Within Utah, there are eight sovereign Native American nations, each with a vibrant culture. And yet, on her past visits to Utah elementary classrooms, BYU ARTS Partnership facilitator Brenda Beyal would routinely hear teachers express their reluctance to teach Native American materials, fearing to inappropriately portray native cultures.

Now, Beyal, her colleagues and BYU students are seeking to address teachers’ concerns through the Native American Curriculum Initiative. In an unprecedented approach, the NACI team works directly with Utah tribes to produce sample arts lesson plans, cultivate a list of Native American artists who can visit elementary classrooms and craft principles for culturally sensitive pedagogy.

The NACI’s strength comes from the relationships Beyal’s group has developed with Utah’s Native American tribal leaders. “It was important for us to go to each of the eight sovereign nations here in Utah, and we asked them, ‘What would you like the children of Utah to know about your tribe?’” Beyal said. “Every tribal nation said, ‘That we are still here.’”

To emphasize that Native Americans are not just historical people but are living today, the NACI helps arrange for current Native American artists to visit Utah classrooms, drawing on recommendations from the tribes.

“What better way to amplify native voices than through storytelling through the arts?” Beyal said. “Students get to rub shoulders with Native American artists. We tell stories, we have intergenerational connections, there’s laughter, there is just that feeling of inclusion.”

Tribal leaders also wanted teachers to know that although there are five tribal groups in Utah — the Navajo, Paiute, Ute, Goshute and Shoshone — they are divided among eight distinct nations, each recognized by the federal government.

“Each has their own songs, their own dances, their own stories,” said Beyal. “A person from the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, by the Nevada border, will not identify as a member of the Skull Valley band of Goshute.”

Every NACI lesson plan is carefully crafted to reflect the cultures of these specific nations. For example, the group spent nearly two years working with the Northwestern Tribe of the Shoshone Nation to select the right native vocabulary for a dramatic adaptation of a Shoshone story in one lesson plan. The group has also partnered with BYU’s Living Legends to develop lesson plans that give greater context to the cultural dances students and teachers see performed.

Because of these painstaking efforts, 16 of the 26 Native American lesson plans the NACI has so far developed have the tribes’ official stamp of approval. Knowing that the tribal nations have reviewed the lesson plans word by word gives teachers confidence that they are sharing accurate information.

“I think it really helps kids connect with the stories and the history that native people have,” said BYU public health student Naloni Felix.

The NACI began in 2018, after Beyal helped present a few lesson plans on Native American culture at Art’s Express, the ARTS Partnership’s annual summer workshop, which about 500 teachers attend each year.

The enthusiastic response prompted the ARTS Partnership to expand the lesson plans into a bigger program to promote culturally sensitive arts teaching, in collaboration with the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. In 2021, the NACI’s efforts were recognized by a prestigious National Endowment for the Arts grant, which awarded the group $20,000 a year to continue their work.

The team decided to begin with Native American cultures because they saw a need to model for teachers how to approach sensitive materials. For instance, they suggest providing a video showing the sacred Mountain Sheep Dance rather than having children reenact the dance themselves.

“You don’t change schools just with lesson plans — you change schools by teaching faculty philosophies of empathy and understanding,” said BYU ARTS Partnership Director Cally Flox. “Professional development for teachers is a huge part of our program because it will help teachers navigate any cultural materials they bring into the classroom.”

The work the NACI is doing is “unprecedented everywhere,” Flox added. “Our commitment to partnering with Native Americans to ensure their voices are truly heard is resulting in improved relationships, improved content and improved practices.”

See sample NACI lesson plans on the BYU ARTS Partnership webpage.

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Photo courtesy of the State Museum of Pennsylvania /
Ebensburg native Brandon Hirt’s piece “You’ve Got a Friend in PA” is featured in the State Museum of Pennsylvania’s Art of the State exhibit.

A Bedford County woodworker has received the State Museum Art Docents’ Choice Award during the Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2023 exhibit.

George Radeschi’s piece, simply named #188, was inspired by the ancient art of Egypt, Greece and Native America. No stains or dyes are used; instead, he works with a combination of light and dark woods, cut in different ways to show off varying grains and wood colors.

“I love working with wood,” Radeschi said in his artist statement. He makes his turnings, bowls and cutting boards/serving trays with woods from all over the world, including rosewood, goncalo alves and bubinga from Brazil and zebra wood from Africa.

“The oak, maple, ash, hickory and walnut I use come from my property,” Radeschi said. “I cut down the trees, cut them on a sawmill and stack them to dry.”

Photo courtesy of the State Museum of Pennsylvania /
Bedford County native George Radeschi’s “#188” won the museum’s Docents’ Choice Award and is featured in the Art of the State exhibit.

A piece by photographer Brandon Hirt of Ebensburg is also included in the Art of the State exhibit. The Art Institute of Colorado graduate’s photo, “You’ve Got a Friend in PA,” features old Volkswagen Beetles under trees on a fall day.

“My luminous landscapes are a way for me to find beauty in our region in the oddest spots,” he said in a statement. “We are filled with tremendous scenery in Western PA, even if some of it might be rust.”

Art of the State is an annual juried exhibition that has showcased the work of Pennsylvania’s artists at The State Museum of Pennsylvania since 1968.

“This year’s Art of the State exhibition continues a 56-year tradition of diversity,” said State Museum Director Angelica Docog. “The artists find inspirations from diverse backgrounds, and each has a unique style. While some artists are deeply rooted in Pennsylvania traditions, others bring inspiration from around the world. Some artists have decades of experience and others are new or returning to creative pursuits. Despite these varied perspectives, all artists seek to engage with viewers. We look forward to sharing these artists’ stories with our visitors.”

Winners were chosen from 86 finalists selected from 1,850 entries representing 29 Pennsylvania counties. Selection jurors reviewed and scored all of the submitted works. Those with the highest ratings in each category are featured in the exhibition. The awards juror then determines the first place, second place and third place winners in each of the categories.

Art of State runs through Jan. 7 at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg.

The museum, at 300 N. St., Harrisburg, is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for adults 65 years old and older, $5 for children ages 1-11 and free to active military and their immediate family with a military ID. Retired military personnel are also admitted free with a valid ID.

Planetarium shows are $3 extra.

Metered parking spaces and city parking garages are available within a three-block radius of the museum.

For more information, visit statemuseumpa.org/artofthestate/.

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POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KFVS) – A Heartland artist is making her hometown brighter, one project at a time.

Mattilyn Stacy recently finished her new mural, titled “Familiar Wonders,” at the Poplar Bluff Library.

The Poplar Bluff native said she drew inspiration right from her backyard.

“I kind of wanted something that matched the theme of Missouri and native animals and wildlife and a lot of the inspiration came from things I had seen in my hometown around Missouri,” said Stacy.

Stacy said she also wanted the wall to draw kids’ attention.

“Bright colors, I wanted wildlife but I wanted it to be a little more imaginative vivid colors, the moths on the side are this big,” she explained.

The mural is in the Library’s Sensory Garden.

Library Director Shannon Midyett said it was the perfect spot.

“Public art and public libraries share a lot of common goals,” Midyett said. “They both strive to provide a place that sparks imagination and inspire creativity, they both serve as a meeting place and gathering point, and they both build and connect community.”

Stacy said she is grateful to be able to leave her mark on her hometown.

“The fact that it will be here for years and years with my name on it,” she said.

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