Futon cover with turtles and family crest
Do you know why these ten turtles have long tails streaming behind them? In fact these are not supposed to be tails but seaweed— the result of a long life at sea. Turtles are a symbol of longevity and are used on many textiles with celebratory association. This four panel rectangular textile of hand-spun cotton was made to cover a futon, which would have been filled with fluffy cotton batting. This cover features the crest— a circle with three floral lozenge-filled hexagons— of the family that used it, indicating that this textile was custom made to order.
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The imagery on a samurai’s armor expresses that samurai’s identity and source of inspiration or empowerment. Is there an image you connect with most?
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If you were to design a bronze vessel for a friend who has done something important for you, what shape would you make it? How would you decorate it? Would you use designs like the ones on the bronze vessels in the museum? What would you inscribe on it?
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How would you answer Chanel Miller’s “I was, I am, I will be” prompt? Would your answers look like Miller’s, or would they look different?
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Visible from Hyde Street outside the Asian Art Museum are Chanel Miller’s I was, I am, I will be, Jas Charanjiva’s Don’t Mess With Me, and Jenifer K Wofford’s Pattern Recognition.
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Create your own layered collage to preserve your memories of a special place in your life.
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In this activity, you will create your own “space sculpture” out of found objects, light, and shadow.
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Personal Space (2001), a layered, dreamlike painting by Kolkata-based artist Jayashree Chakravarty, is an imaginary map built up from painted strips of paper. In this activity, create your own map based on your special place.
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Make your own torn-paper collages inspired by the images created in the teamLab experience.
Teacher Packet
In this packet, you will engage with Wofford’s mural, learn about different Asian cultures and identities, and celebrate Asian American artists from the San Francisco Bay Area. With what you’ve learned and researched, you will then create your own patterns in a digital collage art project.
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In this activity, create your own weaving loom with cardboard and then weave your own textile project. As you construct your loom and learn the labor-intensive process of weaving, you might begin to wonder how Sekimachi was able to create her famous three-dimensional structures.
