Native Art, Native Voices

Native Art, Native Voices:
A Resource for K-12 Learners

Native Art, Native Voices: A Resource for K–12 Learners is designed to support the integration of Native voices and art into your curriculum. The resource includes four types of content: artist interviews, essays about artworks in Mia’s collection, art lessons developed by and with Minnesota Native artists, and reading selections for students to help provide environmental context for the artworks. This resource includes information about Native cultures both past and present and supports Minnesota state standards for visual arts and social studies/U.S. history.
Please download the PDF for access to the full curriculum, or browse some of the highlights below.

Art Lesson Plans

K-3rd Grade

Painting Animals
Students will explore the art of Minnesota artist James D. Autio (Ojibwe) and create paintings of animals that are important to the Ojibwe.

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2nd Grade and Up

Clan Animals & the Woodland Style
Students will explore the meaning of clan animals in Ojibwe culture and Woodlands art and create an artwork inspired by the art of Gordon M. Coons.

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4th Grade and Up

Abstraction
Students will be able to explore and create an abstract artwork by drawing and manipulating materials.

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6th–8th Grades

Charcoal Drawings
Students will explore the art of Minnesota Ojibwe artist James D. Autio and create unique charcoal drawings of animals on repurposed grocery bags.

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Artist Interviews

In Their Own Words

Video interviews with eight Native artists allow your students to learn about the artists’ lives in their own words and to view their art and other artworks in Mia’s Native art galleries.

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Art Essays

Explore Artwork

Essays and discussion questions invite you to study in depth artworks from diverse Native cultures including Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and Dakhóta.

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