Lesson 1: Creating a Collaborative Mural

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Day 1

Opener: Take 4 minutes to draw on a sticky note something that you feel is important to who you are.

It could be: your family, your friends, one of your favorite things…

Tap Into Prior Knowledge

Who has heard of artist Yayoi Kusama?

Video Questions

What were the repeated dots Yayoi Kusama uses in her work an example of?

What did Yayoi Kusama teach us about collaboration?

Tap into Prior Knowledge

What is a mural?

Mural: An artwork that is completed on the wall of a building.

As a class, we are going to collaborate and create a mural together!

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The theme of our mural: IDENTITY

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So… what is identity?

Identity: who you are-the values that someone holds that determines the choices you make. There are many parts that can make up your identity, including your ethnicity, gender, religion, family, and values.

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For the rest of class, you have time to brainstorm parts of your identity on a worksheet that looks like this. You can either write out or draw examples for each category.

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*Not all categories

may apply to you,or be

as important to you,

and that’s ok!

Identity

Family

Friends

Hobbies

Interests

Religion/Faith

Ethnicity

School

Choices/ Values

Closing

Turn to a friend and share a part of your identity map.

Does anyone want to share a part of their identity with the class?

Day 2

Opener

From our activity last week, what part of your identity was most important to you? What would you want to share with other people? Take four minutes to write/sketch this out on a sticky note. You can put this sticky note on the board when you are complete.

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Tap into Prior Knowledge

Has anyone heard of artist Keith Haring?

Video Questions

What stood out to you about Keith Haring’s murals?

How did Keith Haring make artwork about identity?

Brainstorming

Based on what you have figured out about your identity, it is now your turn to decide what you would like to create to add to our class mural. Whatever you choose should be what you think is an important part of your identity.

You will have the majority of class to sketch out your idea to add to our class mural. You will then use markers to color it, so we can plan what color paints you would like to use.

You may use an individual laptop for reference images if needed.

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Brainstorming

At the end of class, we will put all our sketches together on the floor. We will see how it looks all together, and as a class you may decide how it should fit together.

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*I will take a picture of how this is arranged so that we can remember for next class.

Closing

Do you like how your piece of the mural fits into the class ideas? Why or why not?

Day 3-5

Opener

Are there any parts of your idea piece for the mural that you would like to change?

Examples of Murals in our Community of Athens, GA

“Hope” by David Hale

“Hot Corner: An Athens Legacy” by Elio Mercado and Broderick Flanigan

“Greetings From Athens” by Taylor Shaw

“Building Bridges” by Brian Williams’ students and Broderick Flanagan

“Last Resort Grill” by Dave Jenkins

It’s mural day!

Now that I have pulled up a photograph of how we arranged our sketches last week, let’s put them together once more. Now is the time to make any last minute decisions about placement.

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We will then begin to sketch our designs onto the wall. We will use pencils to do this. You will sketch out your OWN design.

Safety

Please make sure to be aware of your own body space. If someone is drawing near where you are adding your part of the mural, you will need to wait your turn.

If you need to use a step stool to reach where your art is going, make sure that an adult is aware.

Painting

You will need to paint the base layer of your mural first and let that dry BEFORE you add small details on top.

Closing

What do you still need to do to complete your part of the mural?

Reflection Questions for Students to Answer when their project is done:

What did you learn from Yayoi Kusama and Keith Haring?

What have you learned about your own identity?

How do you feel about your own part of the mural?

How does our completed class mural make you feel?

Resources:

Identity Map:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Identity-Map-SEL-Activity-for-Google-Slides-Back-to-School-Digital-or-Print-9843286

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Murals in Athens: https://www.visitathensga.com/blog/post/the-murals-of-athens/