Grades 5-8: Let's Get Packing!
Lesson One
Artist Carl Peterson: A Little Magic
Having immigrated to the United States as a teenager, Carl Peterson drew on the shapes and colors of his early life in the hamlet of Slomarp, Sweden. He aspired to make his American yard a beautiful formal garden like those he remembered in Europe, while still incorporating American symbols such as the eagle and U.S. flag. Although some neighbors found his yard eccentric, his artistry was nevertheless valued and respected, and for the many Swedes settled in the area, the pillars, spires, and spheres embodied a familiar and cherished visual culture.
Download Image of Carl Peterson's Work: Click Here
Display the images of Peterson's sculptures, and then discuss the following questions as a class.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do Peterson's fantasy buildings remind you of any buildings in your own community? How are they similar? How are they different?
2. What materials did Peterson use in the construction of his sculptures? What other natural materials could you find and incorporate?
Art Activity
What design elements do you like best in Peterson's sculptures? Design and draw a building, including as many of these different architectural styles as you like, or draw a picture of your own home enhancing it with pillars, spires, spheres, etc.
Student Connection: Let's Get Packing!
Peterson designed his yard to resemble the familiar European gardens and architecture of his native home. When people relocate to a new place, they often bring with them traditions, styles, and things that will remind them of the places and people they left behind. Many of the immigrants from Carl Peterson's era (late 1800s) brought trunks full of their most precious belongings aboard the ships that would take them to America. In the nineteenth century, passengers brought very little with them because the shipping lines charged them for every parcel brought on board. Guidebooks offered suggestions for necessities, and immigrants used them to determine which items to bring.
Discussion Questions
1. Imagine that you are immigrating to the United States in the late 1800s. You are given space in a shared trunk to pack five special items with which you will begin your new life in the States. Make a list describing which items you will choose and why. Have each student share his or her list with the class.
2. Research and compare the items that nineteenth-century immigrants brought with your lists. How are the items on these lists simlilar? How are they different? What do these differences and similarities tell us about our culture and mindset today? Example Lists
3. Ask parents or older relatives if your family has any items that are very old, special, or from another country. What is the family history behind these objects?
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