Race, Gender, Clan, and Class

Book info in the file.

Instructions: Please respond to the following four prompts after reading Chapter 12 in the textbook. You should base your responses on information found in the chapter and your own observations (you are also welcome to look at museum websites and khanacademy.org). There is a optional article embedded in the first prompt. You must work independently and phrase your responses in your own words. If you cite from the textbook, or another source, keep it to a minimum, and include proper citations where necessary; for the textbook include (Lazzari and Schlesier page or section title) at the end of the sentence/paragraph. Each response should be roughly a paragraph or two. You can single or double-space your responses.

 

1. Describe and analyze how Betye Saars The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (Figure 12.5) serves to combat racial stereotypes, especially that of Aunt Jemima. Be sure to address the forms and content seen in the work. [The image of Aunt Jemima is said to be based on Nancy Green, a black woman born into slavery in 1834. During the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Nancy Green, aka Aunt Jemima, acted as spokeswoman and made pancakes for the R. T. Davis Milling Company. The term Aunt Jemima is a derogatory term, used as a female version of Uncle Tom. For more information on the history of Aunt Jemima and the rebranding and renaming of the Aunt Jemima brand, please read this article. ]

 

2. Explain James Luna’s The Artifact Piece (Figure 12.6), with an emphasis on how he uses his body and personal possessions to confront misconceptions about contemporary Native American culture. Then discuss why The Artifact Piece was staged in the Museum of Man.

 

3. Chapter 12 addresses artworks that inform us about gender and serve to perpetuate or challenge stereotypes. How does the Neoclassical painting by Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, perpetuate gender stereotypes (address and analyze as many forms as you can in this response)? How does the Guerrilla Girls Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? (Figure 12.1) challenge gender inequality in the art world?

 

4. Compare and contrast the way class activities/lifestyles are represented in the following three artworks: Society Ladies (Figure 12.4); The Kitchen Maid (Figure 12.27); and Migrant Mother (12.30). How is class revealed through the womens bodies (expressions and poses); clothing and accessories; and the environment in which they are located (if seen)?