Resource Collection February 25, 2025
Art That Reflects and Defines Culture
The Pulitzer Center connects educators and students to The 1619 Project resources and to one another, expanding and sustaining the influence of a journalistic project examining some of the most complex issues of our time. Our program partners have developed resources and learning models to support educators in expanding student understanding of United States history, developing students’ critical thinking skills, and cultivating empathy and community in their classrooms and school communities. This collection includes units from educators engaging with students at all age levels, elementary school to adult learners. These units explore the role and influence of Black American art and music throughout history. Some utilize art as a medium through which students are learning about and processing the history and legacy of slavery. All units engage with 1619 Project themes by celebrating the contributions of Black Americans to culture and society while also interrogating how and why so many of these contributions are overlooked and understated.
-
Students will learn about the untold stories of Black artists. Students will be inspired to create art about their own untold stories.
-
Units
Rooted in Song
Students use reading and literacy skills to examine the lasting influence of the musical traditions of enslaved people on American music today.
-
Students explore themes of disenfranchisement and resistance found in the story of African American quilter Harriet Powers, analyze the power of art to tell stories of resistance, and create artworks.
-
Units
Art Attacks!
Participants use arts-based exercises and techniques to explore civic history and engagement. They engage with multiple texts and guided discussions, practice mindfulness and personal reflection.
-
Students explore how composition conveys meaning imbued with the point of view of the composer. They apply this learning to explorations of local history, primary sources, poetry, and art projects.
-
Students explore personal connections to national and local histories, gain an understanding of connections between oppressive systems in the past and present, and create original artistic works.
-
Students examine the development of Black American identity and cultural achievements by learning about 1619, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and how they connect to the present.
-
Students analyze and explore how Black consciousness, Black genius, and Black ways of being were foundational to the creation of the U.S. and the construction of American identity.
-
Students explore the legacy of slavery in the U.S. healthcare system and how it impacts current healthcare institutions and practices.
-
Units
Paying Tribute
How could a memorial recognize and remember the role of enslaved people in making the United States a wealthy and powerful country?
-
Students explore the history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the resistance movements led by Afro-Latinx people of the Americas, analyzing the legacy of this resistance.
-
Students build a comprehensive understanding of the origins and current effects of incarceration on contemporary art-making through collaborative projects, writing prompts, and a gallery exhibition.
