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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome Message

I. Background

  1. Country and State Fact Sheet
    Blank Fact Sheet
    Completed Fact Sheet
  2. Big Maps
  3. The Mexican Flag
    Flag Terminology Handout
  4. Mexico's National Anthem
  5. History of Mexico and Veracruz

II. Music

  1. Los Utrera, Son Jarocho, El Fandango & Versada
  2. Instrument Making for
    Students and Adults
  3. World Music Links
  4. World Culture Links

III. Mexican Culture

  1. What is Culture?
    What is Culture? handout
  2. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
  3. Folklore
    Folklore Values Survey
  4. Culinary Culture
  5. Religions of Mexico—Architecture
    Religions of Mexico—Origin Myths

IV. Here and Now

  1. Migration and Immigration
  2. Borders
  3. Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
  4. Stereotypes

V. Community Connections

  1. Before and After Questions
  2. Intercultural Connections
  3. The Heritage and Oral History Projects
  4. Student Curator Project
  5. Class Newspaper or Web site
  6. Culture on Parade
  7. Student Participation in Events

This curriculum was written by Jeanne Paliatka and Olaf Nelson for Arts Midwest.

Mexico

V: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Part 6: Culture on Parade

Overview:
In 1998, the city of Zurich, Switzerland launched a city-wide art project called, "Land in Sight-Come to Zurich." In an effort to encourage tourism to the city, local artists were given three-dimensional white cows to turn into art, which were then displayed throughout the city and eventually auctioned off for charity. The following year, the city of Chicago presented its take on this art project, called Cows on Parade, which drew in an estimated ten million visitors to the city and had an economic impact of $200 million on Chicago. Many cities, such as Brisbane, Australia, Houston, and New York City, soon followed with their own exhibitions; other cities offered variations, such as Seattle's, "A Pig's Eye View." This type of project, on a smaller scale, would be an excellent art exhibition for an entire school district. Teachers, students, and local artists could initiate a similar project with classes and individuals creating unique works of art on a single theme, which would then be displayed throughout the community.

The theme can be connected to the culture the students are investigating at the time. As inspiration for the project students could use a recognizable cultural object, an animal from the geographic area, or a famous painting or image. (See the links below for an Iowa school district's art exhibition inspired by a famous painting.)

Resources:
(Links will open in new windows.)

The official Web site of Cow Parade (US).

Cows on Parade Chicago

A Chicago resident's pictures of Cows on Parade in Chicago.

Elephants on Parade in LaGrange, IL

Operation Chicken Art. To celebrate the centennial of the Carnegie-Stout Library in Dubuque, Iowa, local schools participated ina community-wide art project inspired by Grant Wood's painting "The Appraisal." Framed prints of the painting were sent to school resource centers by the Library Foundation to inspire the students, who were asked to give artisitic responses in any medium to the painting's representation of a country farm woman selling a barred rock rooster to a city woman. Students' artwork was displayed throughout the city at various locations.