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Inspired by works from the ICA exhibition i’m yours: Encounters with Art in Our Times, check out these conversation starters to help inspire dialogue in your family. Print, cut out, and use them whenever you need some inspiration.

Visiting the ICA? Open on your mobile device, search for these works, and take turns asking questions as you move through the exhibition. Plan your visit

 

A sculpture of a woman stands with outstretched arms. She is nude from head to waist. The surface of the sculpture is rendered in varied dark tones, with mostly dark greens and browns, and is chipped and freckled in many places. She has no face. Her head is a round open bowl without eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. She wears a large, voluminous skirt. The skirt is made of dried raffia, which is a type of palm tree. She stands at life-size.

What do you do to show your friends and family that you care about them?

 

Simone Leigh, Cupboard IX, 2019.

Stoneware, steel, and raffia, 78 × 60 × 80 inches (198.1 × 152.4 × 203.2 cm). Acquired through the generosity of Bridgitt and Bruce Evans and Fotene Demoulas and Tom Coté. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth, New York and Los Angeles. © Simone Leigh 

 

A sculpture comprised of a black wooden chair with elongated, spider-like legs that towers in height and is decorated with black feathers, black and silver tinsel, and hair.

If you made a throne for yourself, what would you make it out of?

 

Wangechi Mutu, Blackthrone VIII, 2012.

Wooden chair, plastic, hair, and tinsel. 100 ⅞ x 26 ⅞ x 39 ⅞ inches (256.2 x 68.3 x 101.3 cm). Gift of Jerome and Ellen Stern. Courtesy of the artist © Wangechi Mutu

 

A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned young woman leaning over the railing of a hospital bed, holding the hand of a frail and pale elderly woman who lays in the bed and looks up at her.

Describe a moment you had with your grandparent(s) that you remember really clearly. 

Nan Goldin, Chrissy with her 100-year-old Grandmother, Provincetown, 1977.

Gelatin silver print, 8 ½ × 11 inches (21.6 × 27.9 cm). Gift of Lillian and Hyman Goldin. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery. © Nan Goldin

 

A black-and-white photograph of a person from the waist up wearing a cap and plaid button-up shirt

The artist asked the sitters to pick their clothing, the setting, and their posture. What would you choose if someone was making your portrait?

Zanele Muholi, Hlomela Msesele, Makhaza, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 2011, from the series Faces and Phases (2006–ongoing).

Gelatin silver print, 34 × 24 inches (86.4 × 61 cm). Acquired through the generosity of the General Acquisition Fund and the Acquisitions Circle. Courtesy of the artist; Yancey Richardson, New York; and Stevenson, Cape Town and Johannesburg. © Zanele Muholi

 

A black-and-white photograph shows the artist, a Black woman, looking directly at the viewer as she stands behind her mother, who is shown in profile and whose head obscures half of the artist's face. Both are wearing hair caps and a curtain is seen in the background.

Who is the family member you admire the most and why? If you were to take a photo with that family member, how would you pose?

LaToya Ruby Frazier, Momme, 2008.

Gelatin silver print, 30 × 40 inches (76.2 × 101.6 cm). Gift of the artist and Michel Rein, Paris/Brussels. Courtesy the artist and Michael Rein, Paris/Brussels. © LaToya Ruby Frazier

 

A sculpture of two glazed white teacups on matching saucers. The cups are fused together to appear conjoined, as are the saucers.

Let’s pretend we’re drinking from this cup together. How would we move our bodies and hold the cup to share what’s inside? 

Mona Hatoum, T42, 1993-1998.

Fine stoneware in 2 parts, 2 3/16 x 9 ½ x 5 ½ inches (5.7 x 24.1 x 14 cm). Gift of Barbara Lee, The Barbara Lee Collection of Art by Women. Courtesy Alexander and Bonin and White Cube. Photo by Iain Dickens. © Mona Hatoum 

 

A drawing on paper depicts a Black man relaxing in a tiled bathtub with art objects including two masks and a rendering of two Black men in colorful suits hanging on adjacent walls behind the tub.

