Collage and Poetry – CGS Artists study Romare Bearden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During February, in honour of Black History Month, Grades 2-3 studied African-American artist Romare Bearden (1912-1988). Bearden was a master of collage. His work depicts his life growing up in Harlem, NY and his community during the Harlem Renaissance.

Children read the book, I Live Music, by poet Ntozake Shange. The collages throughout the book were created by Bearden. After reading and discussing the works of art, children grouped into pairs and received a selected image from the book. They experimented with a variety of artistic tools and media to discover how Bearden achieved a certain texture or layer. His work was created by gluing fragments of paper, fabric, drawings, paintings, and images from magazines and newspapers to a flat surface.

Working together and using critical thinking skills, partners constructed their artwork and made decisions about their approach, tools and media. Finally, they reconstructed Bearden’s images incorporating their new knowledge. Their final pieces of art are beautiful, both in their reflection of Bearden’s work and for their own personal touches.

Please checkout the amazing samples below!
Kara Hicks
Art Teacher
Children’s Garden School