24 Assessment (Output) Create a Tableau and Follow-Up Panel Discussion From ArtMuseumTeaching.com,“Tableaux vivant[s]: History and Practice”: [Creating] Tableaux vivant[s] is often referred to as a playful pastime, but it has also provided a great amount of purpose in the cultural history of the United States. Translated from French, tableaux vivant[s] means ‘living pictures.’ The genre peaked in popularity between 1830 and 1920. During a performance of tableaux vivant[s], a cast of characters represented scenes from literature, art, history, or everyday life on a stage. After the curtain went up, the models remained silent and frozen for roughly thirty seconds. Particular emphasis was placed on staging, pose, costume, make-up, lighting, and the facial expression of the models. Sometimes a poem or music accompanied the scene, and often a large wooden frame outlined the perimeter of the stage, so as to reference the frame of a painted canvas. 5 Create a Tableau Directions 1. In collaborative groups, students choose one example of nonviolent and nonverbal protest from their Methods of Nonviolent and/or Nonverbal Protest Organizer. 2. In class or outside of class, students research this protest. 3. Show students examples of tableaus and give them background on their use and purpose. Examples can be found at http://sites.psu.edu/morethanaselfie/tableau-vivant/. 4. Students design a tableau based on their research. They can replicate a photograph or create a tableau from their own imagination. They can ask other classmates to participate in the tableau if they need more characters. Follow-Up Panel Discussion Directions 1. Students should be in collaborative groups of 4 to 5 people. 2. Give students all questions in advance. 3. Within their collaborative groups, students work to prepare answers to all questions and then practice answering the questions. 4. Acting as facilitator, ask each student two questions. Students will not know in advance which questions they will be asked. 5 Shannon Murphy, “Tableaux Vivant: History and Practice,” Art Museum Teaching, December 6, 2012, https://artmuseumteaching.com/2012/12/06/tableaux-vivant-history-and-practice/.