Icon.

Bird explains that icons are pictures of Holy people from traditional Christian religion. To me, this is the personification or portraits of people as described in the written bible. With the absence of the religious background, an icon can be a popular image one associates with pop culture, as explored by Warhol.

I see religious icons as a touchy subject to explore in a public school. I don't think they should be pushed, but student should be able to use them when creating pieces that discuss they're beliefs or questioning of their own beliefs. Most likely students would recreate them traditionally, but it would be interesting to have students appropriate the images or abstract the figures to get away from academic art, and make it more personal. The work of Jessie Hicks could make an interesting project for kids in order to think about what they highly value in their own life, and how they would personify those values. This could also have a larger societal influence satirically identifying what our entire culture values as a whole. Pop art projects such as the work Amber Ward is doing with her students where kids recreate popular images throughout time. I also like a performance aspect if students portrayed a famous artwork or stereotype or celebrity in a self portrait to make themselves an icon.