Visual & Material Culture

Mural in San Juan showing Columbus' three ships sailing away from the New World through a sea of blood, bodies in their wake

Using Art to Make the Invisible Visible

By Lauren R. Kerby

This lesson uses two different images of Christopher Columbus to challenge students to move beyond how they may have been taught to think about violence and peace. It asks them to identify cultural violence and cultural peace in images that may challenge what they think of as violent or peaceful. It also offers suggestions for how to connect these ideas to current events, including Black Lives Matter.