These guidelines are designed for leaders who are introducing children and youth to the Ackland’s collection of religious art. However, the information will be useful to anyone desiring to use religious art to teach about a culture, religion or society.

 

Tell stories in conjunction with images.
Even though Christianity is the dominant tradition in our area, increasing numbers of children are raised with no religious training at all. Teaching which begins with the assumption that children will know about David and Goliath or the Crucifixion will not be meaningful to many.

Providing the narrative context for works of religious art is important to your lesson; plan to tell the story of Jesus’ birth, just as you would tell the story of how Ganesha got his elephant head. Both are religious stories about the origins of an individual with the status of divinity in the eyes of millions of followers.

 

Be respectful of "faith-based" events.
Religious stories should be told with an overall feeling of respect, even though there may be humorous or improbable moments.

What if a child ask "Is that true?"

Depending on the age of the students and time constraints, explain that many religious stories have elements that seem surprising or hard to believe in terms of scientific truth, but there are millions of people who find special meaning in these stories. These stories are part of a community’s spiritual heritage.

You might ask if anyone can think of a story from another tradition, perhaps Christianity, that is hard to believe, or "miraculous." Since such stories cannot be proved true or false scientifically, most religions ask followers to accept certain teachings "on faith."

A simple suggested response to the question "Is that true?":

"I don’t know if it happened exactly that way, but millions of people have found that story important for a long time. I think it’s a good story for learning about the ___________ religion, and it helps us understand this work of art."

 

Use inclusive language.
This means that you carefully avoid setting up an "US / THEM" dynamic, as in "This may seem really strange to us, but that’s the way they do it in Africa" or "We believe in one all-powerful God, but in other countries the people believe in many gods."

The teacher should present information fairly and neutrally, without indicating his or her own religious affiliation to children. Remember that today’s classrooms include children from many different religious backgrounds, and nobody should be treated as an outsider.

Tips for using inclusive language:

• Say "Jesus" and "Mary" and "Ganesha" -- straightforward names without loaded honorifics like "Lord Ganesha" or "The Holy Virgin Mary."

• Avoid the term "idol" when teaching about religious sculpture. If a student introduces that term, suggest that "religious sculpture" is a less loaded term and that practitioners of religions that use these sculptures do not consider them to be the "false idols" proscribed in the texts of the Abraham traditions.

• "Myth" is a term, which in popular use means a story that is not true. "Religious story" is more neutral. Avoid references to Christian or Buddhist "mythology."

 

Use questions as a discovery tool.
Works of art can hold a powerful fascination for children and adults alike. People will notice striking physical features of the objects and have questions about the significance of such features.

Why does Mary always wear that blue cloak?

Why are his ear lobes so long?

What is that red stuff on the surface of the stone?

Is that really gold?

The teacher should anticipate questions such as these and be prepared to respond fully, using these indications of interest to lead into the main ideas he or she wants to get across.

For example, an explanation of the ear lobes might include the story of Siddhartha’s departure from his princely home and a discussion of appropriate representations of the Buddha in Thai art.

Because of the neutral museum setting and because the teacher begins by responding to visitor questions, most visitors seem to feel safe exploring unfamiliar faith traditions during a museum visit.

 

Choose objects that have a strong visual impact.
Choose objects that have a strong visual impact and can enhance understanding of important beliefs or rituals. Careful sequencing is vital to achieving your teaching goals. Sequencing might be used (along with a map and time line) to help visitors grasp historical and geographical connections, such as starting with Hindu objects, moving to Buddhist art from India and then illustrating the spread of Buddhism with later objects from Theravada Thailand to Mahayana Japan. Other sequences would emphasize stylistic or narrative connections between objects.

 

Avoid using religious objects as the basis for open-ended imagination exercises.
It is usually important to offer information about the artwork’s original context and meaning. If a teaching approach would feel inappropriate using an object from the majority faith tradition, the approach is not appropriate for a work of art from any faith tradition.

Example: If you would not encourage fourth-graders to make up a story about how that man got up on a cross, do not invite them to make up a story to explain why that man has the head of a boar. Likewise, consider the messages behind inviting students to engage in a drawing activity such as creating their own "Hindu god" with mix-and-match body parts.

Religious objects are especially useful for teaching about diverse cultures.

If the students are in the museum for only one visit, the gallery lesson should include religious art from more than one tradition -- do not get stuck in the Renaissance gallery and miss the opportunity to show our visitors that art is important in many of the world’s religions!

 

Make appropriate use of guest speakers.
An additional word of advice for school-based educators: Make appropriate use of guest speakers who can present information about their own faith tradition. Such speakers can make an important contribution to your students’ understanding of religions as a living force in today’s multicultural society.

It is your responsibility to discuss in advance with guest speakers the distinction between teaching about a religion and engaging in prayer or persuasion in the classroom context.