What do you like to do to relax? 

 

Toyin Ojih Odutola, Heir Apparent, 2018.

Pastel, charcoal, and pencil on paper, 63 ¼ x 42 inches (160.7 x 106.7 cm). Acquired through the generosity of the Acquisitions Circle. © Toyin Ojih Odutola

 

A color photograph shows two Black women posing together in cluttered living space. One raises her zebra-print dress to expose a prosthetic leg. The other is in a floral swimsuit. Both have their hair pulled back and smile toward the viewer.

The objects found in homes can give clues about the people who live there. What is an object in your home that might give a clue about who you are and what or who is important to you?

 

Deana Lawson, Barbara and Mother, 2017.

Pigmented inkjet print, 69 × 55 inches (175.3 × 139.7 cm). General Acquisition Fund. © Deana Lawson

 

This activity was developed by Amy Briggs Kemeza, Tour Programs Manager; Flolynda Jean, Education Assistant, Studio Programs; Jessie Miyu Magyar, School and Family Programs Manager; Brooke Scibelli, Family and Art Lab Programs Coordinator; and Kris Wilton, Director of Creative Content and Digital Engagement.

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This activity is recommended for children ages 5 and up, and is a great activity to work on as a family.

By way of riddles and rhymes, explore our current moment and reimagine the future with your family! During this activity, you’ll collect household objects and build a temporary family sculpture to capture and reflect on for years to come.

Materials:

  • Household objects
  • Flat surface to place household objects on
  • Smartphone or digital camera to photograph final artwork

Directions

Work together to try and solve these riddles: 

1. What is Black and White and Read all over? 

A. An artwork

B. A family treasure

C. Music

D. Newspaper 

2. What is always in front of you, but can’t be seen?

A. At-home recycling machine

B. Time-travel portals

C. The Future

D. Gold 

3. It belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do. What is it?

A. Clothes

B. Your name

C. Toys

D. Instruments 

4. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

A. Yosemite!

B. Mirror

C. Silence

D. Crystal Lake 

Reveal answers + move on to next steps!

  1. D. Newspaper
  2. C. The Future
  3. B. Your name
  4. C. Silence 

Compare your answers with the hidden correct answers. How did you do? 

Explore your home or surroundings to find objects that represent each riddle answer.

Discuss the significance of each object. Here are some questions to explore while searching: 

A newspaper tells us what’s going on in the world. What object(s) around you represent what’s happening in our world? A book, a magazine, a painting? 

What does the future look like to you? What objects around you represent the future you want to see? A calendar, a clock, flower seeds, a full cup of water? 

What objects represent your identity? A school picture, something you made that you’re proud of, a uniform with your name on it? 

What do you do to relax or feel peaceful? What objects can represent this feeling? A book, a pillow, a favorite stuffed animal?

Final steps:

Assemblage

Once you have collected all your objects, arrange them in an interesting way. Try stacking them in a tower, or overlapping objects to hide secrets or show their importance. What other interesting ways can you showcase your objects? This action is called making an assemblage, which is how some contemporary artists create sculptures today. 

Line graphic and icon of a stacked assemblage sculpture made from household objects.

Photograph your work!

Photograph your assemblage to keep and reflect on in the future. Post it online to share with your friends, family, and community. Once you have collected all your objects, arrange them in an interesting way. Try stacking them in a tower, or overlapping objects to hide secrets or show their importance. What other interesting ways can you showcase your objects? This action is called making an assemblage, which is how some contemporary artists create sculptures today.

Photo Tips:

  • Find a flat, blank backdrop to place your arrangement in front of.
  • Use natural light or spotlights. Set up your light source behind you.
  • If using your phone, turn OFF the flash. Shoot in “auto.”
  • Photograph your assemblage from a straightforward perspective, then try photographing from above or below.
  • Save your original photo and play around with editing applications to achieve your desired results.

 

 

Cut-out silhouette of a figure in a blue plaid button-up shirt and red bowtie, and made from collage and mixed media.

