This lesson plan introduces students to the artist Judy Chicago and her seminal work The Dinner Party. It aims to define key concepts like social issues, feminism, sexism, and gender stereotyping. Students will research influential women from The Dinner Party and create their own ceramic plate using decorative techniques to promote awareness of a social issue. The lesson incorporates discussion, activities, and demonstrations to help students understand feminist art and how art can inform and persuade viewers about important topics.

1. SOCIAL ISSUE PLATES INSPIRED BY
JUDY CHICAGO’S THE DINNER
PARTY
By Shelby Fraher

2. INSPIRATION FOR THIS LESSON
 School Arts Magazine Article
 A Davis Publication
 April 2008 Issue: Investigation
 Socially Concerned Plates by
MarlandaBirns
 High School Level
 No Words

3. HELPFUL RESOURCES
 Brooklyn Museum’s Website
 Museum where The Dinner Party is on
permanent display
 Museum's Website
 Through the Flower: The Dinner Party Curriculum
Project
 Created by Judy Chicago
 Website
 Topics in Feminism
 Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
 Website

4. GOALS OF THE LESSON
 Introduce students to the artist Judy Chicago and
her piece The Dinner Party
 Define and discuss social
issues, feminism, sexism, and gender
stereotyping.
 Create a ceramic plate using several decorative
techniques that promotes awareness about a
chosen social issue.
 Hold aesthetic discussions about works of art
that are intended to inform and/or persuade a
viewer.

5. DAY 1
 As a class define the term “Social Issue”
 Break down the word
 What are some societies/groups you
belong to?
 In a brainstorming activity list as many
Social Issues as you can on the dry
erase board
 It’s helpful to have a prepared list
 Explain that students will be creating a
ceramic work of art about one of these
chosen issues.

6. FEMINISM
 After listing various social issues ask the students if
they know what it means to be a feminist.
 Relate the topic to other disciplines
 U.S. Constitution Exam and Social Studies
 19th Amendment – What is it?
 What inequalities have women experienced throughout
history?
 What is sexism?
 Introduce students to Judy Chicago who is known
as a feminist artist.
 What do you think that might mean?
 Use a PowerPoint presentation to introduce her piece
The Dinner Party
 slide examples

7. The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago

8. View of Heritage Floor with
Virginia Woolf and
Georgia O'Keeffe place
settings in foreground.
© Judy Chicago.
(Photo: © Donald
Woodman)

9.  Wing I: From Prehistory to the Roman Empire  23. Isabella d'Este
 1. Primordial Goddess  24. Elizabeth I of England
 2. Fertility goddess  25. Artemisia Gentileschi
 3. Ishtar  26. Anna van Schurman
 4. Kali 
 5. Snake Goddess  Wing III: From the American to the Women's
 6. Sophia Revolution
 7. Amazon  27. Anne Hutchinson
 8. Hatshepsut  28. Sacajawea
 9. Judith  29. Caroline Herschel
 10. Sappho  30. Mary Wollstonecraft
 11. Aspasia  31. Sojourner Truth
 12. Boudica  32. Susan B. Anthony
 13. Hypatia  33. Elizabeth Blackwell

 34. Emily Dickinson
 Wing II: From the Beginnings of Christianity to the  35. Ethel Smyth
Reformation  36. Margaret Sanger
 14. Marcella  37. Natalie Barney
 15. Saint Bridget  38. Virginia Woolf
 16. Theodora of Byzantium  39. Georgia O'Keeffe
 17. Hrosvitha
 18. Trotula of Salerno


19. Eleanor of Aquitaine
20. Hildegard of Bingen
Women at the Dinner Party: Do
 21. Petronilla de Meath you recognize any of them?
 22. Christine de Pisan

10. How are each of these
place settings
different? How are they
the same?

11. HERITAGE FLOOR: LISTS 999 WOMEN
INFLUENTIAL TO THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT

12. POWERPOINT PROJECT
 Develop a list of Women from The Dinner Party and
Heritage Floor (Edit the list)
 Have the students draw the names
 The students will conduct research on the woman
and provide reasons for why she was influential to
the feminist movement
 This aspect of the project
 Increase Student Experience with technology
 Deeper understanding of the content of Judy Chicago’s
work
 PowerPoint Template Example

