How We Adapt
By Mary Erickson, Ph.D., withSusanna Yazzie, art teacher andAlena Almendarez, 5th grade teacher
When we adapt, we make changesto fit new situations.
•We can adapt ourselves to new situations.
•We can adapt objects for new uses.
•We can adapt an idea in one art form toanother art form, for example, from a poemto a song or from a book into a movie.
Living things adaptthemselves when theychange to get along innew situations.
Reindeer, pronghorns and
lots of other animalsadapt to the warm days ofsummer by shedding theirheavy winter coats.
When attacked by predators, some lizards adapt bydropping their tails and growing new ones.
Where does the new tail start on each lizard?
Which lizard has had time enough to grow backmost of its tail? Look carefully at the difference in scales.
Some desert trees have very small leaves to adapt to summerheat. With less leaf surface, less water evaporates in the sun.
The palo verde tree has green bark. So even if it drops its
leaves, the bark can still use the sun to change carbon
dioxide into sugar and release oxygen into the air, through
photosynthesis.
People are very good at adapting themselves.
If a family moves to a new neighborhood or even anew country,
•The family adapts to the new place.
•Children adapt by making new school friends.
•Adults adapt to new jobs.
•Young people adapt to ever-changing situations bylearning new skills in school, in college or on the job.
When have you adapted to a new situation (such as joininga group, loosing a friend or family member, getting a newteacher, taking on a new responsibility, etc.)? How did youadapt?
In addition to adaptingthemselves, people also adaptobjects for different purposes.
Someone adapted this old
water tower into a place to live.
This old kerosene lamp wasadapted to use electricity.
Spaces in an oldshopping mall wereadapted to becomethis elementary
school and middleschool.
Bret R. Tarver Elementary School, Phoenix
Marc T. Atkinson Middle School, Phoenix
An artist adapted horse shoes fordecoration.
•pair of bookends
•candleholder
•model chair
People sometimes adapt thingsfrom one art form to another.
This office building was adaptedas a pop-up book.
Pop-Up Book:
Lain Thomson,,2002
Dimensions of
Frank Lloyd Wright:Six of his GreatestBuildings Paper
Engineered,
London:PRC Publishing Ltd.
Frank Lloyd Wright, 1936
Johnson Wax Building
Racine, WI
Samples:
Poem: Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Song:Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Johnny Marks
Movie: Elf by David Berenbaum
Artists adapt stories into other art forms.
For example the story of Santa Claushas been adapted in many art forms.
Name examples of art forms that you have seen that include aSanta Claus image.
2D Picture: Can you name a 2D example? (Hint: Think about somethingyou can mail at the holidays.)
3D Figure:Can you name a 3D example? (Hint: Think child’s gift they canplay with.)
The modern story of SantaClaus has been adapted inmany ways through thecenturies.
It was first adapted from thestory of the Christian bishop,Saint Nickolas, who lived inGreece 16 centuries ago.Saint Nikolas is said to havegiven gifts to people in secret.
The Dutch celebrate the nightbefore Saint Nicholas Day(December 5) by giving gifts.
The Dutch call Saint Nickolas,Sinterklaas, the root of the nameSanta Claus. In the Dutchadaptation of the story, Sinterklaasarrives on a ship from Spain andrides a white horse.
The ancient people ofSweden believed that littlegnome-like people, calledtomptes (tum tehs) werethe spirits of theirancestors.
Tomptes were usuallyhelpful and generous, but ifthey were offended, theymade trouble.
Courtesy ELIASSON, Sweden
Over time, the traditionalSwedish story of the tomptechanged into a story about agoat bringing gifts atChristmas.In this image, the artist madea clever adaptation tocombine the tompte andgoat stories.
The tompte shownin this modernholiday decorationlooks a lot like aU.S. version ofSanta Clausbringing gifts. Canyou find the goat-shaped cookie hecarries?
Courtesy Gerhards, Sweden
In cultures across the globeand throughout time, peoplehave adapted stories intodifferent forms to suit theirown lives and times.
How are these Santa figuresalike? How are they different?
A Buddhist story tells of Quan Yin,a woman who lived 1,000 yearsbefore she was ready to leave theearth. When she heard the cries ofthe people of the world, shechanged her mind and decided tostay to help.
The artist of this sculpture adaptedthe story of Quan Yin’scompassion for others into apeaceful image. Her raised, openleft hand symbolizes peace,because it holds no weapon. Heropen right hand symbolizes giving.
Do you decorate withpictures or figurines onspecial events or holidays?
If so, are any of yourfamily’s decorationsadapted from traditionalstories?
•family stories
•cultural stories
•religious stories
•favorite myths orfairytales
Traditional Day of the Dead images from Mexico and the southwest.
What story was this drawingadapted from?
Snow White?
Peter Pan?
Cinderella?
The Wizard of Oz?
What makes you think so?
What other art forms hasthe same story beenadapted to:
Dance?
Movie?
Toys?
Other?
In a follow-up project, you will be challenged toadapt a scene from a short story into a computerimage. You will:
•Read a short story,
•Analyze the main character, paying attention tohow the character adapts as circumstanceschange,
•Adapt a character from the story into a computerimage,
•Give the character a background that helps tellthe story,
•And insert text from the story into your computerimage.
You are invited to visitPage to Screen at theTempe Center for the Arts.The exhibition showcasesmovies and TV showsadapted from books,stories and other printsources.
Sample display from the exhibition
Horton Hears a Who!
Book: Random House Books, 1954, By Dr. Seuss
Animated film,1970
Directors: Chuck Jones and Ben Washam and produced by The Cat in the Hat Productions and MGMTelevision
Animated film, 2008
Directors: Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino and produced by Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth CenturyFox Animation, Twentieth Century Fox