Gerald L. Leavell II, M.F.A. is a community artist and arts educator based in Dallas, TX and Baltimore, MD. His practice is interdisciplinary in approach and often conceptual by nature. As a studio artist, Leavell mostly enjoys collage and assemblage—experimenting with materials, objects, and mediums to create…a “something.” 

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This activity is recommended for children ages 5 and up, and is a great activity to work on as a family.

A public monument is a statue, building, or other structure that represents a special person or event. Are there examples of these in your community? Who and what do you want to see represented in monuments? Where should they exist? Dream and design your own monuments through these two activities designed for kids by teens. 

Draw or build your own monument!

Think about something that is really important to you. If you were to share it with the world, what would it look like? You can create something on paper or with found objects. See images in the banner above for some artwork examples we made to share with you!

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Coloring materials
     

MONUMENTAL COLORING SHEET

 

ICAartlab_monuments- COLORING SHEET

Coloring sheet by TAC member Rosaylin B., Activity text written by TAC member Scania G.

Steps:

  1. Using drawing utensils of your choice, fill in your name.

  2. Imagine yourself 15-20 years in the future. What is something that you want to accomplish?

  3. Draw your future self and accomplishment that you want to be remembered for.
     

 

Artist Bios

TAC_Cici-Marlene-B.png

CICI MARLÉNE B.

As a Black, lesbian, Haitian immigrant, I center marginalized beings within all that I create. My intention is to utilize my inner anguish and existential hubris in order to portray and represent celestial beings, such as myself, on the forefront of eternal life.

TAC_Ky-B.png

KY B.

My name is Ky and I’m 19 years old. My way of self expression is multimedia art. I love to use the items we find unnecessary in this world and repurpose them into something worth looking at. I’m a writer: I write about my life and my point of view on the world, which I still have hope in. Moving to America from Tunisia at the age of 18 really gave me a different perspective on life and how truly beautiful it is. With my creations, I wish to show how the little things will always matter even if we choose to marginalize them. The world has potential yet we use it in the most destructive ways. I wish to show peace, equality and love through what I make. Through art, writing and activism, I find my hope.
 

TAC_Mintou-B.png

MINTOU B.

My name is Mintou Barry and I’m 18 years old. I express myself and create art typically through photography, however I am interested in and open to learning more about digital art and graphic design. I care a lot about social justice issues and reform and I’m very passionate about obtaining equity for minorities. Through my art, I hope others will be inspired to express themselves freely through their own art.
 

TAC_Rosalyn-B.png

ROSAYLIN B.

I’m Rosaylin and I’m 17 years old. I love to express myself through my makeup and general appearance. I’m currently learning how to create films and digital art. With my art, I hope to inspire others to seek out the best versions of themselves.

TAC_Scania-G.png

SCANIA G.

My name is Scania Garcia and I’m 16 years old. My eyes see the world with an unfocused lens and my mind is often fogged. Art has taught me to focus on the more beautiful things, even when I feel like there aren’t any. I have the chance to see the world and its beauty in its entirety: Unfiltered and whole. The fun thing about existing is that you have the opportunity to make your life your own.

 

 

 

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With every aspect of our daily lives being so disrupted and precarious right now, it can be difficult to cultivate meaningful rituals, routines, or even a sense of purpose. Finding ways to cope, no matter how big or small, are more important than ever.

The intent of this activity is to encourage a routine that slows down time, encourages visualization, and focuses on process rather than outcome. Like the sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhist monks, or the seasonal cycles of plants, you will create and erase—paint and rinse—and, through this rinsing, you will create a new space for creation. Ultimately, you will create a one-of-a-kind artwork that is a reminder of this process.

En este momento, cuando cada aspecto de nuestras vidas cotidianas resulta tan alterado y precario, puede ser difícil cultivar rituales significativos, rutinas o, incluso, un sentido de propósito. Encontrar maneras de sobrellevar las situaciones, sean estas grandes o pequeñas, es más importante que nunca.

