Printmaking Neighborhoods: Romare Bearden Fun.....

During the last weeks of school I did a printmaking lesson with my first graders. We discussed the work of Romare Bearden and looked at his work "The Block." We talked about our neighborhoods and where we live. We discussed the differences between rural, suburban, and urban buildings and what things are found in the different areas. Students then each created their own rural house inspired by the buildings in New York City. Student's also created their own background using crayon and watercolor paints. 

Once each student made their own building on styrofoam, they then cut out the building and went to the ink station. They were allowed to print their building once on 3 different friends papers. Each student went around printing the different houses and buildings other classmates made until they filled up their paper to create their own "block" and "neighborhood." 

Each piece then had a variety of houses, a variety of artworks, and a variety of hands that had touched  the lives of each others works of art!