San Bernardino County Sun (Michael Sorba)
There are lots of articles in regional newspapers about how schools try to bring ancient Egypt to life, and they tend to be much of a muchness, but this one seemed to be going a bit further, although if the items being use are original, as the article implies, it is also a bit of a hair-raising idea.
On much the same subject, I recently sat in on an object handling session given by Jan Picton at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London (U.K.). There wasn't a child in sight (most of us were on the dodgy side of 40), but it was remarkable how handling the artefacts made the objects come alive, and inspired a real sense of respect for the artisans who crafted them. It gave a feeling of intimacy with the items and their original owners, which simply cannot be achieved by looking at an artefact through a glass barrier.
There are lots of articles in regional newspapers about how schools try to bring ancient Egypt to life, and they tend to be much of a muchness, but this one seemed to be going a bit further, although if the items being use are original, as the article implies, it is also a bit of a hair-raising idea.
Most of the kids participating in the workshop were either in sixth grade or heading into seventh. Billie Sessions, art education program director at Cal State San Bernardino, said students in the district usually learn about ancient Egypt in the sixth grade, so the workshop was specifically geared toward children ages 11 and 12. "It's great for the kids because it either introduces or reinforces something they are about to learn or have already learned," said Sessions.See the above page for more.
During the first day of the workshop, students crafted Egyptian jewelry with authentic 3,000-year-old cartouche molds - used by ancient Egyptians to create jewelry, she said. "My guess is they are the only students in the world who get to do that," said Sessions. "It gives me goosebumps." The cartouche molds were pulled from the museum's own stock of ancient Egyptian artifacts, which is the largest collection in the United States west of the Mississippi River.
The Egyptian Art Workshop for Kids has taken place for the past nine years at Cal State San Bernardino, Sessions said. It's the brainchild of Sessions and the museum's director, Eva Kirsch. Both the museum and the university's art education program coordinated and designed the workshop.
On much the same subject, I recently sat in on an object handling session given by Jan Picton at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London (U.K.). There wasn't a child in sight (most of us were on the dodgy side of 40), but it was remarkable how handling the artefacts made the objects come alive, and inspired a real sense of respect for the artisans who crafted them. It gave a feeling of intimacy with the items and their original owners, which simply cannot be achieved by looking at an artefact through a glass barrier.
No comments:
Post a Comment