El objetivo de esta actividad es fomentar una rutina que haga más lento el tiempo, facilite la visualización y se concentre más en el proceso que en el resultado. Al igual que los mandalas de arena de los monjes del budismo tibetano, o los ciclos estacionales de las plantas, crearás y borrarás—pintarás y lavarás—y, al lavar, al diluir, crearás un nuevo espacio de creación. En definitiva, crearás una obra de arte inimitable que será un recordatorio de este proceso.

Materials/Materiales:

  • Watercolor paint with brush / Acuarelas y pincel
  • Watercolor canvas board / Tablero de lienzo para acuarela 
  • Time / Tiempo
  • Water / Agua
     

 

Nine watercolor paintings depicting the progression of a purple flower growing from soil.

 

Instructions:

  1. Paint the soil
  2. Paint/Plant the seed
  3. Add water to your plant*
  4. Paint the growth
  5. Repeat steps 3-4 until your plant blossoms,
    or as long as you’d like

* This will rinse away most of the painting, leaving traces of color and a new canvas for you to continue on. 

Instrucciones:

  1. Pinta la tierra
  2. Pinta/Planta la semilla
  3. Agrégale agua a la planta*
  4. Pinta el brote
  5. Repite los pasos 3 y 4 hasta que la planta florezca o el tiempo que quieras.

* Esto hará que se lave o se diluya la mayor parte de la pintura, dejando trazos de color y un nuevo tablero de lienzo para que puedas seguir.

 

Shaka Dendy is a conceptual artist and musician living in Boston until he can move to the future.

Shaka Dendy es un artista conceptual y músico que vive en Boston hasta que pueda mudarse al futuro.

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The associations around reflection or looking at oneself can be quite overwhelming. This activity seeks to transform that experience by decorating and thus altering the experience of looking into a mirror. Together we will reimagine what it means to really “see” yourself!

Las asociaciones que podemos tener con nuestra imagen pueden ser bastante abrumadoras. El objetivo de esta actividad es transformar esa experiencia al decorar y, en consecuencia, alterar la experiencia de mirarse al espejo. Juntos volveremos a imaginar lo que realmente significa “mirarse” a uno mismo. 

Materials/Materiales: 

  • Compact mini mirror / Miniespejo compacto
  • Paint markers / Marcadores para pintar
  • Stickers / Calcomanías

Instructions:

  1. Write your name on the outside or inside of the mirror.

  2. Think about things that reflect you. Using the paint makers and/or stickers, draw and embellish your ideas on the mirror (I suggest inside for a little surprise when you open it.) Think abstract portrait!

  3. Have fun with it! Feel inspired by your own reflection!

Extra Challenge: Write your thoughts after the experience in a letter to yourself. Keep that letter folded within your mirror for later reading.
 

Instrucciones:

  1. Elige una fruta que te gustaría comer y que también puedas pelar con las manos.
  2. Piensa en aquellas cosas que te reflejan. Usa los marcadores para pintar y/o las calcomanías para decorar el espejo con tus ideas (te sugiero que lo hagas por dentro para encontrar una pequeña sorpresa al abrirlo). ¡Piensa en un retrato abstracto! 
  3. ¡Diviértete con esto! ¡Inspírate en tu propia imagen!

Desafío adicional: Escribe una carta para ti mismo con tus pensamientos después de la experiencia. Guarda esa carta doblada en el espejo para leerla más tarde.
 

To Mithsuca Berry, creativity goes beyond technicality and into a way of living. Based in Boston, Mithsuca uses the art of storytelling to bring healing and reimagining to their community. 

Para Mithsuca Berry, la creatividad va más allá de lo técnico y es una forma de vivir. Con residencia en Boston, Mithsuca recurre al arte de la narración para aportar sanación y para volver a imaginar la imagen en su comunidad. 

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Welcome to our process. We live intentionally and document creatively. Let’s pay attention, not just to how we eat, but to the process we must go through to get there—then write about it afterwards.

