Linocut Self-Portrait
Students learned about identity through the medium of printmaking. Students engaged in the creation of a linoleum block print by beginning with student choice and learning about mentor artists before responding to them. Students studied artists local and international such as Swoon, Kathe Kollwitz and Edvard Munch. The prints were a jumping off point for the students and used the same strategies they used to create their prints. Each class of 9th-12th graders had the option of either drawing their face, or taking a photo and posterizing it using high contrast filters in photoshop. The students then transferred their self-portraits onto their linoleum blocks before carving it, registering and printing it, and then presenting their edition to their peers.
Students had a class wide critique using syntax to engage analysis of artwork. They reflected on the design process and answered questions related to successes and difficulties as well as technical skills they learned. One student, Fareedah, even expressed that she "...would like to printmake a design on a shirt so that I can wear my design instead of just hanging it."
After the critique the students had their work shown around the school building across 3 floors to have their work presented in a way that the prints would seen in a professional setting. Their spare prints were also turned into a community based quilt that is one big collaborative work of art.
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