For Educators

Vivid in Japanese art and imagination are creatures that are at once ghastly and amusing. Yōkai is a catchall word for ghosts, demons, monsters, shapeshifters, tricksters, and other kinds of supernatural beings and mysterious phenomena. Yōkai interact with the human world and spark common notions of frightful things.

In West Bengal, India, a traditional caste community of artists, called patuas, paint colorful scrolls to accompany songs which they sing to relate historic, current, religious and cultural events to their audiences.

Explore the historic and cultural context in which Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos is celebrated. Birth and death, two of the most transcendental moments of life are celebrated by all cultures according to their particular belief systems, historical development, environment, and evolution within their culturally specific context. Every world culture has coping mechanisms to deal with the loss of life. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrates a communion between the living and the dead in a colorful festival of ritual and life.

Dolls have captivated the human imagination for centuries. Paddle shaped dolls dating back to 2000 B.C. have been found in Egyptian tombs. Dolls have been constructed out of virtually every material known to humankind including bone, ivory, wax, wood, terra cotta, plastic, rubber, old socks and inner tubes.

Adinkra cloth is a stamped fabric that is made in Ghana, Africa. Symbolic motifs which represent proverbs are carved from calabashes, a type of gourd, and are dipped into a black dye made from the bark of the badie tree.

Children’s Day is a national holiday in Japan, which always falls on May 5th. Families fly giant carp windsocks, called koinobori, on flagpoles next to their homes from April to early May.

Flamenco is a folkloric dance that was handed down from generation to generation. Flamenco is supposed to be the outward expression of one’s innermost emotions. It was originally performed within families or tight-knit communities, largely of Gitano (Spanish Romany) origin in southern Spain.

Literatura de Cordel (Literature on a String) refers to small hand-printed chapbooks of poetry, which address popular themes, folktales, and legends, native to the dry, impoverished interior of northeastern Brazil.

The practice of writing a personal wish or prayer on a wooden plaque, called ema, usually takes place at Shinto shrines throughout Japan. This practice dates back to the Nara period in the 8th century. This practice dates back to the Nara period in the 8th century. In contemporary Japanese society, this is most commonly done during certain times of the year, like the New Year and during exam season.

Amatl (Amate {Spanish}) from the Nahuatl (NA-watl) language means “paper”. Amate is made from the pulp of the fig and mulberry trees. The state of Puebla to the east of Mexico City is known for their amate paper production and the artisans in small town San Pablito, who are of Otomί ancestery, continue to practice this ancient tradition of paper making.

Andeans have an ancient tradition of performing dances and dramas wearing masquerades. In the sixteenth century, Spanish priests and colonists imposed new forms of masked performances for the Indians to carry out during Catholic feast days. Participants were instructed to wear costumes and masks that impersonated the Europeans. This practice continued through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but since the post-Independence era of the nineteenth century, Indian and mestizo communities have had greater freedom to carry out their own forms of festival masquerading.

Explore the historic and cultural context in which Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos is celebrated. Birth and death, two of the most transcendental moments of life are celebrated by all cultures according to their particular belief systems, historical development, environment, and evolution within their culturally specific context. Every world culture has coping mechanisms to deal with the loss of life. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrates a communion between the living and the dead in a colorful festival of ritual and life.

A mola is an appliqued fabric panel created by Cuna women, an indigenous people from the San Blas Islands of Panama. The term “mola” refers to a traditional blouse made by women to serve as front and back panels of the blouses they wear everyday. Now molas are also sold to collectors and framed and exhibited. The market for the unique molas has provided an economic benefit for the Cuna Indians.

Explore the forms and functions of mayólica objects to understand the cultural and historic contexts that formed them. The Iberian Peninsula, where mayólica reached its apogee with lusterware, was composed of a wide variety of cultures, religions and ethnicities. Trace the trade routes of these ceramic pieces and witness how the Mexican culture transformed this art form—an excellent example of vibrant intercultural exchange.