There was a quiet buzz of excitement last Friday as my 5th graders worked in groups to write their Civil Rights biography stories. I began the previous class by showing them Faith Ringgold's story quilts, and how she incorporates text (stories) into her artwork and then they made quilt square borders. This week, their finished writing would be on a series of index cards to go across the top and bottom of the artwork. Each person had to do their own description of that person's life and significant events during the Civil Rights era, but they were discussing the facts, dates, and events as a group. Suddenly, I hear some beating (on the table), some mouth noises and realize I am listening to a rap about Mohammed Ali!! It was GREAT! They were stating the story in a rap format, and making the artwork personal to them!
I'm feeling really good about this project and the contemporary elements in it. It's multi-media, multi-leveled, incorporates images and text, symbolic color, and personal expression. The painted cereal box now has an image of the person on the front, and has been cut to open like a door. Next week will be the most fun: students will make 3D "artifacts" from Model Magic to go inside the doors of the boxes. Best of all, they are really learning about social studies and art, and utilizing informational reading and writing. They're loving it!!

using color as expressive symbolism

I need to identify visuals of artists who have used color (preferably in an abstract way) to set the tone for an issue, cause, etc. appropriate for 5th grade. I'm blanking out. They are involved in a collaborative unit on civil rights, producing [in art] a multi-media "portrait" of a person: abstract color showing symbolism in the background (hence the need of visuals) with cereal box in the middle containing an image of the person, opening up to reveal 1st-person narrative + artifacts. In the background are embedded magazine cut-outs of text describing the person/event + sketches. I'm excited about this project but would like to expose them to artists who use color to portray emotion abstractly, in a way that 5th graders might understand. They understand Joan Mittchell's "Sale Neige." We have discussed basic color symbolism, which they get. I just would like to show them examples! I'm using Mark Rothko, Frankenthaler, and some other color field artists, but it's not quite what I'm looking for...