Feb. '23 Teacher Webinar: Soldier in Art
2In February 2023, The National WWII Museum hosted a webinar for K-12 educators called "Soldier in Art: Arthur Szyk and Art in Your Classroom." This webinar dove into the life and work of artist Arthur Szyk and examined ways to incorporate his art into your classroom. Born into a Polish Jewish family, Arthur Szyk was a refugee who settled in the United States in 1940, where he created artwork as a miniature artist and political caricaturist. In his artwork, Szyk spotlighted issues of human rights including Nazi genocide, civil rights violations in the United States, and refugee crises during and after the two world wars. His ability to create art that powerfully spoke out against injustices earned him the name “Soldier in Art.”
"In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Art and Human Rights", a special exhibition developed by The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at University of California at Berkeley, is currently on display at The National WWII Museum. This exhibition features over 50 original works of art by Szyk. This webinar gave educators the tools to bring Szyk’s artwork from this exhibit into the classroom and help build students’ critical thinking, socio-emotional, and media literacy skills. During this webinar, educators heard from the curator of this exhibit, Francesco Spagnuolo, about the intersection of Szyk’s art and human rights, and heard from an educator with the Institute for Curriculum Services, Dori Gerber, about effective strategies to use art as a primary source in the classroom.