Bienvenido a nuestro proceso. Vivimos intencionalmente y documentamos con creatividad. Prestemos atención, no solo a cómo comemos, sino también al proceso que seguimos para lograrlo. Después escribamos sobre esto.

Materials/Materiales: 

  • Fruit you can peel / Frutas que se puedan pelar
  • Something to write on/with / Algo para escribir
  • Time set aside to be present with the activity / Tiempo aparte para estar presente en la actividad

Instructions:

1. Pick a fruit you would eat that you can also peel with your hands

Handwritten script that reads

2. Peel your fruit while paying close attention to how you do it.

Handwritten script that reads

3. Take five intentional bites.

Handwritten script that reads

Creative Documentation:

Now write. Use any thoughts or feelings you had during the experience of peeling and eating. What if the process was more than just about food? What is peeling a metaphor for in your life?

Bonus Challenge: Find another way to document the process

  • Take a photo
  • Make a drawing
  • Turn your peel into a superhero
  • Record yourself
     

Instrucciones:

1. Elige una fruta que te gustaría comer y que también puedas pelar con las manos.

Handwritten script in Spanish that reads

2. Pela la fruta prestando mucha atención a cómo lo haces.

Handwritten script in Spanish that reads

3. Come cinco bocados con intención.

Handwritten script in Spanish that reads

Documentación creativa:

Ahora escribe. Anota los pensamientos o las emociones que surgieron durante la experiencia de pelar y comer. ¿Acaso el proceso tuvo que ver con algo más que la comida? ¿En qué sentido pelar la fruta es una metáfora de tu vida?

Desafío adicional: Busca otra manera de documentar el proceso

  • Saca una fotografía
  • Haz un dibujo
  • Convierte la cáscara en un superhéroe
  • Graba un video o un mensaje de voz
     

A Puerto Rican and a Cambodian walk into a kitchen. The kitchen is your heart. The food is made with food. The food is sometimes poems. Either way you are fed. Adobo-FishSauce (Anthony Febo, Ricky Orng) began as an artist project fusing live cooking and spoken word poetry performances as a means to invite the audience into an enhanced storytelling experience. Now as they develop new projects, they continue to explore new recipes for collaboration.

Un puertorriqueño y un camboyano entran a una cocina. La cocina es tu corazón. Los alimentos se preparan con alimentos. A veces, los alimentos son poemas. Ambos te alimentan. Adobo-Fish-Sauce (Anthony Febo, Ricky Orng) comenzó como un proyecto artístico que fusiona la cocina en vivo con la palabra hablada de los recitales de poesía como un medio para invitar a la audiencia a una mejor experiencia narrativa. Ahora, a medida que ellos desarrollan proyectos nuevos, siguen explorando novedosas recetas en conjunto.

Look out for @adobofishsauce on IG and join us for #goneslinging — an intentional walk and talk. Share your artwork with us at #peelingpoems Find more about AFS at adobofishsauce.com.

Busca @adobofishsauce en IG y participa con nosotros en #goneslinging, una caminata y una charla con intención. Comparte tu obra de arte con nosotros en #peelingpoems. Obtén más información sobre AFS en adobofishsauce.com.

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We find ourselves in an uncertain world. A world that has changed suddenly. Now often we find ourselves reflecting on times past and dreaming about the days to come.

Make a memory mobile to remember and to hope. Write, draw, and decorate these memory tags. Display the memory mobile in your home to remind yourself of joyful times that have gone by and will return.

Nos encontramos en un mundo incierto. Un mundo que cambió repentinamente. Ahora nos encontrarnos a menudo reflexionando sobre los momentos del pasado y soñando sobre los días que vendrán.

Crea un móvil de recuerdos para recordar y tener esperanza. Escribe, dibuja y decora estos carteles de recuerdos. Decora tu móvil de recuerdos en tu casa para recordar los momentos de dicha que han pasado y que regresarán.

