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June Online Collection Exploration Guide: Summer and Sun

Look

Horses and people gathered under the shade of a tree
One Lazy Summer Day, Quincy Tahoma, 1945, tempera on paper

Look closely at the painting One Lazy Summer Day by Quincy Tahoma.

Can you find:

  • Someone sleeping?
  • A blue blanket?
  • A foal (baby horse) laying down?
  • A hat not being worn?
  • People playing a game?
  • A boot with five buttons?
  • A horse hoof in the air?
  • A red blanket?
  • Five small birds?
  • A blanket with a diamond pattern?

Discuss

An indigienous woman stands between daylight and night, holding a hand out to the moon, planted fields behind her
Moon of Growing, Benjamin Harjo, Jr., 1981, gouache on poster board

Look at Benjamin Harjo Jr’s The Moon of Growing. This painting represents the summer and winter solstices that happen on June 21st and December 21st to mark the change of seasons. In many Indigenous communities, there are special festivals celebrated on these days to welcome the new season and to promote a good harvest season. What are some things you do with your family or community to celebrate the coming of summer?

 

Imagine

An indigenous man sits atop a horse, holding out a peace pipe to a sunset. Horses and other people sit and stand nearby watching. A group of teepees is visible in the distance.
Medicine Man Offering Peace Pipe to Setting Sun, William de la Montagne Cary, late 19th-early 20th century, oil on canvas

Artist William de le Montagne Cary’s painting Medicine Man Offering Peace Pipe to Setting Sun is the artist’s creative interpretation of an Indigenous ceremony. A small group of people can be seen observing the sunset in the foreground. Imagine you are in this painting:

What would the sun feel like on your skin?
What would you be able to smell?
Where would you imagine yourself standing?
What would you say to the medicine man?
What questions would you have for him?
What would you be able to hear?

Create

A bright sun shines over plants, flowers and birds below. The painting is done in vibrant, illustrator style.
Florero, Alfredo Zalce, 1974, linocut on paper

Florero by Alfredo Zalce shows a stylized sun shining down on a few colorful birds and plants. The sun is an important source of life for all living creatures and gives us the light and warmth we need to survive. The sun also gives life to plants, which need sunlight and water in order to grow.

Draw an image of the sun shining over something that needs its light and warmth it to survive such as an animal, a plant, a person, or a combination of the three.

 

Guía de Exploración de la Coleccion en línea: Verano y Sol

Observar:

Mire de cerca el cuadro One Lazy Summer Day by Quincy Tahoma.

Horses and people gathered under the shade of a tree
One Lazy Summer Day, Quincy Tahoma, 1945, tempera on paper

Puedes encontrar:

  • ¿Alguien durmiendo?
  • ¿Una cobija azul?
  • ¿Un potro (caballo bebé) acostado?
  • ¿Un sombrero que no se esta usando?
  • ¿Gente jugando un juego?
  • ¿Una bota con cinco botones?
  • ¿Un casco de caballo en el aire?
  • ¿Una cobija roja?
  • ¿Cinco pajaritos?
  • ¿Una cobija con patrónes de diamantes?

Discutir

An indigienous woman stands between daylight and night, holding a hand out to the moon, planted fields behind her
Moon of Growing, Benjamin Harjo, Jr., 1981, gouache on poster board

Mira The Moon of Growing. de Benjamin Harjo Jr. Esta pintura representa los solsticios de verano e invierno que ocurren el 21 de junio y el 21 de diciembre para marcar el cambio de estaciones. En muchas comunidades indígenas, hay festivales especiales que se celebran en estos días para dar la bienvenida a la nueva temporada y promover una buena temporada de cosecha. ¿Cuáles son algunas de las cosas que hace con su familia o comunidad para celebrar la llegada del verano?

 

Imagina

An indigenous man sits atop a horse, holding out a peace pipe to a sunset. Horses and other people sit and stand nearby watching. A group of teepees is visible in the distance.
Medicine Man Offering Peace Pipe to Setting Sun, William de la Montagne Cary, late 19th-early 20th century, oil on canvas

La pintura del artista William de le Montagne Cary Medicine Man Offering Peace Pipe to Setting Sun es la interpretación creativa del artista de una ceremonia indígena. Se puede ver un pequeño grupo de personas observando la puesta de sol en primer plano. Imagina que estás en esta pintura:

¿Cómo se sentiría el sol en tu piel?
¿Qué podrías oler?
¿Dónde te imaginas parado?
¿Qué le dirías al curandero? ¿Qué preguntas tendrías para él?
¿Qué podrías escuchar?

Crear

A bright sun shines over plants, flowers and birds below. The painting is done in vibrant, illustrator style.
Florero, Alfredo Zalce, 1974, linocut on paper

Florero by Alfredo Zalce muestra un sol estilizado que brilla sobre algunas aves y plantas coloridas. El sol es una fuente importante de vida para todas las criaturas vivientes y nos da la luz y el calor que necesitamos para sobrevivir. El sol también da vida a las plantas, que necesitan luz solar y agua para crecer.

Dibuja una imagen del sol brillando sobre algo que necesita su luz y calor para sobrevivir, como un animal, una planta, una persona o una combinación de los tres.