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Mgutierrez'sWebsite


Oaxacan Wood Carvings

Alebrijes from Oaxaca

                          

 

 

 

       Many people around the world buy

and collect these wonderful Alebrijes from

the Oxacan artisans. What is it about them that

 makes them so popular?                                  

 

 

The story goes that indian chiefs used to dream about these characters and then carved them to show their people that these idols were his friends. Although most Oaxacan carvings are referred to as alebrijes, this particular style with no clear resemblance to a real animal is the typical 'alebrije'.

 

There are many artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico that are currentlly creating these fantastic and colorful creatures. The demand for Mexican Folk Art through out the world has been an economic godsend to this community were families such as the Jimenezs' and Fuentes are able to work in unison. 

 

 

 

 

 

Our journey through cyber space to Oaxaca will be an art adventure to remember. As explorers of all things art we will go on cyber treasurer hunts, learn about various artists from the region, explain the artistic qualities of their art,create a ceramic or paper mache creature, and construct a web page on Oaxaca it's artisans and Alebrijes. 

 

 

 

 

The Oaxacan Quest

 

Venture out into the cyber world and go treasure hunting for facts and images about Alebrijes (woodcarvings). Use the the following treasure hunt questions to guide you.

 

Use the related links at the end of this web page to start your search.

 

Section 1

 

  Open a word document, copy and paste questions to your document, then answer  the following questions using complete sentences.

 

1.  Where is Oaxaca located?

2.  What is the population of Oaxaca?

3.  What are three main exports of Oaxaca?

4.  What type of climate do the peolpe of Oaxaca experience there?

5.  Guelaquetza is a festival in Oaxaca. Describe what happens at this festival?

6.  What other types of arts and crafts can be found in Oaxaca?

7.  If you could and wanted to work in Oaxaca, what career might you try to apply for?

8.  What if any, conflicts have the Oaxcan people been up against in the past 5 years?

9.  Who were the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs? 

10. What impact did the Spanish invasion have on the indiginous people of Oaxaca?

 

Section 2

 

Select an Alebrije from one of the sites and paste it into your word document. Answer the following questions using complete sentences.

  1. What particular characteristic of the Alebrije drew your attention?
  2. Describe in detail what the Alebrije looks like.
  3. You have been invited by Mr. Jacobo Ojeda to create an Alebrije at his work shop. Describe what your Alebrije would look like. Animal or combination between animals and humans. List the characteristics, colors, and patterns used in your idea.
  4. As we have discovered the Alebrije is a very popular form of art. Many peolpe around the world buy and collect these wonderful pieces from the Oxacan artisans. What is it about them that makes them so popular?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task :

As ambassadors of Ms. Gutierrez’s visual art class you have been given the task to create a web page. This The web page will document your daily experience through the artistic process of learning about the arts and crafts of Oaxaca. The students of this class will be challenged with presenting vital and accurate information about Oaxaca and the artisians who are continuously building a thriving arts and crafts economy.  

 

Web  Page Criteria:  

  1. Create a web page and tile it Oaxaca.
  2. You will create 5 sections on this page. Each section should be seperated by a either a Horizontal line or a table row. These items can be created by using the icons on the tool bar.

 

 

Section 1

 

Add an image of an alibrije for visual balance, then you will write a brief introduction paragraph about the arts and crafts of Oaxaca. Use the Quest questions to guide you.

 

Section 2

  1. Give this section a title refering to its content.
  2. Add another two  Alebrije images to your web page that you found interesting. Explain why you choose them.
  3. Insert pictures dipicting the city or state of Oaxaca and also include photos illustrating the daily life of the people.

Section 3  (Add Title)

 

This section will exhibit the artistic journey of your own creation of an Alebrije. During studio time you and your peers will take pictures of your progress. The pictures will be used to demonstrate how you came up with the idea to the last detail. This step should be viewed as a step by step process. Maintaining the sequence of events from beggining to end is vital to your web page.

 

Section 4 (Add Title)

This section is reserved for your final product. Take a picture of your project and insert it in this section, then write a reflection about your experience.  Use the following questions to guide you. (Questions are forth coming)

 

Section 5 (Add Title)

This section is reserved for your friends art work.

Select at least three other students art work that either inspired you along the way or you just like it.

Explain why you choose them.

Include the images on your web page 

 

Since this is going to be seen by people outside the school make every effort to construct a creative and well written web page.

 

Follow the rules of visual design throughout your presentation.
 

Please be advised that you must follow copyright laws. (post references)

Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and video using both conventional and 21st century media in ways that advance thinking, decision making, communication, and learning. (read more)

 

Related Links

These websites are for finding image ideas.

http://www.oaxacafinecarvings.com/

 

http://www.tilcajete.org/

 

http://www.oaxacafinecarvings.com/woodcarvinginoaxaca.htm

 

http://www.christmasgiftgallery.com/oaxacan-wood-carvings.htm

 

These websites are virtual tours of Oaxaca and its culture

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vh5civhjGWo

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3zqjiwqyKUo

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJb3vuGxd3c

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Activity

Art  Activity

Task: create your own Alebrije using Crayola Model Magic

materials: model magic,

Step by Step:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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