Alison Owens

“Learning World Cultures Through Crafts”, Owens’ inventive program, is a visual arts course in world crafts that incorporates an international exchange between her students and students in other countries. Utilizing Skype and video streaming students will learn firsthand from each other. An emphasis will be placed on understanding crafts history, symbolism, methodology, meaning, and economic impact. The overall objective is to encourage global thinking, present career opportunities, and develop hand building and tool use skills. Additionally, the students will gain an appreciation for different cultures, explore history through crafts and apply prior learning in a practical way using science, math, reading, and social studies. Owens, who lives in Henrico, says, “To study crafts is to study culture, and that helps build an appreciation for peoples that are different from us.”