Celebrating Inclusion through Art: 3 Projects to Do as a Class
Illustration by Kathy Rocha, MGB Research & Education and Art Task Force member
“Diversity is being invited to a party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.”- Verna Myers
Across the animal kingdom, sociality can be seen, although differing across groups. From the morning sound of bird calls to the diligent intricacy of ant colonies, various forms of social behavior coexist in our world. As humans, we too add to the diverse nature and unique personality of our planet. This is because human beings are inherently social creatures, bound by a strong, enduring need for connection and community. Because of such instinctual drive, cultures came to be. For centuries, groups of people came together to ultimately form civilizations composed of shared values, beliefs, and customs. However, these civilizations eventually became exposed to separate, more diverse societies, leading to newfound introductions of traditions, languages, and practices. Thus, the birth of the ever-growing multicultural world that we live in.
Through impressive cultural exchange, diversity has become increasingly evident, yet it also emphasizes the pressing issues faced in contemporary society. That is to say, outright ignorance or biases, whether conscious or unconscious, have influenced the perceptions and mentalities of many in our community, thus failing to acknowledge differences between others. This is why it is crucial to foster a supportive environment that welcomes a culture of inclusivity, where everyone is respected and valued for who they are. To further address this issue and truly create a long-lasting impact, we must recognize the importance of teaching mindfulness and empathy from a young age. Considering that children learn best through social learning–or the observation and modeling of actions and behaviors of those in their surroundings–instilling these values early on can help develop a generation that embraces diversity, respects others’ perspectives, and promotes a more inclusive society.
A powerful way to approach the introduction of such a complex subject is through Art. Aside from being a universal language, Art is also an effective and versatile learning method. According to Hardiman et al. (2019), arts-integrated learning may be beneficial in helping students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, recall information from their long-term memory when learning from the core curriculum. And so, to truly make use of said benefits and promote inclusion, educators can implement various art-based activities designed to celebrate and embrace diversity. Here are three art-based projects you can do in your classroom to encourage youth to celebrate inclusivity:
1) Culture in a Box: Creative Stories of Identity!
Purpose: To create and decorate shoeboxes filled with cultural belongings to learn more about the diverse cultural backgrounds of classmates.
Secondary foci for the art activity:
To celebrate diversity within the classroom while also inviting fellow classmates to explore and appreciate the distinct cultures of their peers artistically.
To promote a more inclusive environment in the school setting.
Materials:
Shoebox (brought by or provided to students)
Markers & Paint
Scissors
Plain White Paper
Construction Paper
Glue Stick & Liquid Glue
Cultural belongings (brought by students)
Instructions:
Begin by introducing students to the concept of culture, highlighting the diverse cultures around the world and their significance in shaping social identity. This will provide context for the upcoming activity.
Facilitate a class discussion about what culture means to them. Start by sharing your own cultural background as an example. This will motivate students to share examples of cultural elements such as traditions, food, music, and fashion.
After the discussion, have students brainstorm a list of items they could bring and include in their culture boxes. Encourage students to bring their own shoeboxes from home.
Of course, have a few shoeboxes available for students who may not be able to bring one.
Provide students with the art supplies needed to decorate their shoebox and bring it to life. Allow students to decorate the exterior of their shoeboxes to reflect their cultural identity by using colors, symbols, or patterns that are meaningful to their culture.
Give students a week and a half to collect items that represent their cultural background from home to include in their personalized culture boxes. Ensure clear guidelines on the types of items students can include in their culture boxes.
Recommended items can be photos of traditional events, delicious packaged candies or snacks, clothing, miniature sculptures, games, jewelry, and the like.
Give students time to finish organizing their culture boxes and to prepare a short presentation about the items they collected and their significance.
Said presentations can be scheduled over the week.
Ensure to allow time for questions and discussion after each presentation to encourage interaction and deeper understanding.
Debrief Questions:
What's one thing you can do to make sure everyone feels included in our classroom, no matter where they're from?
Did you notice any similarities between your culture and a classmate's culture?
2) Classroom Cultures: Flags of Diversity!
Purpose: To create a personalized flag collage to showcase the unique cultural identity of your classroom.
Secondary foci for this art activity:
To celebrate diversity within the classroom setting while also inviting other fellow students to explore and appreciate the distinct cultures of their peers artistically.
To promote a more inclusive environment in the school setting.
