Jean Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a famous American artist of Puerto Rican and Haitian heritage.

He was born in 1960 and died in 1988. Famous pop artist Andy Warhol and famous street artist Keith Haring were some of his friends and supporters of his art. Basquiat started his career as a street poet and graffiti writer under the tag ‘SAMO’ with his friend Al Diaz. Basquiat’s work often referenced the different sides of human experience, values of people and groups, and what it means to be human.

Warhol and Basquiat

Basquiat’s work often included text (words) in his work that spoke of his inner experience and outer experience. This text often reflected dichotomies in thinking and values. (Dichotomy: things that are at opposite ends of a scale or seem vastly different) Eg. Home and Work, Health and Sickness, Rich and Poor, Light and Dark, Happy and Sad, Peanut Butter and Vegemite.

• Think of and recognise things in your life that are opposites? Things that cause different emotions and feelings?
• Make a list of things that you agree with and disagree with or things that make you happy or sad?
• Think of a situation that was challenging. Eg. Being stuck at home during Covid19 restrictions. What words describe both the positive and negatives aspects of this situation?

Pick some of the words you came up with to write on your self-portrait. Basquiat often wrote words on his work that he scribbled out or changed - Why do you think he did this?

Basquiat used to sign his thoughts by writing SAMO - Do you have a nickname or a name you like? Sign your work with this.

 To hear about Basquiat's life, and to see a video version of the lesson, watch here:  

Video Lesson Link

Use dice OR you can write numbers 1-6 on small papers and choose them from a bowl...  Then roll or choose a paper 4 times to guide your drawing!  

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!

Chicago Style Pop-Art: Hot Dogs and Pizzas!

 What is POP ART?

Watch this video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhEyoDCTSDQ

Pop Art usually includes.....

Popular Trends    Cultural Imagery     

Commonplace Objects     Everyday Life

Famous pop artists have been inspired by hot dogs!

Why would pop artists be inspired by hot dogs?

• Hot Dogs:  Colorful, Fun, Delicious, Popular
• We eat hot dogs at events that are memorable:  Picnics, Ball Games, Festivals.
• Chicago is known for having its own style of hot dogs.  

Watch! 

Our Project:  

We will be making a collage showing all the elements of a Chicago Hot Dog!  Your challenge is to use ONLY paper, scissors and glue... NO DRAWING. 

I was inspired by this fun poster on Alyson Thomas's Etsy page called Drywell Art!

Watch this video to follow along with Ms. Ammons.

Finished?  Try to adapt this project to use deep dish pizza as your subject!  

Print by Alina Petrichyn, found on vice.com

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!

All About Peru

 

This week, we will learn about PERU!  Peru is an amazing country.  It is in South America.  There are high, rocky mountains, but there are also areas of Peru that are part of the Amazon Rainforest.  

In the mountains, there are ancient Incan ruins including Machu Picchu.  You would see people wearing colorful woven cloth to keep them warm, and llamas make themselves at home.  

The rainforest is different.  It is warm and humid, and it is full of thousands of types of unique plants and animals.  

In this week's class, we will begin by looking at art of the ancient Incans, and we will learn about Machu Picchu.  We will make some fun Incan art and a llama picture!

After that, we will learn about some of the fun animals of the rainforest and create some colorful jungle art.  

Let's start with some "Are We There Yet?" videos about Machu Picchu and some Ancient Incan stories!

Nat Geo Kids Video about Machu Picchu

Learn about the ancient Incans

Inca Animation

Inca Creation Story

Now follow along with Ms. Ammons to make an Incan pattern and an Incan sun!

Next, let's have some fun making a picture of a llama in the mountains!  

Nat Geo Kids Llama Video

Now follow along with Ms. Ammons to make your project!

For our last project about Peru, we will learn about some rainforest animals and draw a rainforest!

Take a virtual tour of The Amazon Rainforest    

Then draw your own rainforest!

Here are some animals you might want to include:

Sloth

Parrot

Toucan

Jaguar

Tapir

Snake

Crocodile

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!

Constructing a Hero with Hebru Brantley

Today, in a world of COVID-19, society has highlighted heroes who are working on the front lines of this pandemic. Whether they are working 20 hour shifts at a hospital or picking up groceries for an elderly neighbor, their dedication and selflessness has redefined what it means to be a hero. They are helping the sick, keeping us safe, and comforting those who have lost loved ones during these uncertain times. 

