Collage

Collage was the second project in the series of workshops that I worked on this summer. For this project Romare Bearden was the artist of focus. Students analyzed a poster of Bearden's collage "The Return of the Prodigal Son". Most students had not heard of this story, but those who had enjoyed telling the rest of the class about it. Once students heard the story it was easy for them to recognize elements from the Prodigal Son represented in the collage. Students then told their own story through their own collages. Some students made up stories about their pictures. It was fun to hear them share their own stories. The most valuable aspect of this lesson is that students learned that pictures are a form of communication (in this case the picture tells a story). Students also learned how to create a picture from a variety of materials. Students were able to cut materials into the shapes they needed or build new shapes by putting other shapes together.
For more information on Romare Bearden visit www.beardenfoundation.org