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Women's
History Month Exhibit
About The Program:
The Women's History Month Exhibit
enables students to set up a multimedia gallery exhibit that includes
writing, art, and photography.
Students: 1) interview mothers, grandmothers, and other females who
have played significant roles in their lives, 2) write and edit essays and poems
based on these interviews, 3)
take original photographs and scan existing photos, and 4) plan a gallery exhibit of
essays, original artwork, and photos. Written tributes to
inspirational women are read and discussed in the classroom. Winning essays in the Barnard
College "A Woman I Admire" competition (including several of Ms.Stavsky's
former students' essays that were published in The New York Times) and
award-winning poetry are offered as models. Based on the interviews they
conduct, students write and edit tributes to women who have played key
roles in their lives. Students in the desktop publishing class scan and
prepare photos and writing for an exhibit held in March at the school's GALLERY 438 (a large room
dedicated to this purpose). Students also compose press releases, design
invitations, and procure professional help from neighborhood gallery
curators and artists. Students attend to many details, including framing,
music engineering, and preparing refreshments for the opening reception of
the GALLERY 438 Women's History Month Exhibit.
Students are grouped
according to their interests and talents, and committee chairs report to
the coordinating teacher on the progress of various writing, technical,
and artistic tasks involved in
the Women's History Month
Exhibit. The Students:
Three or four classes
of at least 100 students, including students of journalism, creative
writing, and desktop publishing, are actively involved in the primary
tasks of the project. Much of
the work is done cooperatively and in committees. Additional work is done
in the writing center, the computer room, and GALLERY 438 after school hours and
during free periods. This program can be adapted to any grade
level. What You Need:
The project requires
an adequate, secure space within the school for hanging the framed essays,
poems, photos and artwork. A
nearby space (not the gallery itself) should accommodate the reception and
refreshments for the opening. There should be access to at least two
computers that can operate Photoshop and a high-dpi color
scanner. The teacher must have frames, assorted boards, and the necessary
hardware to mount the exhibit. The project requires field trips to gallery
exhibits.
Overall Value:
Motivated to create a
gallery that relates to their personal lives, students sharpen their
interviewing, note-taking, writing, editing, and technical skills. Students' understanding and
appreciation of other cultures and customs are heightened as they read and
edit each other's poems and essays.
Students of diverse performance levels and expertise assist one
another. Students develop
their skills as they learn how to plan every aspect of a gallery exhibit.
Students take tremendous pride in viewing their work at an exhibit that is
open to the public. |
Lois Stavsky has taught all levels and genres of writing classes at Seward Park High School since 1980. In 1988, she was named "Poetry Teacher of the Year” by the New York City Board of Education and Poets House. She is the co-author of two award-winning nonfiction books that have been cited in the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age. The Women's History Month Exhibit developed from Lois Stavsky's work as writing center coordinator and advisor to the school newspaper. During the past year, she served as the curator of several exhibits in Seward's GALLERY 438. Assisting her is David Spear, an established photographer who works with Seward students in alliance with the Henry Street Settlement, and Tom Shooter and Marcy Wasserman of the art faculty of the nearby Educational Alliance. Doris Ko Unger and Ina Reznicek, two of Ms. Stavsky’s colleagues at Seward Park High School, also participate.
CURRICULUM
AREAS:
GRADES: High
School (9-12) Contact Lois for instructional materials.
Lois
Stavsky Seward Park
H.S. 350 Grand Street
New York, NY
10002 (212) 674-7000
ext. Fax (212) 982-8730; (210)
836-2843 E-mail: stavsky@hotmail.com
Acting Principal:
Jayne Godlewski |