible stereotypes about people with mental illnesses. Instead of saying that the villain does things due to "insanity," give them real and compelling reasons like greed, desire for power, or revenge. This makes a more nuanced and believable villain.
QuestionI want to write a story where one of the characters (who is gay) is a huge fan of musicals and acting. Would this be overly stereotypical?Top AnswererIt depends on how you handle it. If the character gushes about musicals every time they appear and never talks or thinks about anything else, then yes, that would be stereotypical. However, if the character clearly has interests outside of musicals and theater and is treated as an actual person (rather than just a stereotype or flat character), then you're likely not going to have issues - there are gay people who do enjoy musicals and theater, after all. The character just needs to have more defining traits than "gay" and "likes musicals".
- Develop your character as you would with any other character. A character defines their gender or sexuality; the gender or sexuality does not define the character.
- Search for stories by people of the gender or sexuality you'll be writing about, and look for informational blogs or websites about the gender or sexuality. However, beware of bigoted websites.
- It might be a good idea to politely ask an LGBT+ friend or family member to answer any questions you may have about relationships and sexuality, rather than rely on the Internet for answers.
- Stories can be a great way to break stereotypes about LGBT+ people! You could add a religious or disabled person; just make sure you do your research.
About This Article
Reader Success Stories
"The part about stereotypes is very, very important. I hate seeing a character who is the basic stereotype of their sexuality or gender identity. Also developing them as a stand alone character is important."..." more
VJ"It shows what LGBT people don't want in a queer book. Learning to avoid this and make characters be more than their sexuality or gender really matters."..." more
ML"The gender identity is what helped, mostly. I have difficulty writing characters who are trans/a/bigender(fluid). It really helped."..." more
A"I think that it really does help me."


Found 968 Learning Lab Collections
A collection of resources about Ancient China and artifact examples.
Language is the very first tool that we use to understand the ideas that we are trying to share. But what about the monuments, art, and songs that we have created to share our ideas with one another? This exploration will focus on how American culture founded on the mixing of ethnicities and experiences used the skills and talents of its members to reveal its faults and celebrate its wonder and imagination. This collection focuses on the identities and expressions of 1st Nations People, African American, and White American cultures. There are so many other cultures that have contributed to this nations story, this is just one exploration of many that we should embark on to tell our stories of who we are as a people and a nation. This exploration will give students a way to examine the history of those around them, but also their place within this most extravagant quilt of this country.
- The purpose of this activity is to give students a better understanding of the American Indian identity of the United States as foundational to understanding this land. From that foundation they will journey through the musical/dance expressions of those who came to be known as White Americans and African Americans, who came to inhabit the US and through them some of the historical/contemporary realities and perspectives that make up a part of our society.
Please follow the lesson plan laid out at the beginning of the collection to see the best way to use it. #goglobal
This interdisciplinary collection explores the idea of a manifesto through the framework of High School Visual Art, Language Arts and History. Inspired by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden's "Manifesto: Art x Agency" exhibition, this collection examines the ideas of historical manifestos while also examining whose voices are historically absent, and how they can be amplified in the future. Just as each generation of artists created manifestos to challenge the status quo, this generation of students can be empowered to do the same. #GoGlobal
Using this Collection:
- Use the “Unit Outline” to see how each lesson/activity is organized. The “Introduction to Manifestos” lesson and corresponding artwork provide focused activities for use in the classroom, while the rest of the collection serves as suggestions and ideas for deepening thinking and questioning, culminating in a student-produced manifesto.
- Detailed suggestions on how to implement the learning activities are found in the "information" section of each of the Activity Tiles as well as the Project Zero Thinking Routine Tiles.
- Notes regarding the use of each Project Zero Thinking Routine are documented as annotations within each individual Thinking Routine tile and provide specific instructions on how align these routines with this collection.
Global Competence Connection:
- Students “recognize perspectives” by analyzing how manifestos and movements have championed certain voices over others, and contextualizing their own experiences within a broader historical and global context.
- Students “communicate their ideas” through the creation of a manifesto that demonstrates their unique perspective.
