For Educators
Welcome to the Tapestry of New York educator resource page!
Schools, libraries, museums, and after-school programs across the state are invited to participate and work with students to submit their collages, drawings, paintings, photography, graphics, videos, and other artworks. On this page you’ll find an overview of the Tapestry project, our Educator Toolkit, additional related resources, and information about upcoming or recorded webinars.
Overview
The Tapestry of NY project is intended to be flexible for a variety of teaching and learning contexts. We invite educators of all grade levels and subject areas, in schools and informal education settings, to use and adapt the materials in ways that work for their students. This project provides an excellent opportunity for cross-curricular collaboration.
About the Theme:
We The People
The preamble of the U.S. Constitution begins with the famous words, “We the People of the United States…” However, ideas about what it means to be an American have changed over the past 250 years, as New Yorkers have advocated for a more expansive definition that includes people of more diverse backgrounds.
Students are invited to create artwork or media that explores the essential question and supporting questions from their own perspective:
What does “We the People” mean to you?
Process
The Tapestry of New York Project has 4 four steps:
- Make sure students have the necessary history and civic knowledge to respond to the prompt. You may use the lesson in the Educator Toolkit, one of the PBS LearningMedia resources provided, or provide your own background.
- Guide students to create their projects using the collage lessons in the Educator Toolkit, or choose another medium. Drawings, paintings, videos, photographs, infographics, digital posters, and cartoons are all acceptable formats.
- Invite students to write an artist statement using the lessons in the Toolkit, or use your own lesson. (see Artist Statement and Gallery Walk)
- Submit student artwork and statements to the Tapestry of New York online gallery
Educator Toolkit
In this Educator Toolkit, you will find lessons and supporting resources for students in grades 4-12 that integrate art and social studies learning. Through these lessons, students will make personal connections to the theme of “We the People” and express their ideas in an artwork and artist statement to contribute to the Tapestry of New York.
