OVERVIEW

In Celebration of: BLACK HISTORY MONTH & February Character Traits: COMPASSION~EMPATHY

"This story is about being color blind, or free of color prejudice--one of the most difficult things to achieve in our society. How do you deal with this problem in your life?" writes Faith Ringgold artist and author of How the People Became Color Blind (quoted from her website). In this lesson, inspired by Ringgold's story, students visually interpret the story using symbols and visual form as a method of non-verbal communication; meant to stimulate a dialogue regarding color prejudice and cultural diversity, students are encouraged to incorporate their own, personal experiences in their painting.

STUDENT PAINTING OBJECTIVE:

Create a painting inspired by Faith Ringgold's story How the People Became Colorblind incorporating:

 

A Personal Experience where I was Judged by How I Look On the Outside: by the Color of my skin, my height, weight, whether I wear glasses, how I dress, or any other physical attribute or another's perceived (thought of) ideas regarding who I am on a superficial (surface) level:

A Personal Experience incorporated in the form of a SYMBOL, representing the experience:

REALISTICALLY : through an object (i.e. Eyeglasses representing the time I was was called "four eyes"& made fun of for wearing glasses);

ABSTRACTLY: communicating my feelings/emotions regarding/about this experience through my use of the Elements of Art (COLOR, LINE, SHAPE,  VALUE, TEXTURE, FORM, SPACE). 

To COMBINE the SYMBOL(s) for my personal experience with my ideas about the story, with elements/parts of the story in an unusual unique way.

HOPE FOR THE PRESENT/FUTURE: To diffuse the effects of this traumatic/hurtful experience by incorporating/including my ideas about a world where we judge each other not by how we look on the outside (RACISM) but by our character/how we act , by feeling COMPASSION and EMPATHY for those who are different from us.

Experiment with the EXPRESSIVE aspects of paint to communicate mood/feeling through mixing & blending COLOR (in my palette and on the surface of my painting) and through LINE through my  brushwork.   

CROSS-CURRICULAR:

This project develops:

LANGUAGE ARTS WRITING SKILLS & HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS
through our application of:

ANALYSIS, EVALUATION & INTERPRETATION

of imagery in order to

ADAPT & TRANSLATE

Visual Meaning into Word/Poem Form.