The Gallery Education program offers workshops with projects designed to complement social studies or foreign language curriculum. Workshops feature pieces from the Hand-in-Hand Folk Art Collection or focus on art of Latin America.  Each workshop has an accompanying workbook containing cultural information, games and more!  Teachers can use these workbooks in preparation for their visit or as a review.

Pre-Columbian Art – The Aztecs, Maya, and Inca (2 hrs)
Explore the art and culture of Pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas.  Projects include Aztec codices, Maya jade masks, and Inca metalwork.  Learn the symbolism behind artwork of the period and how it fit with the everyday lives of the people. 

Latin American Folk Art (2 hrs)
Latin America is known for its colorful folk art.  In this class we will explore the folk art of Latin America, the cultures that create it and how these artistic traditions have been kept alive.  We will create Oaxacan animalitos, Guatemalan worry dolls and Peruvian appliqués. 

Molas (90 min)
Learn the process of reverse appliqué and create a colorful mola modeled after those created by the Kuna people of Panama.  We will discuss the history of the Kuna, the flora and fauna of the region and its influence in mola design. 

Kachinas (90 min)
The Hopi and Pueblo peoples of the Southwest use kachinas as teaching tools for youth.  These figures teach valuable lessons about nature, the spirit, and everyday life.  Lesson includes an overview of Southwest Native American peoples and their culture with a focus on the symbolism utilized in some of the traditional kachina figures.  Students will then create their own figure based on an aspect of nature or a life lesson. 

African Dolls (90 min)
In Africa a “doll” is not a plaything, but a spiritual tool.  They are used to teach, for ritual purposes, and as spirit intermediaries.  We will explore the traditions of the people of South Africa and create our own beaded dolls.