Using the manifestos and artworks in this collection as a foundation, you can use other content specific texts for your subject area and unique classroom demographics. Some ideas include:
“The Origin of the Species” by Charles Darwin
“The Communist Manifesto” by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx
“United States Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights” by The United Nations
Welcome to the Grade 4 Beliefs Unit Collection. Please enjoy. Below there is information about:
- How the lesson was used specifically at Washington International School (WIS) in Washington DC in 2019
- The role of STEAM at WIS
Additionally, within the collection, the markers will help guide the teacher through each component. The collection is broken up into: Educating the teacher team (preparing for the unit), STEAM teacher resources, Student activities, and Student learning extensions.
Enjoy and all feedback is welcomed.
Washington International School is an International Baccalaureate (IB), Primary Years Program (PYP). I am the STEAM Specialist who integrates 21st century skill inquiry projects, hands on science and engineering, and digital tools/technology. This collection is to support many teachers who will contribute to content for this unit. The Language specialists, art teacher, design technology, STEAM Specialist and physical education.
STEAM at WIS:
My role will be to host an experience that role-plays early civilizations and their interactions with sun, moon, and stars. Students will interpret their experience and create a piece of art that demonstrates their translation of the experience. The follow up will be to help the students connect their experience with ancient cultures. Then, the conversation will further develop to challenge the students to think how science changes our understanding of our universe. The overall theme is to encourage students and give them confidence to explore various belief systems, challenge their own understanding of the world through their beliefs, experiences, and science.
These exercises scaffold learning to align student inquiry to the Social Studies standards:
- Distinguish between personal beliefs and belief systems (PYP Scope and Sequence Pg. 29)
- Define the elements of a belief system (creed, codes of behavior, rituals, community.) (AERO CC+ G5 p22 4.5.f)
- Identify the major religions of the world in terms of their beliefs, rituals and sacred texts. (referenced: AERO CC+ G6 p30 4.8.f)
- Reflect upon how beliefs affect the individual and society (PYP Scope and Sequence Pg. 29)
Important to know: The teachers at WIS took the students on two days of field trips to visit various areas of "worship" in the DC/MD/VA area: Buddhist Temple, Mosque, Jewish Temple, Catholic Church, and African American Christian Church. Students had worksheets to complete for each location that included observations of icons, the use of shapes in the visual devotional symbols, and to draw the various religious icons. After, they engaged in discussion about their experiences. If your school does not have the ability to do an elaborate field trip like this, we recommend having devotional leaders and/or parents visit as subject matter experts to demonstrate their systems of faith, icons, devotions, and symbols.
- I used this collection to train the teachers about the new thinking routines (Beginning slides)
- There are samples from students learning about Sun, Egyptian use of sun in their beliefs (art and architecture)
- Students looked at Egyptian sun use and modern NASA sun data to inspire them for their STEAM Challenge
- Their STEAM Challenge was to create a pyramid (cardboard) with a devotion (clay), and decorate with sun symbols (crayons/markers).
- Our students just completed a cardboard challenge (Cain's Arcade - check out on Youtube) so they were cardboard construction "experts". Therefore, they only had 40 minutes for their challenge. You will need to either have a lesson on cardboard construction before, or give them more samples and/or time. Hypothetically, this could be a 1/2 day project for students.
- The goal is then for students to look at other cultures and other NASA data (Incas (or other Native American tribes) African Tribes, and/or Australian Aborigines, etc. and have them do the same STEAM challenge (format) by creating a model structure decorated by symbols inspired by both indigenous symbols and modern NASA data (sun, stars, planets, or Earth's Moon). Therefore, they will have a "Maker Collection" that demonstrates various engineering styles as well as belief systems.
International Baccalaureate Transdisciplinary Unit of Inquiry: Who we are. Beliefs - An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships, including families, friends, communities and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.
Central Idea: Humans have common beliefs that attempt to answer life’s big questions.
- The main line of Inquiry this collection will align with is: Global religious beliefs and practices
The following subject teachers plan to do the following:
- Art = Beliefs and metaphors with clay
- Digital Technology = Building sacred structures
- STEAM = Engineering and Science of sacred structures globally and historically
Global thinking routines: Step In, Step Out, Step Back; Beauty and Truth; Unveiling Stories
STEAM Challenge: Students can further their inquiry from ancient beliefs with their experiences with modern organized religion into modern spirituality by analyzing the exhibition for Burning Man Festival. Students will complete a STEAM Challenge to build their own sacred structure that honors their own belief systems.