13. Click to add the name of influential
woman you researched
Click to add your name

14. Click to add the name of influential woman you
researched
• Date of birth (if known)
• Date of death (if
known)
• Where was she born
• Where she lived (if
different than where
she was born)
Above: Add Image of your historical figure

15. Click to add the name of influential woman you
researched
• Click to add bullet points of reasons why this woman
is a historical figure and influential to the feminist
movement. Why would Judy Chicago included this
person at The Dinner Party?
• You must give at least three reasons
• #3

16. Resources
Click to Add resources
Author (if known). (Date). Title of the article.
Retrieved from (URL)
Created by (Your name)

17. DAY 2 & 3
 Lab Time
 Students should be conducting research
on the women their PowerPoint Project is
based.
 Research the social issue they will depict
 Print any helpful imagery
 Early finishers can begin sketches
 Sketching Template
 Importance of symbolism

18. GENDER STEREOTYPING ACTIVITY FROM DPCP
 Review terminology covered so far: social
issues, feminism, sexism.
 Activity: give one example of your favorite
childhood toy
 As a class sort the toys as Boy, Girl, or Neutral
 What clues lead you to make your decision?
 What do you think that these toys lead us to believe
about the type of behaviors expected of boys and girls?
 Define stereotype and give an example for boys
and girls.
 Why are stereotypes bad?
 Do you think inequalities between men and women
still exist?

19. GENDER STEREOTYPING ACTIVITY FROM
DPCP (CONT.)
 The Paper Bag Princess
 Journal Prompt
 Have you ever been stereotyped or witnessed a friend
being stereotyped?
 What was the situation?
 How did it make you feel?
 Additional/Optional Activity
 Interview an older woman;
grandmother, aunt, mom, etc. and ask them what
differences exist between a woman’s life then vs. a
woman’s life today.
 Social Issues  Inequalities/Sexism Gender
Stereotypes

20. DAY 4 DEMONSTRATION DAY
 Minimum standard: AT LEAST ONE of EACH type
of decorative technique
 Appliqué
 Incising
sgraffito
 Use a Dixie Paper plates or a sturdier paper plate
for a template
 Roll out a slab, press into paper plate, trim excess
 Paper sticking not as issue
 25lb bag = 10-11 slabs
 Underglazes and clear glaze
 True to colors
 Can be applied to leather hard and bisque ware
 Early finisher and slower worker solution

21. Teacher Made Examples
Days 5,6,&7 Building/Decorating

22. AESTHETICS
 Pose the following questions for students to
discuss/debate
 Is a work of art more artistic if it conveys and idea, like the
ceramic plate you created that conveys a social issue, or
does it not matter?
 If an artist uses several other people to create their work
should it be credited to those individuals in addition to the
artist?
 Or should the sole credit should be given to the artist?
 Closure
 What is The Dinner Party about?
 What does it mean to be a feminist? Can men be
feminists?
 What is a stereotype?
 Define social issue and give an example.
 What did you like about this unit? What did you dislike?

23. ENRICHMENT
 Idea from DPCP
 Nominate a woman from your community to be included
in The Dinner Party.
 Pick a contemporary woman who you believe deserves
an invitation to The Dinner Party and give 3 reasons
why.
 Offer extra credit to students throughout the unit for
bringing in articles or statistics that pertain to
feminism or social issues.
 Interview an older woman;
neighbor, grandmother, aunt, mom, etc. and ask
them what differences exist between a woman’s life
then vs. a woman’s life today.

24. GRADING
• Constants:
• Craftsmanship
• Creativity
• Participation & Effort
• Studio Practice
• Project Specific:
• Appliqué
• Incising
• Sgraffito
• Communication of
issue
• Follow Instructions
• Sketches

25. FINISHED CERAMIC PLATES
THEME: ANIMAL POACHING

26. THEME: PEACE

27. THEME: GO GREEN

28. THEME: RECYCLE

29. THEME: FREEDOM/MILITARY SUPPORT

30. THEME: DRUG ABUSE

31. THEME: NATURAL DISASTERS

32. THEME: HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SMOKING

33. THEME: BULLYING

34. Thank you!
Are there any questions?