Leaders, Tribes & Family

The young people who attend Loneman School on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation are fortunate to have the gifted and talented Gail Saxonis for their Gifted and Talented Art Program teacher.

An overview of the art program states that classes are conducted within an immersion setting with a focus on developing problem-solving skills and sequential thinking.

Gail coordinates various art projects with curricula under study in the classrooms. She introduces students to various artistic media, and encourages them to utilize concepts they have learned when creating their own Lakota art.

Gail has many talents, including being a guitarist, although she rarely plays in the classroom because of time constraints. She says she sings all the time in class and often creates little ditties to teach and entertain her students. Musical enrichment in class comes through world music, and selections are coordinated with studies of other places and other cultures.

“These kids love opera,” Gail said, to the interviewer's surprise, “and not just any opera, but Luciano Pavarotti.” She elaborated that she had spoken to the students about Pavarotti being the world-wide link between pop music and opera and his ability to touch people all over the world with his beautiful voice and his joy. It is now cool, at Loneman School, to sing along with opera.

The art projects are geared to various age groups. The “Cow Project,” designed for younger grades, teaches how to use geometric shapes to create a cow. An additional aspect of the lesson asked students to depict products that come from cows. Gail says the udders were a rather risque` topic, causing much giggling. All projects are informally displayed in the school hallways, and the Cow Project was very popular with all viewers.

Gail does rotate her various projects through several years in order to prevent duplication and boredom. Another popular project started with the fourth graders. The assignment was to invent something that “does” something. During the first year, Gail discovered that such an open-ended assignment thwarted creativity, so the next year, she asked them to create a shoe that does something. Students were asked to name their invention, list needed parts, and explain how it operates and what it does. Some great ideas came from this project:  shoes that change colors to match one’s clothes; shoes that convert from high heels to low heels, and back; and a make-up shoe that stores cosmetics.

The Eagle Project taught students about the concept of batik. Gail pre-cuts the basic shapes for many of the projects, and the children then decorate them. The eagle heads were colored with crayon, then crumpled up and covered with paint. The paint is then quickly rinsed off, with some remaining in the folds.

Formal shows of student art are periodically hung for viewing by students and the community. These events honor enrichment, skill, and self-expression. Gail says that many times, parents will tell her that they have framed a piece of their student’s work to display in their home. The turtle and skull pieces were part of a show that was displayed last fall.

Skills utilized in the various projects include reading and research, arithmetic for layout of the works, color mixing and usage, pattern design, and proportion, all with attention to the creative process and expressive thinking.

Gail has a wish list for the art room: self-hardening clay, since there is no kiln; glitter and glitter pens because “everything looks better with glitter,” and Sharpie pens.

When asked about challenges facing education on the reservation today, Gail spoke of the push to save the Lakota language. Currently, there are Elders teaching Lakota to students, and others are being trained to do the same. Gail sees a challenge within the context of the language not evolving along with the culture. Lakota is an ancient language, meaning that there are no words for many concepts now flourishing in Indian country. Gail sees saving the language as a worthy goal and admits there will be many obstacles to overcome, but believes strong ties to language and culture can lead to success.

It has been an interesting journey for a Greek girl from Braintree, Massachusetts, before she arrived at Loneman School. Gail brings talent, skill, and a true spirit of generosity to the students under her tutelage and does her best to impart her love of art and creativity to all of them.

Editor's Note: If you would like to help support Gail's art program at Loneman School, you can contact her at the following address for information on how to donate, and help:

                                       Gail Saxonis/ Art Room
                                       Loneman School
                                       P O Box 50
                                       Oglala, SD    57764-0050

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