The purpose of the "Identity Pole" was to explore the big idea of identity. Students would confront issues of personal and cultural meaning, and draw upon interdisciplinary connections for inspiration. The author chose to present totem poles of the Northwest Coast Native Americans/First Nations of Canada, as well as school, state and national symbols and logos. In this article, the author discusses this art project--a three-dimensional collage composed of 12 two-dimensional mini-projects--which kept the students captivated as it was a project about themselves, and accomplished a number of key educational goals.