Photo: Katherine Abbott. ©INFGM / ARS
Resources
Curriculum Guides
Self-Interned: 1942 (grades 5–12)
After the bombing at Pearl Harbor in 1941, Isamu Noguchi realized he was not just an artist and American, but he was also Nisei, a Japanese American. This guide focuses on teaching students about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II through Noguchi’s art and writing.
Mining Art: Basalt, Granite, Marble (grades K–5)
Isamu Noguchi searched for stones all over the world, and wrote “The beauty of a particular stone can only been seen when found.” This guide focuses on identifying and classifying the qualities of a stone, and discussing how Noguchi included elements of a stone’s composition in his art.
What is Sculpture? (grades 3–12)
What is a definition of sculpture? Can a lamp be a sculpture? Or a garden? Noguchi wrote, “Call it sculpture when it moves you so.” This guide focuses on how Noguchi broadened the definition of sculpture through his art.
Akari Light Sculpture (grades K–12)
In postwar Japan, Isamu Noguchi created the Akari light sculpture project, which was inspired by traditional Japanese paper lanterns and combined Eastern and Western influences. This guide focuses on the history of Akari, their construction, and how they’ve been received by the public. The guide is a companion to the Akari in Schools program.
Isamu Noguchi & Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (grades 1–12)
As the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the lives, health, and livelihood of people across the world, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the United States experienced increases in hate crimes. This guide reflects on the subject of belonging through the lens of Isamu Noguchi’s life experiences and the artwork of multidisciplinary artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (b.1992).