Materials / Materiales:

  • 4 red tags / 4 carteles rojos
  • 1 yellow tag / 1 cartel amarillo
  • 1 white pen / 1 marcador blanco
  • 1 bell / 1 cascabel
  • 5 short pieces of string, 1 long piece of string / 5 trozos cortos de cuerda y 1 trozo largo de cuerda
  • 1 wooden dowel / 1 pasador de madera

Instructions:

  1. Individually or as a group, recall events of the past and what you hope for in the future.
    For example:
    I remember having mangoes on long summer afternoons in India.
    I hope to see my family there soon.
  2. Share your memories and hopes on your set of tags through words, drawings, photos.
  3. Tie the bell onto a short string, along with the yellow tag. Next hang each tag from the dowel with the remaining short strings.
  4. Tie the long string to each end of the dowel for hanging on your wall.
  5. Hang your mobile on a wall in your home from a nail or thumbtack.
  6. Take the time to slow down, reflect, and dream. Enjoy the activity. Continue to add to your tags with found materials around your home or neighborhood like nature objects or recycled materials.

Instrucciones:

  1. Ya sea de manera individual o en grupo, recuerda los sucesos del pasado y tus esperanzas para el futuro.
    Por ejemplo:
    Recuerdo comer mangos durante las largas tardes de verano en la India.
    Espero regresar allí pronto para ver a mi familia.
  2. Comparte tus recuerdos y esperanzas en el conjunto de carteles con palabras, dibujos, fotografías.
  3. Ata el cascabel a una cuerda corta, junto al cartel amarillo. Luego cuelga cada cartel en el pasador con el resto de las cuerdas cortas.
  4. Ata la cuerda larga a cada extremo del pasador para colgarlo en la pared.
  5. Cuelga el móvil en una pared de tu casa con un clavo o una tachuela.
  6. Tómate el tiempo para detenerte un poco, reflexionar y soñar. Disfruta la ac — tividad. Continúa agregando carteles con materiales que encuentres en tu casa o vecindario, como objetos de la naturaleza o materiales reciclados.
     

Krina Patel is a Boston-based artist and educator who shares stories and memories through images and texts. Krina engages with visual processes, creating images using a range of media from pencils and brushes to digital pens and laser tools. Her creative process is collaborative as she invites viewers to participate directly and/or indirectly in creating and re-creating the art works.

Krina Patel es una artista y educadora de Boston que comparte relatos y recuerdos a través de imágenes y textos. Krina se dedica a los proyectos visuales, creando imágenes con una variedad de materiales, de lápices y pinceles, a bolígrafos digitales y herramientas láser. Su proceso creativo es de colaboración, ya que invita a los espectadores a participar de manera directa y/o indirecta en la creación y la recreación de sus obras de arte.

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The Aztecs used a variety of wind and percussion instruments to make music, including rattles and different kinds of drums. For the Aztecs, dance and songs were ways of praying and meditating to be in harmony with nature, earth, and the universe. In their dances they represented the elements (Wind, Fire, Water, and Soil) and performed to the four cardinal points (North, South, West, and East) to request from Mother Earth the permission to live and work.

The symbol “Nahui Ollin” (pro — nounced as naw-wee-oh-leen) represents the day of the Aztec calendar associated with Xolotl. Xolotl is the god of shifting shapes, twins, and Venus, the Evening Star. Nahui means four, and Ollin means movement.

There are beautiful songs and poetry in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec people and their descen — dants. Create your own Ayacachtli, or Aztec rattle, and play and sing along to “Huey Tonantiz,” which means Great Mother Earth.

_____________________________________________________________________

Los aztecas usaban una variedad de instrumentos de viento y de percusión para crear música, como sonajeros y diferentes tipos de tambores. Para los aztecas, la danza y las canciones eran maneras de rezar y meditar para estar en armonía con la naturaleza, la tierra y el univer — so. En sus danzas, representaban los elementos (aire, fuego, agua y tierra) y bailaban en dirección a los cuatro puntos cardinales (Norte, Sur, Este y Oeste) para pedirle per — miso a la Madre Tierra para vivir y trabajar.

