(This is the final story in a series about the Religious Diversity Journeys program, in which nine Brandon Middle School students took part this school year, learning about various religions by visiting houses of worship. The program culminated in a tour of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Previous stories can be found at
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Detroit- Susan Troia looked over a group of approximately 150 students gathered in the lecture hall at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Wednesday as their eyes gazed at an image of Giovanni Bellini’s painting ‘Madonna and Child? projected on a large screen at the front of the room.
‘What do you see?? she asked as hands raised in the air.
The first student she called on responded, ‘A naked baby,? and the seventh graders giggled.
Troia smiled and nodded and then continued asking the same question, with various answers ringing out as the students grew bolder. They saw the Bible held by the woman, halos above her and the child’s heads, the blue and red clothing she wore, a church, castle, and animals in the landscape, a green curtain that seemed to set the mother and child apart from the background.
Troia clicked to the next image, titled ‘Eagle-Headed Winged Genius,? an image of an ancient middle eastern sculpture, and then art from China, as well as a Qur’an, African art, and a painting called ‘Jewish Cemetery,? asking the students again and again what they observed about each work.
She was preparing them for the independent critical thinking they would do on their own over the course of the next few hours as they explored the museum in their final field trip in the Religious Diversity Journeys program.
‘I empower them to go to these objects and things they are learning about and they can look and everything they want or need to know, they just need to look and think about it,? said Troia. ‘They are learning that we are all very similar, we share similar values, similar ideas and all these things come through in the art. The more you examine art, you realize how small the world is and how alike we are.?
As students disperse from the lecture hall, they separate into groups to explore the first and second levels of the museum on a scavenger hunt. Patria Moua and Emily Quick, Brandon Middle School seventh graders, confer over their notebooks and approach a case containing Yemen art, including ‘Female Portrait from a Burial Stone,? ca. 100 B.C.E.- 100 C.E., before wandering over to ‘Snake-Dragon, symbol of Marduk, the Patron God of Babylon, Panel from the Ishtar Gate,? ca. 604-562 B.C.E.
Journey Timmermans and Ava Schaeys, also Brandon Middle School students in the program, explore the European gallery and more, finding a number of Christian art pieces, including ‘Christ at the Column? created by Franz Ignaz Gunther in 1754, as well as ‘Corpus of Christ,? dating from approximately late 1200s to early 1300s.
Themes sought in the various art include clothing, water, service, sacred words/texts, prayer and worship, and afterlife.
The students have learned about Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and more this year, and Troia likes that the RDJ program exposes the students to diverse cultures and points of view, as well as the DIA.
‘The DIA has faiths represented from all over the world,? she said. ‘There is a lot to learn about value systems and people’s beliefs by looking through the DIA collection. Art is all highly personal, everyone will have a different favorite and something that is meaningful for them… Mostly the kids want to know how the DIA got all this stuff and is it real. The answers are yes and we have had generous donors in our history enabling us to put together a meaningful collection for them to use.?
Taylor Almanza, a 12-year-old BMS student, has enjoyed being in the RDJ program this year.
‘The foods from Asia and the Middle East were different and delicious,? she said. ‘We learned about how people did different ways of prayer and worship… America and the Middle East are very different, but also alike in many ways.?
Almanza was also surprised at the things she learned about her own religion, Christianity, including that a Christian wedding could take up to 20 hours. The program as a whole, she adds, was very educational and fun at the same time.
Emily Quick agreed. The 13-year-old BMS seventh grader wanted to join the program because she didn’t have knowledge of religions other than Christianity, the one she ascribes to, and her mother encouraged her to participate.
‘My Mom took a religion class in college,? said Quick. ‘She wants me to respect other people and not judge others on what they look like or what they do… Even though people have different religions, they still believe in God and follow what is expected of them. You should treat others as you want to be treated and not judge based on what you see in the news.?
Quick notes that if she had not been in the program, she might have thought it weird to see a Sikh person wearing a turban or carrying a dagger, or a Muslim woman wearing a head scarf, but said she now understands.
That better understanding is the point of the program, said BMS Principal Tina Chambers, who hopes to bring the Religious Diversity Journeys Program, offered through the Interfaith Leadership Council via grants, back to the district next year, with more students involved. The program accepts up to 25 seventh grade students from each participating district per year. Students apply for acceptance and roughly 300 students were in the program this year.
‘The program is an opportunity to learn about other cultures and people,? said Chambers, who will offer application information to incoming seventh graders in September. ‘It helps you become more aware as an individual and grow.?