Materials:
Solid colored flag
Markers & Paint
Hot Glue Gun & Hot Glue sticks
Scissors
Plain white paper (to paint and draw)
Construction paper (to spell out your classroom name)
Stapler or pushpins (to hang flag)
Optional: glue, glitter, and cultural symbol stickers
Instructions:
Begin by introducing students to the concept of flags, showing them the many flags around the world, and their significance as symbols of cultural identity. This will provide context for the upcoming activity.
Encourage students to share their cultural backgrounds both verbally and through artistic expression. Start by sharing your own cultural background as an example. This will make them feel more comfortable and willing to share their stories.
After the discussion, provide them with markers and paint to begin drawing symbols (either big or small) from their own culture.
This can be an in-class assignment that can be continued at home over five days—that way students have built the motivation to further explore their own cultural identities.
Draft a unique classroom name that reflects the personality of the class. This can be in the form of an alliterative phrase, like ‘Mr. Cruz’s Creative Crew’, or you can get even more creative!
Establishing a class identity and a sense of belonging amongst students is important for creating a positive classroom environment.
Create your class flag collage! Provide students with the art supplies needed to bring your classroom’s flag to life. They can continue drawing or painting, cut out their completed cultural symbols, and/or lay them out on the flag in a collage manner for you (the teacher) to carefully glue them on.
Don’t forget to cut out letters to spell out your classroom name and place it wherever on the flag once the collage of cultural symbols has been pasted and dried.
Hang your class flag collage outside your classroom for all students to see. Use a stapler or pushpins to securely attach it to the desired location.
Debrief Questions:
What's one thing you can do to make sure everyone feels included when they see our classroom flag?
How did it feel to see all the different symbols on our classroom flag?
3) Global Classroom Adventures: Exploring Cultures Around the World!
Purpose: To honor and celebrate diverse cultural backgrounds and histories of countries on specific cultural heritage months.
Secondary foci for this art activity:
To increase awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures around the world among students through an artistic fashion.
To promote a more inclusive environment within the school setting.
Materials:
Relevant Cultural Items (depending on which country your classroom will represent)
Various Art supplies (paint, markers, construction paper, glue, scissors, etc.)
Poster Board & Trifold Displays
Cultural artifacts, decorations, and snacks (provided by the teacher)
Travel passport templates & Student Headshot (provided by the teacher)
Colored dot stickers (provided by teachers)
Instructions:
Begin by introducing students to the concept of racial heritage months and the importance of cultural diversity and inclusion. This will provide context for the following project.
Inform the students of the upcoming Heritage Month and reveal what country your classroom will portray.
*For instance, in September, National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated, so your classroom can volunteer to portray from the large list of Latin American countries.
After the discussion, provide students with a “travel passport” booklet to get stamped as they visit different countries other classrooms portray.
Said ‘travel passports’ can be created using one of the many available templates online! Have students fold the template accordingly, paste a picture of themselves (provided by you), and fill in any details such as their name, DOB, nationality, etc.
Research the country your classroom has chosen. Focus on their history, flag, traditions/celebrations, dishes, fashion, music, dances, etc.
Encourage students to collaborate by splitting them into groups to do in-depth research about one of the stated cultural elements.
Examples:
*History Group: Create a creative trifold display that focuses on at least 5 main historical points.
*Food Group: Create paintings or drawings of popular dishes.
*Flag Group: Replicate the country’s flag using a poster board and construction paper.
After completing these activities over a week, decorate your classroom to reflect the country being portrayed. As the teacher, bring other items relevant to the country, including packaged snacks or delicious dishes!
Set up stations that focus on the assigned cultural elements. Have one main station designated for an arts and craft activity.
Choose an art activity related to the culture of the country your classroom is representing. For instance, if your classroom is “Japan”, have the visiting students and your students create origami!
Meet with other educators teaching the same grade level and schedule specific days for students to ‘travel’ to other classrooms to learn more about different countries and their cultures.
Ensure each classroom teacher has a different colored dot sticker to provide visiting students, so they can paste it on the ‘travel passports’.
Debrief Questions:
How do you think learning about different cultures helps us become better friends and classmates?
How did Art help you learn more about the country you studied or visited?
By incorporating art-based projects like those listed above, youth will not only celebrate the diverse cultures that enrich our world but also learn to deeply appreciate inclusion. Through these efforts, our youth will ultimately be equipped with the empathy and understanding needed to create a more compassionate future for all.
