Story Time with Mills Brown: Jacob Lawrence

AAC Instructor Mills Brown is going to read you a story about American artist Jacob Lawrence. Watch her video and then use her story to inspire your own artwork!
 

 
Download Art Project
 
What you will need:

• Paper
Large sheets of paper are best for this collage (about 12 x 18 in). If you don’t have large sheets at home, you can tape regular computer paper together to create one!
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Printer
If you don’t have a printer at home, try looking at the template on the computer and drawing the neighborhood cut-outs free hand. You can do it!
 
Directions:

1. Make a list of everything you would see on a neighborhood walk.

2. Print from the template (or free draw!) the different elements of your neighborhood.
Your house, your neighbor’s house, parks, stores, restaurants, and other public buildings. Think about what else makes your neighborhood unique.

3. Cut out the individual print-outs or drawings you want to use.

4. Arrange the collage pieces on your large sheet of paper.
You can decide whether you want to overlap, like Jacob Lawrence does, or make something more spread out, like a map.

5. When you’ve settled on your compositional arrangement, it’s time to glue the pieces down!

6. Add color with markers, crayons, pencils. You can even use paint on this step, or add color with different kinds of construction paper!

7. You might include drawings of people, animals, and plants to put the final touches on your collage project.
 
Additional Resources:

Here are a few more Jacob Lawrence-inspired projects that you can try at home:

Soap Carving Demonstration
www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/metkids/metkids-create/create-a-soap-carving

Make Your Own Shoebox Diorama
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0cIVUZ1E18

More About African Masks
www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/d82d91c3-d4e4-4d45-b9f9-6e91ec6fc086/african-masks/#.XnttRi2ZN-U
 
The last step is to share your art with us! We want to see your vibrant neighborhoods! Tag us @arlingtonartscenter with the hashtag #aacartonline. Miss Mills wants to know what you are interested in learning about next, email us at education@arlingtonartscenter.org to send her your suggestions!