Romare Bearden Collages

I have been neglecting you these past few weeks, and I apologize.  I have no good excuse, other than the fact that we have been diligently preparing for our Black History program and for Read Across America week. 

Here are some finished collages inspired by the beloved Romare Bearden:

 Dexter - 6th Grade

 Sophia - 6th Grade

Courtland - 6th Grade

Mallory - 6th Grade

Darrion - 6th Grade

Diamond - 6th grade

We worked for the past THREE weeks on our collages.  And still some students did not finish!  I know every time I teach this lesson that it will take forever and a day to finish, but I know that the results are stunning.  I love studying Bearden because it gives students the chance to see the work of an artist who was inspired by music, art, and theater.  It also showcases his desire to imitate the environment in which he lived.  For this lesson, I had the students create a place that represents their own live.  Some examples I gave were school, their home, church, outside, at a park, the football field, etc.  Then, I made sure that they were creating their own people using parts of photographs.  I discouraged them from cutting out people and gluing them down and leaving the photos in tact.  This way, it forced them to think about the proportions of their people within the environment they created.