Fleisher: Costume as Material Culture: Building Cultural Bridges for Communication, Understanding and Appreciation

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Community Partnerships > Public School Residencies > Costume as Material Culture >

Costume Cultures

Fourth Grade

Teacher Partner: William Pumphrey
Teaching Artist: Fernando Mares

A Sharswood 4th-grader poses with his costume, on display at Fleisher.

Armor: Professional Costume
Orange Grid: Fashion Costume
Ethnic/Traditional Costume with Hand Stitching
International Costume Assemblage: Plastic Circles
Fantasy Costume: Rings

Students began this study of costume by researching colonial explorers in coordination with a trip to the Seaport Museum. In an interactive workshop with the museum educator and the teaching artist, students drew, went on a scavenger hunt and then wrote about their observations. In the classroom, students engaged in self-portraits and costume portraits. Additionally, students were asked to keep journals, which were rigorously assessed by the teaching artist. Students then became true designers, utilizing their imagination and creativity. Organized into groups and given a material to manipulate, each group chose a particular type of costume to design and create. Subsequently, through story-writing, students evolved the life and place of their costume within their own imaginary culture.

In the photos above, Sharswood students model their costumes.

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