The Wedgwood collection at WMODA has inspired a junior high school class in world history. Luis Montanez, our building manager, invited his son, Nestor, to see the new museum while he was visiting from North Carolina. He was so fascinated by the Wedgwood exhibition that he started haunting antique shops.  A few weeks later, he found his first pieces of Jasperware and planned innovative history lessons with a difference.

Nestor Montanez is a social studies teacher at Bartram Academy in Franklin, NC and he teaches grades 9-12 in an alternative education setting. Their students lack credits, are chronically absent, or have discipline-related issues.  Bartram’s new school model uses several pioneering strategies to engage students and create opportunities for their success every day.

Nestor took his new Wedgwood acquisitions into the classroom and assigned one to each group to explore. He asked his students to record the marks and classical motifs as if they were on an archaeological dig. They researched their findings on the internet and compiled a report. During the lesson, they learned how Josiah Wedgwood revolutionized pottery during the Industrial Revolution.  They appreciated the craftsmanship involved in each Wedgwood piece and heard more about clay, the first creative material used by early humans to make objects and vessels.  They also discovered stories of Greek gods and goddesses, the superheroes of the ancient world.

Nestor’s next class will be exploring Wedgwood’s connection to American history. For this lesson, the inspiration is Josiah Wedgwood’s anti-slavery medallion from 1787. This is one of the most potent emblems of the Abolitionist movement and it depicts a kneeling slave in chains asking, “Am I not a Man and a Brother?” The students will be creating their own symbols of change and will be considering how they can use art and symbolism to inspire change in the world today. Louise Irvine, the WMODA Executive Director and Curator will join them from the museum via Zoom to answer questions.

Read more about Wedgwood at WMODA

Am I not a man and a brother? | Wiener Museum| Wiener Museum

Regency | Wiener Museum| Wiener Museum

Wedgwood Library at WMODA | Wiener Museum| Wiener Museum