School of the Arts Lesson 3
Pieces of You- Paper Mosaic Portraits
age: 7th - 10th grade
instructors: Madigan Young, Cari Ann Rasmussen, Sun Hee Oberfoell, & Tyler Bubser
date: 3/10/22
Iowa Learning Standards:
· Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design. 2.1.7a
Explain how a person’s aesthetic choices are influenced by culture and environment and impact the visual image that one conveys to others. 7.2.8a
Interpret art by analyzing artmaking approaches, the characteristics of form and structure, relevant contextual information, subject matter, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed. 8.1.7a
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson TLW compose a single pattern or visual image made up of 8 or more smaller pieces, colors and patterns.
By the end of the lesson TLW examine their peer’s work and summarize how the work evokes tone or emotion.
By the end of the lesson TLW take part in mindfully reflect on how both the process and the result impact what students believe belongs in a self-portrait.
By the end of the lesson TLW adapt the way they represent themselves and change the definition of what a self-portrait could be.
Summary
I opened the lesson by introducing what students would be creating and holding up my example. I noted that students might end up with a more traditional collage or a more mosaic style aesthetic. Then, I introduced the agenda which included
warm-up drawing
art/artist introduction
planning
work time
Then, I put the drawing prompt that read “Draw an object or being that represents an aspect of your personality,” up on the board and asked everyone to take 5 minutes to draw. I had students share their drawing with the peers and teachers at their own tables- specifically talking about why they chose to draw it.
Next, I introduced the 4 artist examples. For the first two I asked what the images made them think of. For the Tsvaris “The Water Girl” digital mosaic, students said it reminded them of legos and bricks and had patterns like beads or jewelry. Then I responded with context. Tsvaris’ “The Water Girl” was actually made up of the brick like rectangles to represent brick houses in Africa, which the subject represented. The bead like patterns represented more aspects of her African heritage. All of the different aspects of the image contributed to the idea of the image as a whole. I found the discussion easily clicked with the students.
I repeated the same questions and format with the next image, Alma Thomas’ “Snoopy,” and generated a similar conversation around how the colors and shapes of the painting contributed to the inspiration behind it.
I showed the last two artist examples to have a variety of inspiration for students. I noted that the idea of putting a collage or mosaic of things together was to use small things that mean something - whether it’s individual patterns or pictures, or simply certain colors, to create one larger meaningful image.
Then I introduced the parameters of the lesson.
Most students began sketching ideas out, some hit an artist’s block. Myself and fellow teachers prompted their thinking with questions or suggested they start by going through the available paper and images for inspiration.
As the lesson went on students were more engaged and invested in what they were creating. The work time became more natural and flowed nicely with music playing in the background and instructors continually checking in with students even as they created their own.
With 15 minutes left we started cleaning up, and some students began putting final touches on their work, signing it, etc. Other students gathered the scraps they collected and put them in a bag for later. We collected the work and bags and put them away for another time. Students left at their own pace and we bode them goodbye individually, more casually than a formal class conclusion.
Final Outcomes
Most students didn’t complete their paper mosaics before time was out. However, they did enjoy the activity and found that it was challenging and fun to explore new ways to create. Several students have drawing narratives/themes that they repeat a lot. Collaging paper gave them a new way to express some of those images and themes. Not being familiar with this style of making also led to new discovery and surprises.
