Sandpainting, by John W. Healy

This unique art form of the Navajo Indians will introduce a new culture to your students

Sandpainting is very much a part of the heritage and culture of the Navajo Indians of the American southwest. To separate the Navajo from their art is like trying to separate them from their land. I became aware of this when visiting their unique part of the country during my recent trip to northern Arizona and the great Colorado Plateau. I especially loved Sedona, AZ, with its abundant art galleries and outdoor markets. Sedona is surrounded by towering red mountains of vast amounts of sandstone and volcanic deposits. The art here expresses the American southwest through a multitude of mediums; one of the most unique art forms from this region is sandpainting.

A healing form of art
Sandpainting is a somewhat misleading name for this fascinating art form. The paintings are not fully composed of sand, nor are they painted with liquid paint. Some ingredients used in sandpainting (other than colored sand) are ground corn, pollen from flowers, red salt and crushed minerals. The floor of the hogan, or Navajo dwelling, is where Navajo sandpaintings were traditionally created.

Healing was the primary purpose for this art form. The tribe physician or medicine man performed the ceremony in which he created a sandpainting in order to help heal a patient. During the healing ceremony, a patient would sit or lay near the completed sandpainting. As the ceremony came to a close, the sandpainting would be destroyed as part of this ritual. When the painting was scattered to the winds, the illness would be taken away.

Sandpainting has come a long way from its traditional roots and can now be shared by all those who love to create art.

The first step
Begin by first giving your students a general introduction to the Navajo and their art. Originally, they were nomadic hunters and gatherers who settled on the Colorado Plateau (a land area that covers 130,000 square miles and sprawls across Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico) about 600 years ago. Discuss this location, Navajo cultural life, housing and sandpainting with your students. I like to pass around color pictures of these subjects or prepare a PowerPoint presentation in order to generate students' discussion and provide a forum for any questions they may have.

How to create a sandpainting
Masonite or particle board for interior use (1/8" or 1/4" thickness) is an ideal absorbent surface on which to create a sandpainting. This inexpensive material can be purchased at lumber yards or home improvement stores and may be cut to size at that location. Illustration board is also useful for this project; one foot square is a good starting size. The actual size can vary, based on your budget and needs. Here's how to get started:

1. Students paint their particle or illustration board with gesso. This is a primer that will be absorbed well by the board if diluted.

2. Add a second coat of gesso that has been tinted with an earth-toned acrylic paint. By adding this second coat, if the sand rubs away from the completed sandpainting, it will not look unfinished.

3. With pencil, students then draw their intended image on the particle board.

4. Students can opt to first cover their entire board with a thin layer of glue. If they prefer, they can also glue and sand as they go along.

5. Kids sprinkle colored sand (this will be the dominant color), completely covering their board.

6. After the first layer of glue and sand has dried, students should take a fine artist's brush and glue, and draw their illustration in detail on the board. They can then add different colors of sand to their illustrations.

It's the relationship of the artists to their time, culture and land that gives their art its true meaning. Your students will grow to learn that art is much more than the finished product that they see in galleries and museums. Kids should know that, like sandpainting, time, culture and land are all important variables in the creation of their own artwork.

Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.