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The Art of Crystal Worl

Crystal Worl is a Tlingit Athabascan artist whose works explore the relationships and bonds between her people, the land, and the animals. Students will learn about her Indigenous Alaskan roots and create artwork in her style.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Container of Water
  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Crystal Rose Demientieff Worl is Tlingit Athabascan from Raven moiety, Sockeye Clan, from Raven House. She is a child of a Thunderbird and from the Chilkat region in Southeast Alaska. From her mother's side she is Deg Hit'an Athabascan. Her Tlingit name is Kaakeeyáa. Have students explore the Tlingit and Athabascan people and culture. For example, both are matrilineal kinship systems, meaning property and hereditary roles pass through the mother's line. Have them also learn about and look at images of art by Crystal Worl such as the Alaska Airlines aircraft she designed that pays tribute to the Salmon people and to the ancestral importance of Alaskan salmon, culture, and language. Ask them to also look at some of her other artwork, such as "Juneau Storm," "Grandfather's Sea," "The Seal, The Herrings, & The Seaweed," or any others.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to look at images of animals and features of the Pacific Northwest. Have them create art in the style of Crystal Worl that pays tribute to this region and its flora and fauna. To create a painterly effect they can  outline images with marker, then soften the image by using a paint brush to apply water over the markers.

  • Step 3

    When their art is done, have students present it to the class and discuss some of the information they learned about Crystal Worl and the Indigenous people of Alaska.

Standards

ARTS: Analyze ways that artistic components and cultural associations influence ideas, emotions, and actions. 

SS: Culture: Create, learn, share, and adapt to culture. 

Adaptations

Have students learn what it means to be a matrilineal and/or matrilocal society. Ask them to find examples of these societies, which can be found on all continents except Antarctica.

Have students explore the artwork of the Athabascan people and the Tlingit people. For example, totem poles are iconic in Tlingit art, and Athabascans are known for their elaborate beadwork and moose hide leather products.