El símbolo de “Nahui Ollin” (se pronuncia na-hui-o-lin) representa el día de Xolotl en el calendario azteca. Xolotl es el dios de las formas cambiantes, los mellizos y Venus, la estrella de la tarde. Nahui significa cuatro, y Ollin significa movimiento.

En el idioma de los aztecas y sus descendientes, el nahuatl, existen bellas canciones y poemas. Crea tu propio ayacachtli, o sonajero azteca, para tocar y cantar “Huey Tonantiz,” que significa la Gran Madre Tierra.

Materials / Materiales:

  • A paper cup or container with a lid / Un vaso de papel o un envase con taparojos
  • A handful of uncooked rice, dried beans, or other material for filling your Ayacachtli / Un puñado de arroz sin cocinar, frijoles secos u otro material similar para llenar el ayachachtli 
  • Drawing and coloring tools, like crayons or colored pencils / Elementos para dibujar y colorear, como crayones o lápices de colores 
  • Glue / Pegamento
  • Scissors / Tijeras
  • One skewer or stick / Una brocheta o un palillo
  • Colored masking tape / Cinta de enmascarar de color

Instructions / Instrucciones:

1. Decorate your cup. Color and cut out the image of the “Nahui Ollin” symbol. Glue it on to your cup. Add your own drawings and symbols. Be as creative as you like!

2. Very carefully (and with adult supervision), create a small hole in the bottom of the cup and insert the stick into the cup to attach it.

3. Use the masking tape to wrap the stick and secure it to the cup.

4. Fill your cup with rice.

5. Close the cup with the lid and seal it with masking tape.

Note: The sound will be louder with rice. It will sound different if you use beans. You can also try plastic beads or other similar mate — rials. Explore the sounds and beats of nature and try to imitate them with your Ayacachtli.

 

1. Decora el vaso. Colorea y recorta la ima — gen del símbolo de “Nahui Ollin”. Pégalo al vaso. Agrega tus propios dibujos y símbolos. ¡Sé todo lo creativo que quieras!

2. Con mucho cuidado (y con la supervisión de una persona adulta), crea un pequeño orificio en el vaso e inserta el palillo en él para unirlo.

3. Forra el palillo con la cinta adhesiva y sujétalo al vaso.

4. Llena el vaso con arroz.

5. Cierra el vaso con la tapa y séllalo con cinta adhesiva.

Nota: El sonido será más fuerte si usas arroz. Sonará diferente si empleas frijoles. Tam — bién puedes probar con cuentas de plástico y otros materiales parecidos. Investiga los sonidos y los ritmos de la naturaleza e intenta imitarlos con tu ayacachtli. 

IN ENGLISH 

“GREAT MOTHER EARTH”

Great Mother Earth
Creator of the living things
You bring joy to my heart and I am
grateful to you.

Translated by Veronica Robles

 

“HUEY TONANTZIN”

¡Huey Tonantzin, Tonantzin,
Huey Tonantzin!

¡Huey Tonantzin, Tonantzin,
Huey Tonantzin!

Ipalnemohuani Noyolo Paqui
Tlazocamati Tonantzin.

Ipalnemohuani Noyolo Paqui
Tlazocamati Tonantzin.

EN ESPAÑOL

“GRANDIOSA MADRE TIERRA”

Grandiosa Madre Tierra,
Creadora de vida alegras mi corazón.
Gracias grandiosa Madre Tierra.

Traducido por Veronica Robles
 

This activity was developed by Veronica Robles, a Mariachi singer, musician, and folkloric dancer. Robles has become a cultural icon for Latinos in Boston. She has effectively utilized the power of arts and culture to bring the community together by raising awareness on the importance of diversity. She offers in-person and virtual educational programs for K-12 students in schools and cultural organizations.

Veronica Robles es una cantante, música y bailarina folklórica mariachi que se ha convertido en un referente cultural para los latinos de Boston. Ha recurrido de manera eficaz al poder del arte y la cultura para reunir a la comunidad al crear conciencia sobre la importancia de la diversidad. Ofrece programas presenciales y virtuales para estudiantes de primaria y secundaria en escuelas y organizaciones culturales. 

