Should
art ever be censored?
(Note from Amal: This was supposed to be up before the holiday, but my computer broke and I wasn't able to post it. Sorry to all for the belatedness! Enjoy!) Do Now:
- Read the poem that I handed out to you as you walked into class.
- Make notes on any words or phrases you either don't understand or find interesting.
(Chorus)
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin, banish Putin,
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish him, we pray thee!
Congregations genuflect,
Black robes brag gilt epaulettes,
Freedom's phantom's gone to heaven,
Gay Pride's chained and in detention.
KGB's chief saint descends
To guide the punks to prison vans.
Don't upset His Saintship, ladies,
Stick to making love and babies.
Crap, crap, this godliness crap!
Crap, crap, this holiness crap!
(Chorus)
Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
Be a feminist, we pray thee,
Be a feminist, we pray thee.
Bless our festering bastard-boss.
Let black cars parade the Cross.
The Missionary's in class for cash.
Meet him there, and pay his stash.
Patriarch Gundy believes in Putin.
Better believe in God, you vermin!
Fight for rights, forget the rite –
Join our protest, Holy Virgin.
(Chorus)
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin, banish Putin,
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, we pray thee, banish him!
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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| Cildo Meireles (Brazil) |
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| Cildo Meireles (Brazil) |
Democracy Now clip
Take 10 minutes to read the Atlantic article on Pussy Riot
Class Discussion
- What is the difference between governments who censor and those who don't?
- What rights might people living under those different governments have and not have?
- How do artists respond to conditions when they have limited freedom of speech?
- What do artists living under a strict government have to do differently than those with more freedom?
- Have you ever seen art that needed to be censored?
- How do you think the media is covering the Pussy Riot story in Russia?
Take 25 minutes to...
Write a one page persuasive essay answering the following question...
Do you agree or disagree with Putin's decision to jail Pussy Riot for 2 years?
Be sure to correct spelling and grammar.
For the rest of the class....
With your table, using the materials in the supply area, make a piece of art that expresses how you feel about the Pussy Riot incident.
We will share out our work at the end of the period.
This is a great lesson with a very powerful message. I really like how you compare governments that censor and don't censor. I really like how you make art class more meaningful and content-full with bringing in art censorship in history. One of my concerns with this lesson is how much do students know about the Pussy Riots, was their a previous lesson on this topic because the lesson above posted doesn't give much info other than the poem--and students might not have a larger understanding of censorship.
ReplyDelete- Miriam Riaz
BTW sorry, but I was unable to open the powerpoint which might have answered some of my concerns.
DeleteHi Miriam!
ReplyDeleteI show them a democracy now clip which has a ton of information in it!
Thanks!
-Stacy