On February 12, 2018, the official portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. President Obama's portrait was created by artist Kehinde Wiley, who is known for his vibrant, large-scale paintings of African Americans posing as famous figures from the history of Western art. This portrait does not include an underlying art historical reference, but some of the flowers in the background carry special meaning for Obama. Mrs. Obama's portrait was created by artist Amy Sherald, who considers the former first lady to be someone “women can relate to—no matter what shape, size, race, or color. . . . We see our best selves in her.”
This collection includes the two portraits, in high resolution, so that learners can zoom in and out to carefully observe details. It also includes videos and articles about the portraits and their official unveilings. Additional supports include other works by the two artists and strategies for reading portraits. Portraits of the two sitters and other presidential portraits can be used for compare and contrast activities.
Older generations of Alaska Athabascan (Dene) peoples tanned moose hides using time-tested methods to make strong, supple leather for sewing beaded or quill-embroidered tunics, jackets, mittens, bags and moccasins, as well as everyday essentials such as dogsled harnesses. Because traditional tanning is time-consuming and requires technical knowledge that has declined in recent generations, most moose hides are now sent out to commercial tanneries for processing with synthetic chemicals. Commercial tanning produces a lower quality hide, but more importantly, it displaces the passing on of Athabascan tanning knowledge. Recognizing this, contemporary artists Joel Isaak (Dena'ina Athabascan) and Melissa Shaginoff (Ahtna Athabascan) have been learning traditional methods for tanning moose hides from elders Helen Dick (Dena’ina Athabascan) and Jeanie Maxim (Ahtna Athabascan) and adding tested, contemporary tools.
The Alaska office of the Arctic Studies Center worked with these committed artists and elders from September 2017 through June 2018 to carry out moosehide tanning work in communities and backyards in Kenai, Chickaloon, and Anchorage, and a sewing and beading residency at the Anchorage Museum. The collaboration resulted in the set of twenty-three educational videos presented here. Links to a selection of Athabascan objects from the Smithsonian collections made from moose hide are included below.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, museum, education, Indigenous, tan, tanning, moosehide, moose hide, smoking, sew, bead, Athabascan, Dena'ina, Ahtna, Dene, Melissa Shaginoff, Joel Isaak , Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
Classroom Activity Using Images of Immigration and Identity from the National Portrait Gallery, the New York Times, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Students can use the "What makes you say that?" and the "3 Ys" thinking routines to explore two modern portraits about identity and immigration from the National Portrait Gallery. The first thinking strategy asks students to look at a work of art for several minutes before answering two questions: "What's going on?" and "What do you see that makes you say that?" (See https://learninglab.si.edu/res... for more information.)
To further and deepen the discussion, I've included a link to a September 2016 New York Times Op-Doc entitled "4.1 Miles," about a coast guard captain on a small Greek island who is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea. (If it doesn't show up easily, you can view the original video on Times Video at https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004674545/41-miles.html.) I've also included two sculptures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, an interview with Lisa Sasaki, head of the Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center, and resources from the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing's Immigration Syllabus - Americans / Immigrants, Weeks 1-4.
You may wish to use the "3 Y's" thinking routine here as well, which asks students to consider the following questions:
1. Why might this [topic, question] matter to me?
2. Why might it matter to people around me [family, friends, city, nation]?
3. Why might it matter to the world?
(See https://learninglab.si.edu/res... for more information.)
#APA2018, #LatinoHAC, #EthnicStudies
This collection supports Unit 1: Precious Knowledge - Exploring notions of identity and community, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part A course.
This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Red cedar bark twined basketry is a distinctive Tsimshian art form. With the passing on of elder master artists and the demands of contemporary lifestyles, it became at risk. A handful of weavers today are working to master and revitalize twined cedarbark basketry, reconnecting with a proud heritage. In 2016, the Arctic Studies Center collaborated with The Haayk Foundation of Metlakatla to document the materials and techniques of cedarbark basketry. The project included a harvesting and processing workshop and a weaving workshop in Metlakatla, and a residency at the Arctic Studies Center in Anchorage where artists studied baskets from museum and private collections, practiced and refined weaving techniques, and taught museum visitors and school children about basketry.
