Portrait of a Descendant

Portrait of a Descendant is a maker activity inspired by Roman Krznaric’s The Good Ancestor. In this activity, each participant imagines a descendant many generations in the future — the world their descendant lives in (and how our present-day choices affect that world); their descendant’s culture, values, and beliefs; and how the descendant remembers the participant (their ancestor). Each participant creates a physical, artistic portrait of their descendant using materials like colored paper, fabric, ribbon, and more. This is an opportunity to practice Empathy for the Future by creating an emotional connection to someone who lives there.

Photo by British Library on Unsplash

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

What is this approach?

Why is it helpful?

Essential Question:

How can I try it?

Ways to dive deeper:

Facilitation Suggestions

Based on the audience, consider scaffolding questions so the participants can consider unique elements of their descendants before they construct the portrait. If participants need further support, you can open by sharing images from film or popular culture that offer different narratives about what the far-off future might look like. You might also consider asking everyone to close their eyes and imagine the picture of their descendant as you guide them through a series of questions.

This is the most “hands-on” maker-style featured resource. Don’t skimp on time for this one – the making and reflection are what make it powerful, and it can be emotional.

Resources:

Portrait of a Descendant Cover Page

Portrait of Descendant Activity Booklet

Lisa Kay Solomon

Design in Residence

Laura McBain

K12 Lab Director of Community and Implementation

Ariel Raz

Head of Learning Collaborations

Louie Montoya

Designer in Residence

Futures Approaches Used:

Empathy for the Future

Worldbuilding

Permission:

This work is the original work of the Designer(s). It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit this site

Learn More:

Portrait of a Descendant

Branching Out

Branching Out

The Tour from the Future

The Tour from the Future

The Worldbuilding Game

The Worldbuilding Game