Lesson Plan 19

MIAC Trip and Discussion

Lesson Title	Visit to Santa Fe’s Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
Duration	One day (four hours)
Synopsis	Visit with the curator and a behind-the-scenes tour of the immense collection that MIAC has in their facilities.  They have pottery pieces that are dated to 900 and one of the most extensive weaving collections in the world on Navajo and Pueblo textiles.
Description of Class	Students meet with curator, Tony Echevvaria, for a behind-the-scenes tour and explanation of their collections. The students learn about how museums have collected these items, how they care and store for them and also the older art and cultural pieces from the 9^th century to the 20^th century.
Primary Educational Objective	Students will obtain a concept of what New Mexico was like from the 9^th – 20 century using the window of cultural collections.  They will see bow/arrow, shields, pottery, textiles, tools and garments that have been made by Pueblo, Apache and Navajo people.  They will use these elements to design their concept for the Virtual World.
Additional Concepts and Skills	Understanding museum procedures, what curators do, how objects are collected and cared for.
Assessment	After the visit, students should write a journal about what they have seen and what they learned, what pieces have inspired them and how they might use this inspiration for their virtual world
Classroom Activities	Classroom discussion and sharing of the students notes from the visit. Showing of digital photos or video from the visit to MIAC.
Homework Assignments	Students should write a 2 page journal of what they have seen be prepared to share in class.
Lecture Materials	Show powerpoint of digital still images taken and video during site visit.
Reference Materials	The url for the museum (www.indianartsandcultures.org)
Prerequisites (this course)	Class discussion to prepare students for visit – they must be careful in collections room not to touch anything, etc.
Related Topics	Museum studies
Technology Requirements	None, other than digital camera and video camera to record visit.