Cultural Discovery inspired by Kehinde Wiley

Kortni Hobbs
Course Level: 4th Grade
Total Time: Two 50-Minute class periods
______________________________________________________________________

I. PREPARATION
A. Materials:
1. (Be sure to have extra supplies) tubs of Yes paste to be shared by tables,
rubber brayers, old paint brushes for spreading paste, paint palettes,
plastic cups for containing water, pairs of scissors, x-acto knives, variety of
paint brushes, acrylic paint in primary colors, black and white, 6 x 8 foot
piece of white paper for background of photos, digital camera, sheets of 19 x
24 bristol board.
B. Resources:
1. Images of Classical European Noblemen
2. Images of Kehinde Wileys portraits from The World Stage
http://kehindewiley.com/works/
3. Map of Africa, Europe, and Asia
4. Images of examples of Laos and Vietnamese cultures as a self example.
a) In this students can find patterns in which they want to incorporate into
their collage.
C. Vocabulary:
1. Brayer - a rubber or gelatin roller used to evenly smooth out image being
pasted onto background surface.
2. Pattern - A repeated sequence of color or design.
3. Culture - the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a
particular nation, people, or other social group
4. Portrait - A painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person.
5. Collage - A piece of art made by sticking various different materials such as
photographs and pieces of paper or fabric onto a backing.
6. Formalism - a philosophy that stresses the importance of the formal or visual
elements of art (line, space, shape/form, value, color, texture).
 7. Expressivism - a philosophy that art should communicate feelings and should
do so forcefully. If the art affects you emotionally or intellectually, then
it is successful.
8. Instrumentalism - a philosophy that the art must serve some purpose and
express dire social conditions. It should somehow help promote some
cause that will help humanity.

II. TEACHING THE LESSON

A. INTRODUCTION:
1. DAY 1 (15 Minutes) I will begin the lesson by introducing myself. I will show
the students the Classical European pictures of noblemen. I will ask
questions of what they see. What qualities stand out to them? What do the
paintings have in common? What about the figure makes them look
distinguished? What physical objects, clothing, patterns, and atmosphere say
about the work?
a) I will then show images of Kehinde Wileys The World Stage. I will ask
the students, How do Wileys works compare and contrast to the
Classical paintings we just saw? What kinds of colors do you see? What
kinds of patterns? What kinds of patterns could you incorporate to your
own portrait? I will then tell them of how Wiley takes inspiration from the
classical paintings, and how he was taught to paint the body from these
Master paintings, and is now doing the same thing as when he started
out.
b) I will also show images of Vietnamese and Laos geographic landscapes,
clothing, and culture as an example of myself. I will point out the
colors and patterns that I could potentially use for the background of my
portrait, showing the students how to draw from what they see visually,
and not necessarily being emotionally tied to their culture.
2. DAY 2 (5 minutes) I will ask questions to review the material covered in the
prior lesson: Where did Kehinde Wiley get his inspiration from? How does
Wiley incorporate the use of pattern and culture? What did Wiley take from
the Classical images and put into his own?
a) A. Objectives: (Day 1 & 2)
(1) Students will learn:
 (a) to produce a work of art that promotes dialogue
(b) about different regions of the world and their visual culture
(Geography)
(c) about where Haiti, Jamaica, France, Israel, Brazil, Lagos, Dakar,
and China are located. (Geography)
(d) to produce complex compositions through the us of spacial
relationships (CP.1.AIII.3)
(e) to utilize sketchbook (CP.1.AIII.5)
(f) to create works of art that display or exhibit the impact of visual
cultures on art production (CP.1.AIII.7)
(g) to create complex works of art using wet, dry, and/or mixed
media (CP.1.AIII.8)
(h) to create works of art using color to express emotion, mood, and/or
atmospheric effects (CP.1.AIII.9)
(i) to produce artwork with a collage process (CP.1.AIII.14)
(j) historical connections between own artwork and the work of
others (History)(CP.1.AIII.16)
(k) to critique artworks in terms of history, culture, and aesthetic
theories (RR.2.AIII.1)
(l) to reflect upon the personal, social, and global impact of art
(RR.2.AIII.3)
(2) Use of Resources
(a) Kehinde Wiley book to stay in class for students to look at for
ideas or inspiration
(b) Other resources will be used as stated in the introduction.
b) Demonstration: (10 minutes) I will:
(1) Show students examples of patterns I have found by researching my
Vietnamese and Laos cultures, that will be the background and
underlying layer of my collage. Also showing them picture I have
printed of myself in a pose as seen in the Classical European paintings
I plan to collage as well.
(2) Write vocabulary for the project on the board as a reminder for the
students.
(3) Use of journal to sketch design ideas to compose in what order I want
to collage images and patterns.
(4) Demonstrate how to properly use yes paste, and using the brayer to
smooth out the image onto desired background.
III. STUDENT ACTIVITY:
A. Part 1 - (25 Minutes)
1. Research:
a) Students will have use to the library to research on the internet and books
about their cultures, scanning book images and/or printing images from
the web to take inspiration from for their patterns.
2. Sketchbook and Pictures: Part 2 (20 minutes)
a) Students will use remaining time to start brainstorming ideas about
the composition, what patterns, and what poses they want to
incorporate into their collage. One by one I will call up a
student to take their picture in front of the 6 x 8 piece of white
paper that will be the image they use in their collage. I will
print these off and give them back to the students the next
class.
b) (35 minutes) Select a set student to pass out materials
c) Continuation of Sketchbook: Students who feel like they need extra time to
brainstorm, can finish up their ideas and sketches at the beginning of
class.
d) The Assignment: Students will use acrylic paint and brushes to paint their
own pattern on sheets of bristol board. Students will also cut out or decide
to leave in the negative space of their photographs to be used in their
collage.
e) Guided Practice: Remind students how to apply the paste and how to use
the brayer to evenly smooth out the image onto the bristol board.
f) Clean Up: 5-10 minutes before the end of class) Students who finish early
will be asked to help clean up and collect unused supplies. Give students
some warnings about how much time is left in the class as all materials
must be cleaned before being put away.
IV. EVALUATION:
A. Day 1 (5 minutes)
1. Viewing Student Work
a) (Ask some students if they would like to share their in-process work by
holding it up and explaining their plan and choices in their sketchbooks)
2. Discussion/Reinforcement
 a) Sample questions: What did we learn today about Kehinde Wiley? What
are some characteristics he draws from the Classical European paintings?
Tell me about the patterns used? What choices have you made in your
collage that relates to Wileys works? How might it be different?
B. Day 2 (10 minutes)
1. Viewing Student Work
a) (Ask students to volunteer to show their work and showing their
classmates.)
2. Discussion/Reinforcement
a) Ask students: Tell me about the culture you chose. How did it effect the
pattern decisions and making you made? Why did you choose the
pose you did? How is your work similar and different from the works of
Kehinde Wiley? (Thank everyone for doing such wonderful work. Explain
that their pictures will be displayed in the hallway.)