Teaching was led by Haida master weaver Delores Churchill, who learned from master Tsimshian weaver Flora Mather, with assistance from her daughter Holly Churchill, an accomplished weaver. In addition to Metlakatla students, three advanced Tsimshian weavers participated in the project, sharing techniques learned in their families and communities and learning new ones: Kandi McGilton (co-founder of The Haayk Foundation), Karla Booth (granddaughter of Tsimshian master weaver Violet Booth) and Annette Topham (niece of master Tsimshian weaver Lillian Buchert). Metlakatla elder Sarah Booth, a fluent speaker of Sm’algyax (Ts’msyen), assisted Kandi McGilton in documenting indigenous basketry terminology for use in language classes.
The videos below pair with a bilingual guide included here. The videos provide an introduction to the artists and to Tsimshian twined cedarbark baskets, and they provide instruction on how to harvest and process materials and on how to weave a basket from start to finish. A twined cedarbark basket from the Smithsonian collections is also included below.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, museum, education, Indigenous, Tsimshian, cedar, bark, Metlakatla, weaving, basket, David Boxley, Kandi McGilton, Delores Churchill, Karla Booth, Annette Topham, Holly Churchill, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
The art of sewing sea mammal intestine – also called gut – is an ancient and practical one used to create water-repellant clothing and bags, as well as ceremonial garments. During a week-long residency organized by the Arctic Studies Center at the Anchorage Museum in 2014, Alaska Native artists Mary Tunuchuk (Yup’ik), Elaine Kingeekuk (St. Lawrence Island Yupik) and Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Iñupiaq-Athabascan) studied historic gutskin objects and demonstrated how to process and sew gut to students, museum conservators and visitors. A two-day community workshop in Bethel followed, taught by Mary Tunuchuk and hosted by the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center with assistance from Director Eva Malvich.
The video set presented here introduces the artists, examine historic objects made with gut from the Smithsonian collections, and offers detailed explanations and demonstrations. Learn how to process and sew sea mammal intestine (and hog gut as an alternative material for non-Alaska Natives); prepare grass and tapered thread for sewing; and complete a gut basket or gut window project. Links to a selection of Iñupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik and Yup’ik objects from the Smithsonian collections made from gut are included below.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, museum, education, Indigenous, sew, gut, intestine, sea mammal, walrus, seal, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center hosted a language and culture seminar at the Anchorage Museum in 2011, bringing together seven fluent St. Lawrence Island Yupik speakers for five days to discuss cultural heritage objects from their region in the Smithsonian exhibition Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska at the Anchorage Museum. This video set presents a range of information about life on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska for the Yupik people: hunting tools used for living from the land and sea to ceremonial items used at celebrations and gatherings to everyday clothing to cultural traditions and values. The videos are in St. Lawrence Island Yupik with subtitles in English and Yupik, for following along in both languages. An educational guide with twelve lessons is included below, along with links to objects discussed from the Smithsonian collections.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, Native culture, Indigenous, museum, education, language, St. Lawrence Island, Yupik, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
The Sewing Salmon project was hosted by the Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic Studies Center at the Anchorage Museum in Alaska and brought together three contemporary Alaska Native artists: Audrey Armstrong (Koyukon Athabascan), Coral Chernoff (Sugpiaq) and Marlene Nielsen (Yup'ik). Together they learned and taught about creating work from salmon skin through studying historic museum objects and through sharing and comparing techniques they developed. Each artist has a commitment to this almost-lost art and shared their knowledge with students and visitors, and with curators and conservators who care for museum collections. The video set presented here introduces the artists and their techniques. Links to a selection of Alaska Native objects from the Smithsonian collections made from salmon skin are included below.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, museum, education, Indigenous, sew, salmon, fish skin, Athabascan, Sugpiaq, Alutiiq, Yup'ik, Iñupiaq, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center hosted a language and culture seminar at the Anchorage Museum in 2011, bringing together eight fluent Iñupiaq speakers for four days to discuss cultural heritage objects from their region in the Smithsonian exhibition Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska at the Anchorage Museum. This video set presents a range of information about life in northwest Alaska for the Iñupiaq people: hunting tools used for living from the land and sea to ceremonial items used at celebrations and gatherings to everyday clothing to cultural traditions and values. The videos are in Iñupiaq with subtitles in English and Iñupiaq, for following along in both languages. An educational guide with six lessons is included below, along with links to objects discussed from the Smithsonian collections.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, museum, education, language, Indigenous, Iñupiaq, Inupiaq, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
Athabascan peoples harvested porcupine to eat and also carefully processed its quills into a fine material to beautify special items. Some artists continue to use quill in their work. In 2013, the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska hosted the Dene Quill Art project, bringing together two Athabascan artists and an ethnographic conservator to share quillwork techniques and develop new ones by studying historic museum pieces. They shared their expertise with students, museum visitors and local Alaska Native artists, along with conservators who learned how to better care for quillwork objects in museum collections. The video set presented here introduces participants and provides detailed demonstrations of how to work with quill from cleaning and dying, to sewing, wrapping folding and weaving. Links to a selection of Alaska Native objects from the Smithsonian collections made with porcupine quill are included below.
