Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Program/Concentration

Institute for the Humanities

Committee Director

Anne H. Muraoka

Abstract

[First paragraph] As an art educator who has worked with children aged 5-18 in the public-school setting, I find myself constantly assessing and reevaluating my practices. When I was in high school and falling in love with the world of visual art, I had a teacher who introduced me to the beautiful and sacred art of mandala making. We learned about how Buddhist Monks create massive works with colorful sand, and I was shocked to hear that the pieces are traditionally swept away upon completion. When I started my first full time teaching position seven years ago at a high school in Norfolk, Va, I couldn’t wait to share this cool artmaking practice with my own students. I tried to learn as much as I could about the history and meaning behind mandalas to share enthusiastically with my students. I was able to check many boxes off the list of my district’s art standards by incorporating the elements and principles of art into the lesson and emphasizing the radial symmetry seen in mandalas. The lesson was chock full of color theory, math tie-ins (fractions and angles) and exploring a culture different from our own- the recipe for a progressive, amazing lesson, right? I sure thought so. My students followed the steps that I showed them, and each created their own “mandala.”

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