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What Happens in History Class….

…gets shoved directly into a display window.

We covered Crete and Greece last week in History of Costume.  So I told my students to retell the story of Arachne and Athena visually, using as many Greek-inspired patterns as possible.
We covered Crete and Greece last week in History of Costume. So I told my students to retell the story of Arachne and Athena visually, using as many Greek-inspired patterns as possible.
The base fabric for the dress on the left.
The base fabric for the dress on the left.
And for the dress on the right.
And for the dress on the right.

It’s all just marker on muslin, but it was kind of awesome watching them tackle it.  They actually used their cell phones for research and talked about color psychology!  It was exactly like learning was occurring, except they were happy.  ;)

All cynicism aside, I’m teaching a three hour history-of-anything class.  I feel like I have to get them to apply something from the time period covered immediately, or I will literally watch knowledge float out of their ears as they leave the room.  For me, the most interesting part of Greek costume (and architecture) has always been the border patterns.

They were a little surprised when I told them I wanted  something inspired by Greek fashions to go on the half-scale stands.  (I don’t understand why students are always surprised by that trick.  Every class, every time. Seriously.)  BUT, omg, I love love love that one of my students jazzed up a safety pin with yarn to make something more like the ornate fibulae of ancient times.  That made my day.  That and the owl in the greek key sky.  Oh, and the thinking and the collaborating and the learning.  Teams of 7 and 8 students worked together to design these, and nobody died!  I know, right?

3 Comments

  1. Cindi O. Rose
    Cindi O. Rose March 11, 2015

    did you have a photo of the dresses made? What a fun class, wish I were there.

    • missa
      missa March 11, 2015

      Hi, Cindi – I posted the photo I had of the completed work (first one, taken in a lab). All of my photos of the work in the display cases had significant glare issues. :(

    • missa
      missa March 11, 2015

      Hi, Cindi – Thank you! I try to make history not-deathly-boring for my students. I posted the best photo I had. Everything I took while the dresses were in the display case had a wicket glare. :(

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