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This activity is adaptable for beginners to experts, ideally ages 5 and up. Younger artists may need help making tape loops. Great for individuals, groups, and families to work on together at home.

Inspired by Tara Donovan’s sculpture Nebulous made with Scotch tape, we invite you to play with everyday materials which are often found at home and not typically thought of as art supplies. By sticking, stacking, clipping, and positioning mundane objects in new ways, we can transform objects into exciting and unexpected sculptures. Experiment with building temporary sculptures using loops of tape, binder clips, or whatever else you have access to and have permission to use for artmaking. Be creative and share with the world what you make!

You will need:

Art making materials

Everyday objects in multiples. Some ideas:

  • Any kind of tape, we used masking tape
  • Clips, we used binder clips
  • Toilet paper cardboard inserts
  • Hardware
  • Rubber bands
  • Pencil (optional)
  • Scissors (optional)

 

Check out the video demo for tips and a cat cameo!

  1. Find a flat surface to work on top of.
  2. Make tape loops. Tear roughly a 2” long piece of tape. Bring the short ends of the tape towards each other with the sticky side facing out to create a loop. Stand your loop up on your work surface. (You may want to use scissors to cut lengths of tape.)
  3. Keep looping! Continue making loops and sticking them to each other to create a beehive type formation. Experiment with the size of your loops, how you connect loops to each other, and where you place loops.
  4. Keep it growing! Ideas for furthering experimentation:
  • Invite others in your household to add loops to your sculpture.
  • Come back to your sculpture tomorrow, add more loops each day.
  • Hold your sculpture up to a light to play with shadows.
  • Explore how the sculpture looks in different environments, on the table, against a sunny window, outside…

 

Check out the video demo for tips and a cat cameo!

  1. Clip one binder clip onto one silver wing of another binder clip.

  2. Continue the pattern until a semi-circle starts to form, then complete the circle.
  3. Explore new patterns and shapes that can be made by connecting binder clips together.
  4. Take photos or make drawings of your sculptures. Then take them apart and make new ones!
     

ART LAB_13_Steps Image 8.jpg

This lesson was developed by Brooke Scibelli, Family and Art Lab Programs Coordinator.

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Create your own unique drum to make music!

Using different materials for your drum lets you experiment with different sounds— high, low, short, and long—and make different beats and rhythms. Join musician Maria Finkelmeier in using materials found in your kit to make a drum!

See and hear Finkelmeier play with the drum she made in the following video:

Materials:

  • 1 box
  • 1 egg carton
  • 1 ½ gallon milk jug
  • Tape
  • Drum sticks
  • Scissors (optional) 

How to make a drum:

1. Place a box on your table surface so the open side is towards the floor.

2. Cut or tear off the lid of the empty egg carton. Leave only the bottom half that holds the individual eggs.

3. Tape the bottom half of the egg carton to the side of the box furthest away from you, parallel to the ground. The bottom of the egg carton should be pointed away from you.

4. Tape the milk jug to the top of the box, aligned with the left edge.

5. Decorate your drum with markers and more!

How to be a drummer:

Grab your drumsticks and explore all of the sounds you can make with your drum. Strike the sides of the box, the top of the box, and the milk carton, and then slide your stick along the egg carton.

Explore making beats! A beat is a repeated pattern and supports the melody of a song.

Listen to your favorite music and jam along. Can you use all of the different sounds of your drum? Is the plastic sound higher than the cardboard? Does the egg carton sound like a Guiro (hollow gourd instrument in South America)? 
 

This activity was developed by Maria Finkelmeier. Named a “one-woman dynamo” by The Boston Globe, Finkelmeier is a percussionist, composer, public artist, educator, and arts entrepreneur. Maria has created large-scale multimedia events in public spaces from Cincinnati to Northern Sweden, with several locations in Boston, including Fenway Park and Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum.