The Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture is proud to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. The Alliance has partnered with The Times Record News, Vernon College, and The Wichita Nation based in Anadarko, OK to create a learning guide for 4th and 5th-grade students. Contributing to the guide are Riverbend Nature Center, the Museum of North Texas History, and the Wichita Falls Public Library. More than 5,000 copies have been distributed to schools across the Region IX service area.

Executive Director Margie Reese says, “This project continues our mission-driven focus to expand awareness of the diversity of cultures in our region. Thanks to funding from the Fain Foundation, the learning guide and the Wichita Dome invite young people to see how art tells the story of our past and illustrates how creativity is part of our everyday lives.”

Fain Elementary art teacher Audra Miller created lesson plans that highlight the arts and cultural traditions of the Wichita Nation, and students created a gallery of artwork that reflects their interpretation of The Wichita Dome, which can be seen at Nexus Square in Wichita Falls. Students experimented with color, light, texture, and incorporated math and social studies lessons into their work.

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated nationally in November to salute America’s first people. A digital copy of the learning guide, lesson plans, and more information can be found: https://wichitafallsarts.org/educational-resources/.