UNIT:
Essential Question
Task
Content Focus
Skills Focus
Launch
Over the past few lessons, we have learned about and analyzed many murals from the Murals for Racial Justice project! For this lesson, we are going to build on our understanding and analysis of these powerful murals to create our own murals!
As we’ve discussed, the artists who created the Murals for Racial Justice use visual art as a way to advocate for a better world. They created images that protest current racial inequalities in the United States – especially the issue of police violence – and images that imagine more equal and just futures. These artists were very intentional about how they used different visual elements, like color, shape, composition, and symbolism, to communicate their messages.
In this lesson, we are going to follow in the example of these artists and create our own “mini” murals! We’re going to think about an important change that we would like to see in the world around us. Then, we’re going to think about how we can create images to motivate others to make that important change. In this way, we are, like the muralists that we’ve studied, using visual art as a form of activism.
Model or Shared Writing
Say: Class, there are two important parts of our process as we create our mini-murals. First, each of us needs to think about an important change that we would like to see in the world around us. There are so many important issues and causes; so many important ways that our world might be better – and so many ways that we can start making change right here in Indiana.
Let’s all think for a moment: What issues do we really care about? In what specific ways do we want the world to be a better place?
For example, one issue that I really care about is _______________ [name an issue that is important to you]. The change that I want to see in the world is _________________ [describe the desired change, including what the chagnge might look like in your school / town community].
Provide students with 1-2 minutes of think time. Then, have students share their thinking with a partner.
Teacher note: You may want to further support student thinking by providing a list of possible topics like the ones below. Where possible, include examples specific to your community and/or Indiana:
- Global Warming / Environmental Justice
- Poverty
- Racism
- Healthcare reform
- Voters’ rights
- Classroom rules
- Dress code/ uniforms
- Recycling
- Protecting Animals
Say: Once we’ve selected an issue and thought about the change we want to see, the next step is to plan out our mural. Here, we need to think about how we can create an image that expresses our idea for how the world / our community can change and become a better place. We’ve seen so many inspiring examples of how artists use images, colors, and compositions to express their ideas. Now, it’s our turn!
For example, I want people to _________________- [describe your desired change, based on the above]. Here are some ideas I’m having for my mural: _________________ [Provide 3-4 examples of choices that you might make in your mural to express your idea. Your examples should reference the specific types of elements that students have been noticing and analyzing in this part of the unit. For example, you might explain what colors you want to use and how those relate to your central message; or what shapes you want to use and what symbolic meaning those shapes carry. You may also ask students to share their ideas for what your mural could include, given your intended message.
Great thinking, everyone. We’ve practiced how to think very intentionally about how the different parts of our mural can work together to communicate its central idea. Now, it’s your turn to try it out!
Create
Students create their own mini-murals! Provide students with necessary materials, such as construction paper, canvas, markers, and paints. Have students create their “mini” murals. Below are some additional exercises you might use to promote students’ preparation and creation of their murals:
- Have students sketch their murals before creating final images. Have students present their sketches to partners / groups and to explain how different elements of their mural will support the central idea.
- Have students create short “plans” for their mural before creating the image. Each plan might list 2-3 specific ways that the different elements of the mural will help to support the central idea.
- Have students work with a specific partner. Every 10-15 minutes, have students pause and check in with their partner. Partners can provide feedback on aspects of the mural that are most clearly and least clearly communicating the central idea.
- You may also want to have students write brief artist’s statements to accompany their murals, similar to the ones they read in the previous lessons. Note these are brief statements (less than 5 sentences) in which artists helped to explain the central ideas of their murals.
