Jazz it up with Artist Romare Bearden
March 9, 2022 | Sossi Essajanian
American painter Romare Bearden was one of the most important African American artists of the 20th century. He is best known for his collages, which he created largely from painted paper, magazine clippings, and bits of fabric. Bearden’s works vividly capture aspects of American black culture. In addition to being an artist, Bearden was an art historian, teacher, composer, and author.
During the study, children were provided with multiple means for engaging in content learning and displaying their knowledge.
Bearden was also a songwriter and book illustrator. He occasionally designed sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company. Jazz music was one source of inspiration for Romare Bearden and this inspired the children to think about music and to dance, dance, dance!
The children also became inspired by Romare Bearden’s early work of row house drawings. So they took a trip outside to do some observational drawing of row houses near the school.
Then the children worked inside to continue observational drawing from photographs of row houses around Hoboken.
Then they took their drawings and created plates for printing.
Printmaking features the creation of a plate from which multiple images can be produced using a brayer and ink.
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