One’s Right To Vote!

Students will explore the history of the suffrage movement through their research on one of the leaders of the movement in Canada, Nellie McClung. They will analyze the fight of women for the vote because “On May 24, 1918 the majority of Canadian women were given the right to vote. [However,] Immigrants of Asian origin and their descendants, certain religious groups, Inuit and Aboriginal peoples were excluded. It wasn’t until 1960 that all women over the age of 18 were given the vote” (http://www.cpac.ca). Students will also look at and form an opinion on the current apathy regarding placing a vote, and explore the reality that some women today in the world still can not exercise their right to vote or to stand for election.

As emerging artists in the classroom, students will incorporate their current knowledge with their new knowledge gained through this research, and raise visual awareness through their imagery. A female and male perspective will be presented through the students’ voices as they present their formed opinions from their conclusions obtained through their research on human rights, social justice, and social responsibility in their artist statements, and in classroom critiques of their work. Students will establish an "artists as activists" organization in class and express themselves through their visual statements for social justice and responsibility. They will design and create their visual statements using a variety of mediums – photography, drawing, painting, text and/or mixed media as they express their personal philosophy regarding the issue of “One’s right to vote!”

Image from: http://www.elections.ca/eca/eim/article_search/images/insight_1999_06_brown_0001_e.gif