Tags: Alaska, Native art, Alaska Native, Indigenous, Athabascan, Dene, museum, education, Indigenous, quill, porcupine, conservator, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
Unangax̂ men of the Aleutian Islands wore hunting hats and visors that were shaped from carved, boiled and bent planks of driftwood, intricately ornamented with paint, beads, walrus ivory and sea lion whiskers. The hats were practical headgear for kayak hunters and at the same time works of art expressing the spiritual connection between human beings and animals of the land, sea and air. In 2012, the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska hosted a bentwood hat making residency at the Anchorage Museum where Unangax̂ hat makers Patricia Lekanoff-Gregory and Michael Livingston worked with advanced apprentices Delores Gregory and Tim Shangin. They examined bentwood hats and visors from museum collections, and they carved, bent, and decorated their own, sharing their expertise with visiting students and museum guests.
The video set presented here provides step-by-step instructions on how to make a bentwood hat and information on the use and significance of these hats in the past and today, along with artist interviews that provide first-hand information about the Aleutian Islands region and this important art form. Links to a selection of Unangax̂ bentwood hats and visors from the Smithsonian collections are included below.
Tags: Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Alaska Native art, Indigenous, Unangax̂, Unangax, Unangan, Sugpiaq, Aleut, bentwood hat, bentwood visor, chief's hat, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
This Learning Lab Collection introduces three themes from the Hokusai: Mad about Painting exhibition and provides works of art, classroom activities, and discussion questions associated with each theme. Works of art selected for this Learning Lab highlight the first of two installations of the Hokusai exhibition, on view November 2019-April 2020. The activities and discussions can be completed before or after your visit to the Hokusai: Mad about Painting exhibition on view in the Freer Gallery of Art. If you are unable to visit the exhibition, this Learning Lab allows you to virtually connect with the works of art and exhibition content on view for the first rotation of the galleries. A second Learning Lab (Part Two) will be introduced in March for the second gallery installation.
Tags: #AsiaTeachers; Be a Reporter; customs; daily life; dragons; Edo; Great Wave; Hokusai; Japan; nature; New Year; personification; poetry; power; Project Zero; Mount Fuji; See Think Wonder; Step Inside; symbols; thunder; woodblock print
About the tour:
Japanese Art and Culture
Tour size limit: 45 students
Tour availability: December 2, 2019 – November 13, 2020
One adult chaperone is required per each group of 10 students.
What can works of art tell us about cultural values? How is the concept of “place” significant in Japanese art? Transport yourself into misty mountains, rushing streams, and peaceful abodes when you explore the Japanese art of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) in the special exhibition Hokusai: Mad about Painting. Learn about the symbols and stories that make the works of art culturally significant for the people of Japan.
About the exhibition:
Hokusai: Mad about Painting
November 23, 2019–November 8, 2020
Freer Gallery of Art, galleries 5–8
The Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is widely recognized for a single image—Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa, an icon of global art—yet he produced thousands of works throughout his long life. Charles Lang Freer recognized the artist’s vast abilities before many other collectors, and he assembled the world’s largest collection of paintings, sketches, and drawings by Hokusai. In commemoration of the centennial of Freer’s death in 1919, and in celebration of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, the Freer Gallery presents a yearlong exploration of the prolific career of Katsushika Hokusai. Works large and small are on view, from six-panel folding screens and hanging scrolls to paintings and drawings. Also included are rare hanshita-e, drawings for woodblock prints that were adhered to the wood and frequently destroyed in the process of carving the block prior to printing. Among the many featured works are Hokusai’s manga, his often-humorous renderings of everyday life in Japan. Together, these works reveal an artistic genius who thought he might finally achieve true mastery in painting—if he lived to the age of 110.
