“Memento! I remember!”—K.W

Remembering


  • Content Areas: Art
  • Lesson Objective: to hear about war from veterans of recent and current wars, to construct a memorial for veterans of recent and current wars.
  • Time: 1 class period
  • Materials: modeling clay, paper, glue, string, tape, , newspaper, other art supplies that will help students create and erect a personal monument;
    If at all possible, students should be able to visit the KW Lincoln installation in USQ, or see video of it.
  • Download:
  • Essential Question(s):
    How do I feel about war?

Process

If you have access to video of the installation,

  • 1) Provide students with a summary of all they have studied:
    • a. Union Square as a gathering place and a place for voices to be heard
    • b. A survey of famous memorials and monuments around the world
    • c. An experience of “being” a statue and a sculptor
    • d. A study of an art installation that used veterans’ words
    • e. An in-depth study of Lincoln, the man and the memorial


  • 2) Explain that today’s project will be to create a memorial for veterans of recent and current wars or a monument for peace.


  • 3) Allow students time to plan their memorial. Students should have free reign over their entire design, including where they would choose to erect their monument.


  • 4) Ask students to present their monument or memorial to the class when they’ve finished creating it.

    Questions for your students to consider:

    • 1. What message do I want to send to the public through my monument about peace or about veterans? Why?
    • 2. What media will I use to construct the monument? Why?
    • 3. Where will the monument be placed? Why?
    • 4. How will I know people have been moved by my monument? What is the reaction I want people to have?
    • 5. What words will I use on the monument? Why?


Variation:

If you have access to a video of the Lincoln installation, or if you or your students have seen the installation, you may want to consider capturing the veterans’ words in the installation for use in your students’ memorials.


Extension Activity:

Every evening from November 8-December 9, Krzysztof Wodiczko’s installation will be visible to all who visit Lincoln’s statue in Union Square. It is a multi-media installation and incorporates video projection on the statue coupled with audio clips of veterans’, and veterans’ families’, voices discussing their experiences of war.

In preparation for writing this series of lessons, I asked Wodiczko what he hoped viewers of the installation would think about or wonder, and these are his responses. You may want to consider handing these questions out to your students when they visit the monument.

Why Lincoln?
Why today?
Whose voices am I hearing?
Why would those people decide to be part of this project?


Here are questions Wodiczko hopes that viewers of the installation are able to ask each other:


Why is it that we know so little about the war?
Why is it that we only celebrate monuments, not discuss them?
Why do we take monuments for granted?
Why is it that we don’t really care who the statues is?
Why don’t we listen to each other when we talk, but we do listen when a monument “talks”?


Reflection:
After visiting the installation, reflect on the following questions:

What did you notice about how people were interacting with the installation?
What did you overhear people saying?
What moments were particularly moving for you?
What emotions stayed with you after you left the area?
What messages did this installation send that you heard very clearly?