The Big Idea:

How do artists reveal their culture's (and their own) hidden or unheard voices? How does an awareness of these voices change our views about ourselves?

Activity overview

Artists can use their work to give themselves many different voices, to express different sides of their personalities, or to call attention to voices that would otherwise go unheard. In this activity you will create a mixed-media box that contains a hidden history in order to give that history a voice.

Look closely

Click on each artist button at right to view detailed screens about the artist and his or her works. Be sure to click on all images, view all videos, read all documents, and use the zoom tool to look closely at the works of art.

In this activity you will:

1. discuss what a silent history is
2. look at artworks that convey silenced histories
3. create a hidden-history box that reveals something about a person or culture
4. present your hidden-history box to the class

You will be graded on:

1. quality, craft, and attention to elements and principles of design
2. creativity in symbolically representing a hidden history
3. clear use of language in the artist's statement
4. participation in class critique
5. written reflection

New terms:

mixed media