I have an exciting collaborative project coming up with 5th graders. They are studying the Civil Rights era, and will have sevral guest speakers as well as doing their own research. In our collaborative planning sessions with 5th grade teachers, I was thinking about the subject of "identity" (again) and how to incorporate that, maybe in a biographical painting. The suggestion was made to have kids work collaboratively in a team and use a cereal box to put the portrait on...and then my brain took off. The ideas had to marinate for awhile...The cereal box idea made me realize that I wanted the 5th graders to do artwork that was in keeping with the multi-media, off-the-wall (literally) approach of a lot of contemporary artwork that is pushing the boundaries.
The elements that I wanted to include were text (writing--explanations plus feelings), artifacts, and a portrait. Our librarian brought up the book, Dinner at Aunt Connie's by Faith Ringgold. In it, the pictures/portraits talk to the kids about their impact on African American history. Now the ideas begin to simmer!! The portrait would be on the front of the cereal box, and the box mounted on a larger size posterboard or foamboard. Surrounding the box would be a paper quilt square, evoking the book and Faith Ringgold's work. !What if the cereal box were to open up, and there's a written paragraph (written in 1st person) about that person's influence on history! The box with the story inside symbolizes the stories that we all keep inside of us. Also in the box could be artifacts (found or created) having to do with the events surrounding that person's history.
Students could cut out text (words) from magazines describing the events, the person, their feelings. These could be mounted on small rectangles of foamboard, to push them forward and provide the look of a relief.
The final element would be the historical events from that person's story. They could be drawn, and ---wait for it--what if they were attached to the foamboard with a wire coathanger so that a mobile-like effect was created? Now we're cooking.
The last 21st-century element--which also teaches 21st-century skills--students would make a postcast recording their voice (in 1st person) telling the writen story that's inside the box. The podcast could be played in a loop during the exhibit. Wow. Can't wait to get started!!