RJ Argumedo, Rudi MonsonMarvin Camras Elementary

School6th and 8th grade, Language Arts

Where Do I Belong?

Jamie Wyeth , 1946-2009Kalounna in Frogtown, 1986Oil on Masonite (36 x 50 1/8 in.)Terra Foundation for American Art,1992.163

•Many Laotian refugees immigrated to the US in the early 1970’s due to their country’s civil war.

•The subject of the painting is an eleven-year-old Laotian refugee whose parents are the caretakers of the artist’s family farm.

•The boy lives on the farm and thus, the artist watched this boy grow up.

•The title maintains the boy’s Laotian name even though he’d assumed an American first name, Bruce.

•Art reflects a person’s identify both literally and symbolically

•Art represents and comments on greater societal issues

•Identity is a byproduct of our experiences and community

• Students examine the formal elements of Kalounna in Frogtown and how the artist’s choices develop the character’s point of view.

• Students create their own self-portraits through collage and explain how the artwork answers the question, “Where Do I Belong?”

• Students visit Art Institute of Chicago to study portraits and the theme of identity.

What our students learned:

I learned that art is not only a simple painting or drawing because every piece has a story to tell.

I learned that art expresses

culture and history.

Everything in an art piece has a purpose. For example, colors, lines, and shapes are carefully organized by the artist before the piece is actually made.Art has many words

behind what we see and can be portrayed in many

ways.

I learned that

American art can come in different

forms and each

piece has a

message to give.

Art reflects a person’s personality and can tell how the author felt at

the time he created the piece.

“Reading” art uses the same thought processes as “reading” text, but invites more students into the conversation, regardless of reading ability

Students feel more comfortable sharing differing opinions and ideas when examining art than when examining text