Preparation:

Session 1:
Introductory slide show and lecture on art to convey historic, social, and political messages, concluding with images of the Detroit Industry murals and a brief background on the murals and their creator, Diego Rivera.

A written description of the project was given to students.

Session 2:
Double class - field trip. Class visits DIA to see Detroit Industry murals. Rivera used both Western Christian and indigenous American cultural references to communicate his ideas about 20th century modernization and industrialization, with Detroit as his focus, primarily the Ford Rouge complex. He developed his murals from four main groups of people in the world and four major industrial raw materials manufactured into finished automotive components, assembled by a diverse workforce at the Ford complex. Rivera depicted not only the manufacturing process, but social and political relations between workers, managers, and the visiting public.

Resources:

U.S. and world history texts on the 20th century

Henry Ford Museum Image Catalog

Mexican museums Web directory