In this week's project, you will consider these questions:

What does a hero look like to you? 

How can you be a hero? 

How have you been helping others?

One Chicago artist challenges the traditional view of a hero.  Hebru Brantley grew up in Chicago.  He enjoyed coloring books, watching cartoons, and reading comics. Inspired by his heroes like Captain America or the Tuskegee Airmen, Brantley created his own cast of heroic characters.  They appear in his paintings on buildings, walls and canvases!  

His two main characters are named Fly Boy and Lil Mama. 

They are children with a fluid ethnicity, they have real or imaginary powers, and  they wear goggles and aviator hats. While they look like children, Brantley wants the characters to be taken seriously. By creating heroes, he reminds audiences there are individuals out there who are protecting and watching over us. 

Much like Brantley’s work, we can find heroes in all walks of life. However, today, COVID-19 has redefined what a hero is and brought new ones to the forefront. Let’s take a look at what a hero is...

Constructing a Hero

Activity

Follow along with Ms. Ammons to create your own hero inspired by Hebru Brantley!

Part 1:  Make a brick background!

Part 2:  Create your hero mural!

Don't want to create your own unique hero?  Here is a simple step-by-step to drawing a basic hero.  You can also do a little research for inspirational images like I did, or you can use your best ANIME skills!  Watch the video below to work with Ms. Ammons.

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!

Legends of the Loop: Picasso vs. Calder

In Downtown Chicago, we have artwork by world-famous artists that we can see any time!  These outdoor, public sculptures are landmarks in our city.  People see them and think of Chicago!  Begin by watching these 2 videos.  The first one is about the Chicago Picasso.  The second one is about Alexander Calder's Flamingo sculpture.   

What IS that thing?      Is it a Flamingo?

Let's use our imaginations this week.  Imagine these two sculptures as characters that come to life.  What would they say?  How would they move?  We will begin by drawing each sculpture as if it came to life for a day.  Make a cartoon with at least 8 frames that illustrates your story.  Follow along here for an example!

NEXT, let's try building paper versions of each sculpture.  Use these links for help.  When you are finished, photograph them carefully in front of a plain background.  

Make a "Flamingo" sculpture!

Make the "Chicago Picasso"!

FINALLY, invent your OWN sculpture.  Create a paper version of your sculpture.  Upload a photo to Artsonia, and in your artist's statement, describe how you would build it and where it would be on display.  

Fun fact:  Works by Calder and Picasso have been exhibited together in museums because they are both so famous for their abstract sculptures! Check out this ad for a show in Paris... 

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!

Horace Pippin

Horace Pippin painted the memories that stuck with him. Some were terrifyingly painful. Others were peaceful. Pippin had no formal art training and created his first oil painting at age forty-two. Only eight years later, four of his paintings were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. His artwork expressed his concerns about social and political issues and documented the lives of black Americans during and between the two World Wars.

Horace Pippin was the grandson of enslaved African Americans, and he was born 23 years after the Civil War. Slaves had been freed, but the country was still divided. “Jim Crow” laws mandated racial segregation in public places. Pippin went to segregated schools, but left school in seventh grade to take care of his dying mother and then took an array of jobs to help support his family.

When America entered World War I (1914 – 1918) in 1917, Horace Pippin was 29 and signed up to serve in the military.  Even the military was segregated!  He was part of an African American regiment called the "Harlem Hellfighters".  They could only do jobs like unloading ships, building roads or digging graves for soldiers.  He worked hard in the military until he was shot by a sniper.  

After the war, it was hard for Pippin to work.  He was injured, and many jobs available for black men were jobs that required physical labor.  He did not let this stop him, and he began using art as a way to feel better... both physically and mentally.  Drawing his memories from the war helped him adjust to being a civilian, and working to control his paintbrush helped his muscles in his arm.  

Pippin’s story – an untrained artist and decorated war veteran turns to art as therapy – is remarkable, but that’s not only the reason why his body of work became well known. It was because of his artistic ability. He became well-known in the art world and had exhibits in art museums around the country!

Watch this video to learn what we will do this week!

Hear the story.

Draw the character.

Add details and color.

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!