This Learning Lab from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will explore the connection between visual art and history.
When studying history, it is important to remember that all historical sources do not look the same. Visual art, being an active response to a stimulus, serves as a mirror to the contemporary landscape. Art engages in a conversation with history while acting as a visual expression of contemporary thoughts and ideas.
Through the visual art piece "New Age of Slavery" by Patrick Campbell (2014), students will learn more about the events and cultural context of the contemporary landscape including the pattern of police brutality against African Americans and the Black Lives Matter Movement while honing their visual literacy competency. The questions, prompts, and information provided in this Learning Lab will help students hone their skills in visual literacy competency. Students can use this Learning Lab collection to help sharpen their historical thinking skills and expand their conceptions of historical sources.
The guiding questions of this Learning Lab are
- What is visual art’s connection to historical events? Why is it important that we recognize these connections?
- How do contemporary events shape artists’ responses in their art making?
- What does studying art add to our understanding of historical events and time periods?
The goals of this Learning Lab are
- Bridge the gap in understanding between art analysis and historical analysis
- Explore the inherent ties between art pieces and their surrounding historical context
- Introduce the foundations of formal art analysis and develop close looking skills for visual art pieces
If you are new to Learning Lab, visit https://learninglab.si.edu/help/getting-started to learn how to get started!
Keywords: NMAAHC, African American, slavery, flag, American, 13th Amendment, visual art, Black Lives Matter, lynching, United States, visual literacy
This collection was made for a hands-on workshop organised by the Dresher Center for the Humanities at UMBC as part of the Inclusion Imperative Program.
During the workshop UMBC faculty and graduate students have the opportunity to learn some of the key elements of digital storytelling focused on questions of inclusion and justice. Some of the contents and tools were inspired by the EU funded project DIST - Digital Integration Storytelling http://www.dist-stories.eu/
Workshop participants will practice storyboarding and editing audio/visual materials as well as discuss how narrative structure and modes of storytelling vary in the diverse culture contexts in which we work and live.
This collection brings together EDSITEment and Smithsonian resources to support the initial research into a project for National History Day 2020, "Breaking Barriers in History."
These resources—including photographs, objects, portraits, lesson plans, and articles—explore how individuals overcame barriers during and following their service in the U.S. military. Resources address how issues of race and gender operated as barriers to equal treatment for all those who serve in the U.S. military, as well as circumstances endured by veterans following the end of major wars. The experiences of members of the armed forces during the American Revolution, U.S. Civil War, WWI, and WWII are highlighted; however, other wars and perspectives should be considered when exploring these resources. The second resource of this collection contains questions to help with the analysis of a chosen topic alongside photograph, document, artwork, portrait, and object resources.
By no means is this collection comprehensive; instead, it provides a launching point for further research.
This collection was created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access.
Share your National History Day collections and let us know what you think! Write to us on Twitter: @EDSITEment and @SmithsonianLab, #NHD2020. If you publish a collection on your National History Day topic, be sure to enter #NHD2020 in the description!
Tags: military, soldiers, women, African American, Tuskegee, Airmen, Airwomen, war, World War One, World War I, World War Two, World War II, Red Jacket, Tayadaneega, Joseph Brant, Native Americans, American Indians, Horace Pippin, Theodore Milton Sullivan, J.W. Lucus, Buffalo Soldier, Charles Young, Carter Woodson, Willa Beatrice Brown, Bessie Coleman, Airforce, pilots, Jacqueline Cochran, Janet Harmon Bragg, Cornelia Fort, Nancy Love, WASPs, twentieth century, 20th #NHD
Artists can abstract people and objects in many ways. Which methods of abstraction can you identify in these artworks?
- Fragment (or explode; break into pieces)
- Rearrange (move the parts around)
- Magnify (change the scale)
- Distort (change the shape)
- Morph (change into something else)
- Arbitrary Colors
What does it take to prepare our youth for a world on the move with quality?
