Windows to A Multicultural World
African-American and African Diaspora History, Arts & Culture Programs for K-12 Field Trips, School Engagements,
and Remote Learning
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Our "Windows to A Multicultural World" program offers African-American and African diaspora history, art and culture curriculum for grades K-12. Our program includes educational content, lesson plans, curated resources, recorded, live-streamed and on-site arts engagements led by our team of experienced Vermont teaching artists of African descent.
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Click on the video above for a snippet of our Windows to A Multicultural World program intro.
Our new remote learning platform for the Windows to A Multicultural World (WTAMW) program provides a cost-efficient alternative for our usual school field trips to the historic Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, Vermont and our on-site arts engagements in your school's classrooms. We offer six separate modules ("windows") with a range of age-appropriate engagements for grades K-12 that are grounded in African-American history and African diaspora art, culture and geography.
Our new remote learning platform for the Windows to A Multicultural World (WTAMW) program provides a cost-efficient alternative for our usual school field trips to the historic Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, Vermont and our on-site arts engagements in your school's classrooms. We offer six separate modules ("windows") with a range of age-appropriate engagements for grades K-12 that are grounded in African-American history and African diaspora art, culture and geography.
Watch our overview video above to learn more about the WTAMW program content and learning standards!
Our arts-integrated curriculum is presented in six "windows" (interpretive themes for teaching African-American history). Each window includes topic overviews; curated resources; downloadable handouts and coloring pages, creative activities that focus on helping students build empathy, learn resilience, process and express emotions in safe and brave spaces' pre-recorded, live-streamed and on-site arts engagements led by our teaching artists; powerpoint presentations; and discussion questions.
Window 1- Traveling While Black: African-American history and African diaspora culture through the lens of the African-American experience of travel from the transatlantic slave trade to present day.
Window 2- For the Love of the Land: African-American relationship to the land, land stewardship, ownership and loss, major historic events involving land, farming and conservation.
Window 3- Culinary Heritage: A look at the production, trade, processing, preparation, serving and meanings of selected foods that build understanding of African-American history and African diasporic cultures, with spotlights on selected African-American culinary artists over history to present times.
Window 4- The Power of Image: Portrayals of African-Americans over time through photography, film, visual arts, with spotlights on selected African-American photographers and filmmakers.
Window 5- Culture, Identity and Lineage: A look at textile arts in Africa and in the US, history, identity, lineage, ethnic groups, cultures, the use of proverbs, the art of the spoken word, and family storytelling.
Window 6- The Power of Performance: Includes a close look at the role of performing arts in portrayals of African-Americans, social commentary, and resistance in past, present and future.
Window 1- Traveling While Black: African-American history and African diaspora culture through the lens of the African-American experience of travel from the transatlantic slave trade to present day.
Window 2- For the Love of the Land: African-American relationship to the land, land stewardship, ownership and loss, major historic events involving land, farming and conservation.
Window 3- Culinary Heritage: A look at the production, trade, processing, preparation, serving and meanings of selected foods that build understanding of African-American history and African diasporic cultures, with spotlights on selected African-American culinary artists over history to present times.
Window 4- The Power of Image: Portrayals of African-Americans over time through photography, film, visual arts, with spotlights on selected African-American photographers and filmmakers.
Window 5- Culture, Identity and Lineage: A look at textile arts in Africa and in the US, history, identity, lineage, ethnic groups, cultures, the use of proverbs, the art of the spoken word, and family storytelling.
Window 6- The Power of Performance: Includes a close look at the role of performing arts in portrayals of African-Americans, social commentary, and resistance in past, present and future.
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Our Teaching Artists
The Clemmons Family Farm has an established network of nearly 200 Vermont artists who self-identify as Black, African-American, African origin, or of the African diaspora (e.g. Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Brazil). All of our collaborating artists are Vermont residents. Most of the arts and culture programs we offer are facilitated by our trained teaching artists, culture bearers and scholars who are registered members of our network. Our programs engage students in experiences that foster the development of their positive identities and empathy as citizens of a multicultural world. |
Our collaborating artists include dancers and choreographers, film makers and photographers, musicians and singers, poets, playwrights and actors, storytellers and spoken word artists, costume designers, painters, weavers, culinary artists, makers and more!
