Women Artists: Yayoi Kusama 

Do Now: If you had to redesign the US flag, what would it look like? Why?

Today we continued to work on our Yayoi Kusama - inspired pattern paintings. 

Africa:Ghana 

Do Now: If you had to redesign the US flag, what would it look like? Why?

Today the 1st and 2nd grade had a very special treat: a visit from Mrs. Boahene, parent of a Harlem Academy student, to teach us about Ghana. 

Though most people in Ghana speak English and French, many speak other dialects. Mrs. Boahene told us that "Akwaaba" means, "welcome"

We learned about the climate, the different regions of Ghana, and the school system. 

She showed us a beautiful poster she made, complete with photos and descriptions of various sights in Ghana. 

Mrs. Boahene also talked about kente cloth, describing the importance of colors and patterns. She even brought in two types of kente cloth!

One was mass produced, and the patterns were stamped on to the fabric after it was woven.

The other type of kente cloth Mrs. Boahene brought in was hand-woven. The fabric was much softer and heavier, and was sewn into a women's shirt.

After some questions, we listened to a story about Anansi the spider. In West African culture, Anansi is a trickster and storyteller. 

Next, Mrs. Boahene showed us a video clip of a festival with traditional Ghanian dance.

We all learned so much, and had a wonderful time listening to Mrs. Boahene. Be sure to check out more photos on Harlem Academy's Facebook Page

Thank you Mrs. Boahene!

Women Artists: Yayoi Kusama 

Do Now: Draw your favorite circus act. If you've never been to the circus, make up an act!

Today the 3rd and 4th graders continued their study of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. 

We watched a short youtube clip called "Yayoi Kusama: Princess of Polka Dots"

Then, we continued to work on our patterns. We spent a lot of time figuring out the difference between a pattern and a design - while both are beautiful, a pattern does not have a 'starting' point. Once the colored pencil sketches of patterns were finished, students began to paint large scale versions of their patterns. 

Africa: Ghana 

Do Now: What was your favorite part of our field trip to the Queens Botanical Garden today?

The 1st and 2nd graders are moving on to a new continent: Africa. More specifically, we are going to study the country of Ghana, on the western coast.

Ghana is well known for many things, one of which is kente cloth. Kente cloth is a special type of cloth that is woven in parts of Ghana, and each color and pattern has a very specific meaning.

After talking about kente cloth and watching a few short videos of how kente cloth is woven, we discussed the meanings of each color.

Then, the 1st and 2nd graders colored in photos of kente cloth patterns, paying attention to the shapes and which colors they chose.

Women Artists: Yayoi Kusama 

To start off class, the 3rd and 4th grade read parts of an article from The Guardian, called "Women in Art: Why Are All the "Great" Artists Men?" The article discussed the amount of art by women sold in auction houses and galleries as opposed to the amount of art by men. Even though most students in art school are female, most of the art in galleries is made by men. We talked about why that might be, and why studying female artists is important!

Next, the 3rd and 4th grade learned about a new modern female artist, Yayoi Kusama. 

Kusama was born in Japan in 1929. She moved to New York City in 1957, and stayed until moving back to Japan in the 1970s. Kusama is best known for her patterns - particularly polka dots! She recently had an exhibit in New York City, called "I Who Have Arrived in Heaven". 

After making observations about her art, we settled on one major factor: patterns. Kusama loves patterns, especially polkadots. 

She said, "A polka dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colorful, senseless, and unknowing. Polka dots become movement… polka dots are a way to infinity."

We spent so much time in exciting discussion that we barely had time for our project! We began making patterns, which we will finish next class.