Romare Bearden "The Block" Collage

The month of February is Black History Month. During this month of remembering African Americans in history, students in art class learned about African American Artists.

2nd grade students learned about the African American painter and collage artist, Romare Bearden. He spent much of his career as a painter, but is most recognized for his collage work.

A collage is when artists use several different materials to create a new one. Bearden often used photographs, magazines, and newspaper photos in his collage art.

2nd graders were inspired by Bearden’s artwork The Block. The Block celebrates a busy Harlem, New York city block. The artwork is 6 panels long, measuring 18 feet. This artwork is a symbolic scene from an African American experience

2nd graders used construction paper and magazine pages and photos to create a Second Grade City. Again, they were working on basic art skills of cutting and gluing, but also trying to create an interesting piece of art that tells a story.