As we travel around the world, my students and I are stopping to visit Central and South America starting with Panama! I admittedly was not as well versed in the art of Latin America as I should've been before I began this adventure and then I discovered the molas of the Guna people.
The word "mola" in Gulegaya, the language of the Guna people, means "shirt" or "clothing" and the mola itself is a beautifully decorated cloth panel heavily influenced by the flora and fauna of Panama.
The vivid colors and bold lines of these cloth masterpieces had me like what! I knew I had to share them with my kiddos and they loved them too! My students are always impressing me, but I have to admit, they outdid themselves this time.
On my solo travels through the wide world of the Internet, I came across many lesson plans that used the mola as a way to demonstrate or reinforce shape and cutting skills. Instead, I decided to have my students think about their pencils as a needle and thread. We wove our way through exploring line quality and decorative designs. For some of my kiddos it was a struggle to imagine a fish or bird without a "background," but as you can see they soon found the experience liberating.
This one is particularly impressive. Notice her use of the leaves around the bird. So amazing! And from a seven year old! If only she had finished hah!
I will definitely be using this mola project in the years to come. Not only did I have a blast, my students produced some amazing work. In the future I'll give them more time! It was kind of amazing how engrossed they became and how meticulous they were- 6 and 7 year olds are not known for their attention to detail!
Happy art-ing!
