Today we learned about the art of the Otomi Indians of Central Eastern Mexico. We looked at the bark cut out designs, and learned that they represent spirits that protect or are a threat to the Otomi daily life.These spirits are very important for many agrarian cultures who depend on certain weather patterns, cosmic alignments, and Mother Earth working with them (and against them) to survive. These artworks are traditionally made of a certain tree bark.
We had a good look at the shapes of these designs, how they are symmetrical. We all found the line of symmetry on the example I had made, and then looked around the room for other examples of symmetry. Although most students were familiar with symmetry, they were not as familiar with the concept of positive/negative space. This concept did not seem like a challenge for most, as the subject matter was super interesting to them.
We made a brief chart on the whiteboard about what kinds of things in our own daily lives we value. We came up with weather: sun, rain, storms, hurricanes, agriculture: sweet potatoes, chile peppers and more. Some even chose to cut a spirit representing friendship, or something comical like a SPirit that brings everyone donuts :)
