8^th Grade Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden (1911- 1988) was a Harlem Renaissance artist. His collages of photographs and painted paper on canvas depict aspects of American black culture in a style derived from Cubism. Bearden is best known for his photomontages, using clippings from Life, Ladies Home Journal, and Look magazines. A montage is a collage made from parts of magazine photographs. The artist pastes the pictures together in a new way to make a picture.The 8^th grade students cut and pasted pictures from magazines to create a photomontage in the style of Romare Bearden. Look closely to see how they altered the images in their collages.

The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago

The Dinner Party presents a ceremonial banquet for carefully chosen guests.

Arranged on a triangular table measuring forty-eight feet on each side are a total of thirty-nine place settings. The “guests of honor” are designated by means of intricately embroidered runners, each executed in a historically specific manner; upon these are placed, for each setting, a gold chalice and utensils, and a china-painted porcelain plate rendered in a style appropriate to the individual woman being honored.

The 8th graders chose a woman from history who represents social justice to them. Next they researched the life of that woman in Religion class. In art class, the students are creating a place setting to honor their chosen woman, in the style of Judy Chicago.