Black History
More about Black History
One of the best things about Black History Month is that art lessons can so easily be adapted to it. They can teach students some valuable art skills AND share more about some African Americans who have (and are) contributing to the history of our country. Learning what these men and women have accomplished is a wonderful way to start classroom discussions and maybe even provide inspiration for students own future artwork.
A great place to start Black History Month is to work with projects that specifically connect to black artists that you would like your students to know more about. This Black History collection includes projects inspired by artists like Alma Woodsey Thomas, Lois Mailou Jones and Romare Bearden. When students try out some of the ideas these black artists were famous for, they will learn some new art techniques while gaining insight about the ground these African American artists were breaking. Alma, for instance, was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American art, and she exhibited her art at the White House three times. Lois produced work that echoed the bold qualities of African art and was the first African American to graduate from the school of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass. As a brilliant black female artist, she made major artistic and cultural contributions to the Harlem Renaissance.
And, not everyone of note is from the past. It’s also good for students to know that there are many important contemporary black artists on the scene today too. Faith Ringgold has been making story quilts since 1992, and is now also famous for illustrating her very popular book “Tar Beach”. Sadly, Jean Michele Basquiat is not alive, but he recently made his mark on the art world during the 1980s. Basquiat went from selling drawings for $50 to being an artist that hung out with Keith Haring and Andy Warhol and broke auction records for the sale of his art. Amanda Gorman, is a very accomplished artist in that she is the youngest inaugural poet in US history, as well as an award-winning writer. There’s a tutorial to help students draw a portrait that looks just like her!
Art lessons can also easily connect students to history through the civil rights movement. This collection includes tutorials for how to draw Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou and more. When students learn how to draw a good likeness of these people, they can remember them and all their accomplishments in a much more vivid way. Some recent figures who broke political glass ceilings are included, such as Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Nelson Mandela.
There are many more exciting black artists coming on to the scene every day, so you can count on this collection of art lessons as a resource that is going to continue to grow. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope your students find lots of inspiration in the Black History art lessons shared below.