Mount Pisgah upper school art teacher Hope Steele sees the month of February as an important time where she is able to incorporate history into the art projects that she assigns to students.
In the Ceramics class, students were asked to create a Gee’s Bend tile.
“Students learned about the Gee’s Bend community and how they have passed down the craft of quiltmaking that began as means of survival during slavery, and has been continued by descendants for generations. The clay tiles pay homage to this craft and these quilters,” said Steele
Meanwhile, the Introduction to Art classes made collages inspired by the artist Romare Bearden.
“Bearden is an important artist because he chronicles the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance in his artwork. He shows his experience of moving from the South to the North in his artwork and growing up in Harlem, during the Harlem Renaissance. His parents were highly educated and he grew up as close family friends of many notable musicians and poets of the time. Students create an artwork about a day in their life, much like Bearden did. We work on collages and composition and discuss materials that could convey their story.”
Intermediate art students researched artists from a list of approximately 50 black artists, both contemporary and deceased.
“The students narrowed their focus down to three artists they like, did in depth research on those artists, then created a piece in their favorite artist’s style with their medium and subject matter of choice. I was able to help students with a variety of media and assess where they were technically to help me identify strengths and areas of growth in planning for future artworks.”
Although elective classes, Steele hopes to convey the significance of these artists and their work into her teachings to show her students the significance of art and the history that goes with it.
“These artists are important to feature as they tell stories that are an important part of our American narrative.”