This collection is the first in a series of four created to support the Re-Imagining Migration DC Seminar Series, held between December 2019 to March 2020. The seminar series is led by Verónica Boix Mansilla, Senior Principal Investigator for Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero, and Research Director for Re-Imagining Migration, with in-gallery experiences provided by educators from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, and the National Gallery of Art.
This set of collections is designed to be dynamic. We will continue to add material, including participant-created content, throughout the seminar series so that the collections themselves can be used as a type of textbook, reflecting the content, development, and outputs of the full seminar series. Please check back to the hashtag #ReImaginingMigration to see a growing body of materials to support educators as they strive to serve and teach about human migration in relevant and deep ways.
This collection focuses on Dong Kingman (1911-2000), an American watercolorist best known for his urban and landscape paintings, magazine covers, and scenery work for multiple films. Dong Kingman was born in Oakland, California, to Chinese immigrants and moved to Hong Kong when he was a child. There, he studied both Asian and European painting techniques before returning to the United States during the Great Depression. Artwork in this collection includes works created for the Works Progress Administration, the NASA Art Program, and Time magazine. Also included is a short documentary, directed by two-time Academy Award winner James Wong Howe, and Dong Kingman's obituary from the New York Times.
This collection is not comprehensive but rather provides a launching point for research and study.
This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
Keywords: chinese american, china
IMPORTANT: Click on the "i" for information icon and the paperclip icons as you move through the collection.
All Access Club Explores the Microscopic World. If you cannot see something, does that mean that it is not there? Nope! Just lurking under the surface of common, everyday objects is an entire world that we normally cannot see. People just like you can use microscopes to discover things that need magnification in order to view. The collection is part of an activity series that explores this mysterious microscopic world.
EDUCATORS | For the LESSON PLAN of the original "Through the Lens of Curiosity" << CLICK HERE >>
In this collection you will:
- Find out about the world through the use of microscopes and magnifiers
- Take on the role of detective as you embark on a quest to solve 5 mysteries -- by making observations about up-close objects and reading clues, can you figure out what the whole object is?
- In the game A Part of the Whole, use your power of observation to consider the structures and functions of up-close objects to guess what they might be. Again, you will look at part of an object--photographed up-close--to guess at the whole.
If it is possible to set-up a hand's-on experience with microscopes along with the online activities -- the tactile portion will enhance the online activity. Teens can also view a video about scanning electron microscopes by a young scientist in the 'extension section'.
Keywords: decision-making, self-determination, access, disability, accessibility, neurodiversity, special education, SPED, out of school learning, informal learning, cognitive, social skills, engagement, passion, creativity, empowerment, All Access Digital Arts Program
IMPORTANT: Click on the "i" for information icon and the paperclip icons as you move through the collection.
Have you ever wondered what's going on out there in the universe? Would you like to discover exciting things about planets, stars, and galaxies? Today, we will go on a GALAXY QUEST to EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE!
RATIONALE | Digital technology has transformed how we explore the Universe. We now have the ability to peer into space right from our homes and laptop computers. Telescopes, photography, and spectroscopy remain the basic tools that scientists—astronomers and cosmologists—use to explore the universe, but digital light detectors and powerful computer processors have enhanced these tools. Observatories in space—like the Hubble Space Telescope—have shown us further into space then we have ever seen before.
EDUCATORS | For the LESSON PLAN of the original "Galaxy Quest" << CLICK HERE >>
1. Process and save at least one digital image of a galaxy or space image (with caption)
2. Create a three-dimensional astronomy sculpture (galaxy or other space body, space alien, plant, animal)
3. Create a digital astronomy sculpture (galaxy or other space body, space alien, plant, animal)
4. Visit the Explore the Universe exhibition at NASM and identify Hubble parts (mirror, lens, spectroscope)
1. What a galaxy is
2. What a space telescope is
3. Learn how to open an image on the computer and process it
4. Socialize well in the museum setting
Tags: decision-making, self-determination, access, disability, accessibility, neurodiversity, special education, SPED, out of school learning, informal learning, cognitive, social skills, engagement, passion, creativity, empowerment, All Access Digital Arts Program