Art museum uses new

hands-on approach

As part of its new Outreach Program, the LaGrange Art Museum is providing elementary school students a hands-on ap-proach to studying Black History Month.

Museum curator Nancy Olney and volunteer Joyce Linch, both former teachers, will have made eight total trips to Berta Weathersbee, Cannon Street and Hillcrest elementary schools by Feb. 23.

Under their guidance, the students design quilts out of construction and wrapping paper, mimicking the ones slaves used as markers to guide those fleeing slavery.

“The purpose of this is to give the students another way to look at black history and how it affects all of our history today,” Linch said. “So far, it has been a great multisensory learning experience for them and I think it has really opened their curiosity to all of the history involved.”

Cannon Street first- and second-graders constructed Canada geese quilting patterns on a large sheet of construction paper Friday morning, the museum’s latest visit.

“This is fun because it has a lot to do with where we are today,” second-grader Latoya Davis said. “And it will be a lot of fun making a quilt.”

Slaves used the specially coded patterns for directions to escape to the eastern part of Canada. An estimated 20,000 slaves escaped to Canada using the Underground Railroad, part of a total estimated at 100,000 who fled slavery.

Students first observed a real coded quilt that was handed down to Linch from her grandmother. The patterns in the quilts were used because it was illegal to teach slaves how to read and and write.

“The quilts were hung against fences and roofs and served as marker with further directions,” Linch said. “This one was made from pieces of numerous dresses.”

Linch plans on to donate her family’s quilt to the Art Museum sometime after this month.

In addition to designing quilts, Cannon Street first- and second-graders also watched videos on black history during two previous visits and read books written by black author, artist and quilt maker Faith Ringgold.

Two of the books include “Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad In The Sky” and “Tar Beach,” which describe famous runaway slave Harriet Tubman and how slaves used the Underground Railroad to escape.

Tubman helped more than 300 slaves escape to free states and Canada from 1850 to 1860.

“I think this is very important to study this because it teaches us about our ancestors,” second-grader Quandarius Lindsey said. “I like studying this a lot because I think it was very important for the slaves to escape and be with their families in peace and to be able to live like us.”

Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.