Each of the six windows in our Windows to A Multicultural World program is developed to meet specific learning objectives and to address selected Core Curriculum Standards for the State of Vermont. Our modules also incorporate equity literacy and social justice learning standards, and ground our arts and culture engagements to the anchor learning standards of the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS). We work with teachers and schools to tailor our African-American/African diaspora arts and culture programs to your educational goals both in the classroom and through place-based learning on a rare African-American owned historic farm in Vermont.
With our team of Vermont artists of African descent, we will support the efforts that parents, teachers and schools are already making to help their students acquire the skills, attitudes and exposure to multicultural settings that they need to reach their full potential as citizens of the world.
With our team of Vermont artists of African descent, we will support the efforts that parents, teachers and schools are already making to help their students acquire the skills, attitudes and exposure to multicultural settings that they need to reach their full potential as citizens of the world.
Helping All Children Become World Citizens
H.3, the Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools bill, officially become Act 1, informing a new law in Vermont that ushers ethnic studies into our statewide educational standards along with policies that promote ethnic and social equity in public elementary and high schools. Our "Windows to A Multicultural World" field trips, school classroom engagements, and remote learning platform are designed to help schools to get a head start on meeting these emerging standards.
H.3, the Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools bill, officially become Act 1, informing a new law in Vermont that ushers ethnic studies into our statewide educational standards along with policies that promote ethnic and social equity in public elementary and high schools. Our "Windows to A Multicultural World" field trips, school classroom engagements, and remote learning platform are designed to help schools to get a head start on meeting these emerging standards.
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Above: Musician, composer and storyteller Michael Dyke is one of the talented collaborating Teaching Artists who lead the planning, design and implementation of the Clemmons Family Farm's 'Windows to a Multicultural World' K-12 arts and culture programs.
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Above: Clemmons Family Farm's teaching artist Mikaylan Diallo teaches kindergarten students African-American step dancing. Children also learn about the origins of this traditional dance in South African gum boot dancing.
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To learn more about our Windows to A Multicultural World Program and to book one or more of our teaching artists, please email us at [email protected]
or leave us a message at (765) 560-5445.
or leave us a message at (765) 560-5445.
"Windows to A Multicultural World" Teacher Feedback
Clemmons Family Farm's interactive arts-integrated curriculum helps teachers foster safe, brave and creative spaces for students to learn about African-American history and culture. We provide topic overviews, lesson notes, curated resources with direct links to trusted sources, downloadable handouts and presentations--all developed by a team of 23 Black scholars, instructional design experts, and artsts. Our pre-recorded and live-streamed arts engagements are designed to support Vermont and national core curriculum learning standards, and are led by our team of teaching artists.
Below are excerpts of some of the feedback from Vermont K12 teachers who participated in a 6-week pilot of the first window- Traveling While Black- iin the Windows To A Multicultural World K12 remote learning platform from January 15 - February 28, 2021.
Clemmons Family Farm's interactive arts-integrated curriculum helps teachers foster safe, brave and creative spaces for students to learn about African-American history and culture. We provide topic overviews, lesson notes, curated resources with direct links to trusted sources, downloadable handouts and presentations--all developed by a team of 23 Black scholars, instructional design experts, and artsts. Our pre-recorded and live-streamed arts engagements are designed to support Vermont and national core curriculum learning standards, and are led by our team of teaching artists.
Below are excerpts of some of the feedback from Vermont K12 teachers who participated in a 6-week pilot of the first window- Traveling While Black- iin the Windows To A Multicultural World K12 remote learning platform from January 15 - February 28, 2021.
QUESTION: How were your interactions with the WTAMW team?
QUESTION: How were your students' experiences with our WTAMW teaching artists and the arts engagements?
To learn more about our Windows to A Multicultural World Program and to book a teaching artist, please email us at [email protected] or leave us a message at (765) 560-5445.
Our Windows to A Multicultural World K-12 Learning Program is made possible with major funding from Bay and Paul Foundations and Nellie Mae Foundation, and additional support from the Vermont Arts Council and private donations.
