1st grade Gee's Bend Quilt Collages

Gee's Bend is a small community in Alabama that believes in tradition and family.  The women of Gee's Bend became famous when their quilt designs were noticed and admired.  1st graders discussed the "function" of some art and thought about the purpose of artwork.  Students listened to poems written about the culture of quilt-making and the traditions that are past down from generation to generation. 

Students created a collage using construction paper.  We discussed how to create interesting designs using patterns and elements of art.  Students practiced using good craftsmanship by keeping their artwork neat and clean. 

I will display them all together like one big quilt, but here are a few individual examples. 

2nd grade Community Collages

What is a community?  In what communities do you belong?  Your school?  Your family?  Your sports team?

2nd graders got into an interesting discussion about these questions.  We studied the life and artwork of autobiographical artist, Romare Bearden, and students used his artwork to inspire their own personal community collages.

1st grade Watercolor Collages

1st grade students read Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, a Kenyan folk tale.  The students created a stormy sky effect by using liquid watercolors and salt.  Students cut out shapes to create African animals and other Kapiti Plain details.

2nd grade Story Quilts

2nd graders discussed the life and artwork of Harriet Powers, a Georgia artist. Students learned about quilts and symbols. Students created one panel of a collaborative collage quilt using personal symbols to tell a story about themselves.

1st grade Secondary Collages

1st graders practiced mixing primary colors into secondary colors in the textured style of Eric Carle. Students created symmetrical insect collages using thier mixed paper.

5th grade Gestures

5th graders learned about Henri Matisse and his cut outs. Students discussed proportion and practiced capturing movement by making gesture collages.

3rd grade Value Desserts

3rd grade students studied the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud. He got his start in the 1960's when the Pop Art movement was starting. He is known for his paintings of cakes, pies, and sweets. Students practiced mixing tints by adding various degrees of white to their paint. Students communicated about their artwork by writing an artist statement