Culture, Multiculturalism

and Me

Bridget Beresford
TEL 212
Sept. 24, 2018
Section 1: Overview of Me
My Cultural Makeup
● I am a 21 year old female
● Heterosexual, Gen Z
● Southern California born and raised
○ Irvine, CA
○ Master planned community
● White, upper, middle class family
● Native English speaking
● Jewish
● I have cerebral palsy and hearlng loss
Religion - I am involved with Hillel, AEPhi (a Jewish values sorority) and plan to travel to Israel in
December with Birthright.
Gender - I am a heterosexual female
Geography - I will decide where I want to live and work once I graduate from ASU
 My Future Career
Teaching
I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.
When I was very young, I would line up my American Girl
dolls and teach them. I love the idea of making a difference
to a student who might be struggling, who might not be the
smartest in the class, or might have a learning disability. But
with the tools I will have in my teaching toolbox, I can help
that student overcome whatever challenge he or she may
have. I want to make a difference to students, one by one,
and enrich their lives by what I have taught them.
 Section #2: My Event

Golden Dawn: The Pueblo Paintings of Pablita

Velarde
Event Information
Friday, September 7, 2018 at 6:30pm
Crossroads Gallery, Heard Museum
A screening about a famous women artist, Pablita
Velarde and granddaughter who engage in guided
activities which are impassioned by their art.
https://heard.org/event/first-friday-september
 Why I Chose this Event
I chose this event to:
❏ learn more about the Native American culture
❏ earn more about Native American art
❏ discover what Pablita Velarde’s paintings
represented
❏ get out of my comfort zone by attending an event
unlike any I have attended in the past
❏ Discover some of the personal struggles of Pablito
and the Pueblo people
What I Hoped to Learn
❖ Watch the screening
❖ View the paintings
❖ Hear stories about the Native American
people, their lives and struggles
❖ Learn about how Pablita’s struggles
impacted her life and her art
❖ How is Native American culture
different and similar to mine?
 Connections to My Future as an Educator
This event will be connected to my future career because I
will be working with students who are from different
cultures. The more I can learn about different cultures, the
better I will understand who they are and what their family
life is like. I want to learn how to respond appropriately
and respectfully. I want to be the best teacher I can be, and
the more I am aware of different cultures, languages,
customs and backgrounds, the better I can educate.
 Connections
Pablita had struggles as a young girl. Her mother died when she was very young.

Her father packed her and her 2 sisters up to move.

Pablita was sent to boarding school. She did not speak a word of English.

She missed her home very much.

She was able to overcome and to find her passion and outlet in her art.

Everything starts with beauty

Pablita Velardes
 Preconceived Notions/Biases
I really do not think I had any preconceived notions or biases. I can only say
that I did not know much about Native American art, had never heard of
Pablita Velardes, and did not really know what I was going to gain from the
experience of going to learn about her.
Section #3: The Experience
 Overall Experience
I especially liked learning about someone that I knew nothing about. I enjoyed getting to know her personal story
because that helped me appreciate her art. I could sense that art was truly an outlet for her and a passion.

**She even said in the video that she had to get other jobs
because she couldn’t make a living as an artist.
***She also liked how much the stories she told meant to other
people. That seemed very important to her.
****At the time when she first began painting, the art of
painting was not considered a woman’s job. It was only a man’s
job yet she painted anyway and continued to tell stories of her
people through her paintings.

I want the earth to remember me through my work."— Tse Tsan,

Pablita Velarde
 Discomfort
I honestly felt very little discomfort, if any at all. Although I was aware I did not know anything about
Pablita and have much to learn about the Native American culture, I also think of people from different
cultures simply as people and rarely feel uncomfortable. What I realized is that there is plenty to learn
and understand but i never felt awkward about being there. This should be why we go to museums - to
learn about something we are interested in but maybe know nothing or very little about.
 WOW! Moment or Cultural Shock
I was struck by the difficult life Pablita Velarde had and how similar it could be to many children today.
Her mother passed away, she had to start a new school where she knew no one and did not speak the
language. She had none of the resources children have today in schools but her struggles were similar.
She also rose to the challenges of her life and made a name for herself and never compromised who
she was or the work she did. I found that I admired her very much, not just her work but the person she
became.
Section #4: Lessons Learned
 What I Learned about the Culture
Cultural identity
It was very important for Pablita
Velarde and other Pueblo people
to record history through their
art. Their cultural identity was
strong and a part of their lives
that they wanted to be sure to
pass along. Painting pictures and
other forms of art was done as a
way to show the strength of the
culture and to tell stories of how
they lived.
Gender roles
There were very specific gender roles
in place. Women were expected to
stay at home, cook and clean. It was
not acceptable to do otherwise. But
even like today, there are some people
who don’t follow the rules and are
willing to go outside the box of what is
expected of them. Pablita Velarde was
one of those people. She followed her
heart and her dreams.
As it will be my responsibility to
educate my students, “being aware
and knowledgeable of the diversity
of [them] is one way to show
respect for them and their families”
(Gollnick, Chinn, p. 4). There is no
question my classroom will be
diverse. I intend to make the best of
that diversity by bringing the
students together through my
teachings.
 What I learned about Myself
I learned that there is a lot to learn at a museum. The artwork becomes much more meaningful when
you know something about the story behind the scenes. It allowed me to imagine being there and living
during those times and understanding the importance to Pablita and her people of their culture. I also
learned, or more importantly became aware of how there have always been people who have struggles
and challenges they overcome. We may not be able to see their struggles but they still have them,
especially people from different cultures who are trying to fit in . “Culture defines who we are”
(Gollnick, Chinn, p. 5) and I intend to create a culture in my classroom of acceptance, tolerance and
kindness. In order to best know my classroom and who takes up its seats, I “will need to listen to the
histories and experiences of students and their families and integrate them into [my] teaching”
(Gollnick, Chinn p. 260).

.
 Take-Away for my Future Career
My take away for my future career working with young children is that I hope to be able to educate my
students about the many different cultures and diversity in our country. If I can develop a sense of
understanding and acceptance of our differences, I believe they will be better people. I think it is so
helpful to tell stories and bring to life the people from our past, the culture that was often so important
to them, and the struggles they faced. Everyone has some sort of struggle and this is something I hope
to share with my students. It is how we deal with them that makes us special and how we treat one
another that makes us good people.
 References
Gollnick, D. M., & Chinn, P. C. (2017). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (10th ed.).

Boston, MA: Pearson.

Velarde, Pablita. Santa Clara Basket Dance. 0237.405. mid-20th century. Tulsa: Gilcrease Museum,

https://collections.gilcrease.org/object/0237405 (04/26/2017).

Photograph of Pablita Velarde. [digital image]. Retrieved from URL

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1557020/posts

Photograph of Pablita Velarde. [digital image]. Retrieved from Heard Museum URL

https://heard.org/news/heard-museum-library-to-be-repository-for-research-collection-of-late-artist-pablit
a-velarde/