Students will be introduced to Senora Lynch, a member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe of North Carolina. During this program, Senora will talk about her art and explain how she records oral history into visual art. Students will participate in a hands-on project, making clay turtles or pinch pots. The artist will lead students through the steps of making pottery, and students will learn what materials make up pottery and how it is fired. At the same time, Senora will expose them to art work, legends, stories, and traditions of her people. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about American Indians of North Carolina. Senora is an educator who teaches students about American Indians and works to overcome racial stereotypes. This program works very well with the fourth- and eighth-grade curriculum related to American Indian History.
Artist Background
Senora resides in her hometown of Hollister, NC with her husband and daughter. She is a diverse artist in pottery, basketry and beadwork. She is known mostly for pottery created using the hand-coiling method. First she pounds red clay and rolls it into long ropes. Next, she coils the ropes and stacks them to form the desired vessel shape, pressing them together. She continues to smooth and stretch the coils with her fingers, finally polishing the vessel with a rock to make it smooth. To make designs, she places white clay on top of the red clay and etches patterns with a fine tool such as corn, dogwoods, turtle shell. She uses art to teach the history and culture of NC tribes. She is an educator listed in the NC Artist Directory.
Search Criteria
- Program Type: Workshop/Residency
- Discipline: Multi-Disciplinary, Storytelling, Visual Arts
- Grade Level: Elementary
- Cultural Context: Native American, North Carolina
- Accepts bookings in Johnston County
