Teacher Resource Center for Visual Arts

Get in the Spotlight

Spotlight is a yearlong salute to a single work of art in the McNay Art Museum's collection. For 2011-2012, Roger Shimomura's Him-a-Hero challenges you and your students to find cross-curricular connections with the work of art in the classroom. Act, dance, make art, play a game, respond, sing, solve a problem, or write imaginatively, in response to Him-a-Hero.

About Roger Shimomura

Roger Shimomura's art addresses issues of ethnicity, identity, and politics. He draws upon the diaries kept by his late immigrant grandmother. Born in Seattle, in 1939, the artist spent two years in Minidoka, Idaho, one of 10 concentration camps for Japanese Americans during WWII. Inspired by the style of post-war artists Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein, Shimomura combines elements of traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e printmaking with American cartoons and Japanese anime.

About the Spotlight Celebration

We want to see and celebrate what you've done! Using the Submission Form, submit your collaborative response to the McNay by Thursday, March 15, 2012. Share your response (if selected) on Sunday, April 15, 2012, at the McNay. Other classes and schools will also present and display performances, works of art, or similar responses. Admission to the celebration as well as the museum is free to selected participants.

Discussion Questions for Students about Him-a-Hero

• Who is Him-a-Hero?
• How does this self-portrait compare to others that you have seen?
• Who is the hero in this painting?
• If you were in this work of art, what heroic qualities would you have?
• What defines hero? What defines villain? Who are the heroes and villains in this painting?
• In 17th-century Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, artists used floating images and diagonal compositions. American Pop art often has flat colors and bold lines. Find examples of both Ukiyo-e and Pop in Him-a-Hero.
• How does Him-a-Hero reflect Shimomura's identity?

More Resources

Him-a-Hero Image

Spotlight Informational Card

Spotlight Submission Form

Lesson Possibilities (coming soon)

Please call the education department at 210.805.1768 for any questions.

2011-2012 Spotlight Events

Evening for Educators: A Floating World of Cultural Exchange

Thursday, October 6, 5:00 pm, Stieren Center for Exhibitions
View the exhibition The Orient Expressed: Japan's Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918 and learn ways to incorporate the works and themes into the classroom. Learn more about Him-a-Hero, a contemporary painting with Japanese influences. Space is limited and registration is required. Fee: McNay members $5; nonmembers $13. To register, e-mail education at mcnayart dot org or call 210.805.1768 by Tuesday, October 4.

Teacher Sharing Session: Spotlight Him-a-Hero

Thursday, November 3, 6:30-8:00 pm, Valero Learning Centers
Three educators present lessons that use Roger Shimomura's painting in the classroom. Approaches include art making, art history investigation, and interdisciplinary connections.

Expressions of the Orient: Cross-cultural Infusions

Thursday, December 1, 6:30 pm, Chiego Lecture Hall and Leeper Auditorium
Artist Roger Shimomura speaks about his influences, and artistic approaches. Asian-inspired hors d'oeuvres follow. Fee (includes exhibition admission, lecture, and hors d'ouevres): $5 McNay members, students and teachers with IDs; $15 nonmembers. To register, e-mail education@mcnayart.org or call 210.805.1768 by noon, Tuesday, November 22.

Spotlight Celebration

Sunday, April 15, 2012, 1:00-4:00 pm, Leeper Auditorium
The McNay invites schools to find inventive ways to incorporate Shimomura's Him-a-Hero into their classrooms. Selected Spotlight participants present their inventive responses, from visual to vocal.