Weaving the Threads of Resilience: A Textile Art Exploration of Poverty
Materials Needed
- • Fabric scraps of various colors, textures, and patterns
- • Yarn or embroidery thread
- • Needles
- • Scissors
- • Whiteboard or large chart paper
- • Markers
Goal 1: No Poverty
You can find an introduction to Goal 1, as well as the Targets & Indicators, Objectives, and Action Planning Resources on the Goal overview page.
See Goal 1 Overview
Introduce the United Nations' Global Goal 1: No Poverty. Discuss the importance of understanding and addressing poverty in all its forms. Explain the symbolism of weaving as a metaphor for interconnectedness and resilience.
- Weaving, as a metaphor, represents the interconnectedness of individuals and communities. Each thread, like each person, contributes to the strength and beauty of the whole fabric. When threads are interwoven, they create a strong and resilient material that can withstand wear and tear. Similarly, when people come together to support one another, they build a resilient community that can overcome challenges like poverty. The act of weaving also symbolizes the process of creating something new and beautiful from seemingly disparate elements, just as communities can create a brighter future by working together to address poverty.
Share printed images or articles that depict different aspects of poverty.
- Image: Life Inside a Sprawling Homeless Camp (Source: Planetizen News)
- Image: Inside the horrific unregulated sweatshops of Bangladesh (Source: Daily Mail)
- Image: An unhoused individual sleeps under an American flag blanket in New York City (Source: NPR)
- Article: Why Poverty Persists in America (Source: The New York Times)
- Article: This is What it Means to be Poor in India Today (Source: CNN)
Discuss the emotions and experiences associated with poverty, emphasizing the importance of empathy and understanding.
Poverty is often associated with feelings of shame, isolation, hopelessness, and despair. It can also lead to stress, anxiety, and depression.
It is crucial to recognize the resilience, strength, and dignity of individuals and communities experiencing poverty.
These discussions can help students develop empathy and understand that poverty is not a personal failing but a complex issue with various underlying causes.
Ask guiding questions like:
- What were your immediate feelings or reactions as you looked at these images or read/listened to the articles?
- What did you notice?
- What do you think might be the daily challenges faced by the people in the images/articles?
- If you were to imagine yourself in the situation depicted, what might be some of the emotions you would feel?
- Beyond the visible hardships, what are some of the less obvious struggles someone experiencing poverty might face (e.g., feelings of isolation, lack of opportunity, stress)?
- How might poverty affect a person's sense of hope or their dreams for the future?
- What do you think it might feel like to not have reliable access to basic necessities like food, water, or shelter?
- How might societal attitudes or judgements impact someone experiencing poverty?
- What might be some of the strengths and resilience that people living in poverty develop?
Connect these discussions to the different textures and colors of fabric scraps, exploring how they might represent different aspects of poverty and resilience. Examples:
- Rough, coarse fabric: The harsh realities of poverty, the feeling of being worn down by circumstances.
- Bright, vibrant colors: Hope, resilience, and the determination to overcome challenges.
- Soft, delicate fabric: Vulnerability and the need for support and protection.
- Intricate patterns: The complexity of poverty and the diverse experiences of those affected by it.
Divide students into groups of 3-4.
Each group selects a specific aspect of poverty or resilience to focus on. Examples:
- Lack of access to education
- Community solidarity and support
- Overcoming adversity
- Lack of access to clean water
- Food insecurity
- Housing instability
- Social stigma and discrimination
- Access to healthcare and social services
- Economic empowerment initiatives
- Advocacy and activism for social change
Students use fabric scraps, yarn, and needles to create a collaborative textile piece that visually represents their chosen theme.
Encourage experimentation with different techniques like weaving, stitching, embroidery, or appliqué.
Have each group present their textile artwork, explaining the meaning behind their design and the techniques they used.
Facilitate group discussions on the power of art to express complex emotions and social issues like poverty. Ask guiding questions like:
- How did you use techniques like weaving, stitching, layering, etc. to represent your chosen aspect of poverty or resilience?
- What specific symbols or visual elements did you incorporate into your artwork, and what do they represent?
- How did you decide on the overall composition and arrangement of your textile piece?
- Looking at your finishes pieces, what emotions or feelings do you hope they evoke in someone viewing the artwork?
- Where in your textile piece do you see elements that represent strength, hope, or the human spirit in the face of poverty?
- If your artwork could tell a story, what would that story be about the experiences of individuals or communities facing poverty?
- How does your textile artwork contribute to our understanding of the complexities of poverty?
Encourage students to reflect on the experience of creating collaborative art and how it connects to the concept of resilience.
- Give voice to the voiceless: Provide a platform for those experiencing poverty to share their stories and perspectives.
- Evoke empathy: Help others understand and connect with the emotional realities of poverty.
- Inspire action: Motivate individuals and communities to take steps to address poverty.
- Promote healing and resilience: Offer a creative outlet for individuals to process their experiences and find strength in community.
- Challenge stereotypes: Break down misconceptions about poverty and those affected by it.
- Advocate for change: Raise awareness and inspire policy changes to create a more equitable society.
- What was the most significant thing you learned about poverty or resilience through this textile art exploration?
- Did creating this artwork change your perspective on poverty in any way? If so, how?
- What new insights did you gain about the power of art, specifically textile art, to communicate complex social issues?
- What connections did you make between the physical act of working with the fabric and the abstract concepts of poverty and resilience?
- What did you learn about the interconnectedness of individuals and communities in the context of poverty and overcoming challenges?
- What challenges did your group face during the collaborative creation process, and how did you overcome them?
- How did the different textures, colors, and patterns of the fabric influence your artistic choices and the meaning of your piece?
- What did you discover about your own creative process while working with textiles?
- How did the metaphor of weaving as interconnectedness and resilience resonate with you during the art-making process?
- In what ways did the limitations or possibilities of the materials shape your final artwork?
- How did the images, articles, and discussions at the beginning of the lesson influence yoru approach to creating your art?
- Did any personal experiences or observations connect with the themes of poverty and resilience explored in this lesson?
- What emotions did you experience while creating your artwork, and how do those emotions relate to the issue of poverty?
- What are some ways that you can continue to use your creativity to engage with and raise awareness about social issues like poverty?
- Consistent and enthusiastic involvement in all phases of the lesson, including initial discussions about poverty, material exploration, collaborative textile creation, and group presentations.
- Comprehension of Global Goal 1 and its core concepts (e.g., economic hardship, social exclusion, resilience) as demonstrated through the symbolism and intention with the textile artwork and verbal explanations.
- Originality and effectiveness in using chosen textile elements (e.g., weaving, stitching, appliqué, laying of fabric scraps) to convey aspects of poverty and/or resilience.
- How clearly and powerfully the finished collaborative artwork communicates its intended message. Did the textile piece successfully evoke thought or emotion related to the experience of poverty or the spirit of resilience?
- Ability to work effectively within the small groups, contributing ideas, respecting diverse artistic choices, sharing tasks, and collaborating cohesively to create the shared textile piece.
- Ability to articulate artistic choices and to interpret and provide thoughtful feedback on other groups' artwork, connecting it to the broader themes of poverty and resilience.
- Nuance and depth of understanding demonstrated in reflections, particularly concerning the role of art in social change and the interconnectedness of individuals and communities in overcoming poverty.
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