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We think of history as events written in textbooks, but most often our personal histories are written in the people and objects that surround us. These objects portray what we ourselves find important, the things we interact with every day, that we can’t live without. By making note of these objects through art, we preserve and exhibit their importance in our lives.

Cuando pensamos en la historia, recordamos eventos descritos en libros de texto, pero con frecuencia nuestras historias personales están escritas en las personas y los objetos que nos rodean. Estos objetos retratan lo que nos parece importante, aquellas cosas con las que interactuamos a diario y sin las cuales no podemos vivir. Al poner en relieve estos objetos a través del arte, protegemos y mostramos su importancia en nuestras vidas.    

  

Materials/Materiales:

Icon of 3 pieces of paper overlapping

30 sheets of blue paper (1 sheet/day) 

30 hojas de papel azul (1 hoja por día) 

Icon of a crayon

White crayon

Crayón blanco

Icon of a key

An object to create a rubbing or drawing for each day

Un objeto para crear un frottage (transferencia de imagen) o un dibujo cada día 

Instructions / Instrucciones:

Each day for 30 days, make a rubbing or a drawing of an object that was important to you that day. Write down the date.

To make a rubbing, simply place your paper on top of a hard and flat object. Using the side of your crayon, rub lightly back and forth until the shape of the image appears.

Remember that even the most common objects are important to our personal histories, like the things in our pockets or the ground that we walk on. Almost everything has a pattern and a texture.

With practice, you can even combine textures and objects you find to make pictures! Here, you can see that I used the key to my front door and a heating vent to represent the canned pineapple I ate as a snack.

Of course, your rubbings don’t have to actually look like something. Simple textures can be powerful triggers for your memory.

When you’ve run out of paper, place all the sheets together in a grid on your floor. Looking at them together, see what you can remember about the history you’ve made each day!

Durante 30 días, crea a diario un frottage o un dibujo de un objeto que fue importante para ti ese día. Anota la fecha.

Para crear un frottage, tan solo coloca el papel sobre un objeto rígido y plano. Con un lado del crayón, frota ligeramente hacia atrás y adelante hasta que aparezca la forma de la imagen.

Recuerda que hasta los objetos más comunes son importantes en nuestras historias personales, como las cosas que tenemos en los bolsillos o el suelo que pisamos al caminar. Casi todo tiene un motivo y una textura.

Con la práctica, incluso puedes combinar texturas y objetos que encuentres para crear imágenes. Como puedes ver, aquí usé la llave de la puerta principal y una rejilla de ventilación para representar la piña en lata que comí como refrigerio.

Por supuesto que no es necesario que tus frottages representen un objeto. Las texturas simples tienen el poder de desencadenar recuerdos.

Cuando te quedes sin papel, reúne todas las hojas en el suelo para formar una red. Al verlas juntas, nota qué recuerdas acerca de la historia que creaste cada día.

 

Artist Bios / Biografía del Artista:

Born and raised in Boston, Eben Haines makes work that investigates the life of objects and the constructed nature of history. Using a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, and drawings, recent works consider the inequity of existing historical systems that maintain housing insecurity.

Eben Haines nació y creció en Boston, y crea obras en las que investiga la vida de los objetos y la naturaleza construida de la historia. Mediante una variedad de medios, entre ellos, la pintura, la escultura y el dibujo, sus obras recientes plantean la desigualdad de los sistemas históricos existentes que sustentan la precariedad de la vivienda.

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab
Find more activities at icaboston.org/artlab

Comparte tu experiencia en redes sociales con #ICAartlab
Encuentra más actividades en icaboston.org/artlab

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Create a Dream Chain to inspire the world you want to build. What would bring joy? What would make the world a better place for all? Seek inspiration from the ICA exhibition The Worlds We Make: Selections from the ICA Collection, where artists reimagine the world through their perspectives, then dream up a world of your own.

Materials:

 

Playdate_BandsMaterial_Drawings-14.png

Rubber bands

Playdate_TagsMaterial_Drawings-13.png

Paper tags

Playdate_DrawingMaterial_Drawings-11.png

Drawing materials

Playdate_TapeMaterial_Drawings-02.png

Tape (optional)

 

Instructions:

1. Link all of your rubber bands together to form a chain. Follow the photos or watch the video below.
a. To start your chain, place one rubber band on a flat surface, this will be band #1 (pictured as red). Place a second band (#2, pictured as beige) to the right of band #1, and slightly overlapping on the right side of band #1.

Two rubber bands lying on top of each other, intersecting at the middle.

b. With your right hand, hold down band #2 to keep it from moving. With your left hand pinch the inner side of band #1, and lift it over band #2. Thread it through the loop, pulling it under the outer side of band #1. Pull tight and you have your first loop.

Folding a rubber band over another to create a knot

Placing a rubber band through another rubber band

Threading through a loop of rubber bands to create a knot

Creating a loop with a rubber band entwined with another rubber band

Pulling together a knot of two rubber bands

c. Repeat these steps on either the outside edge of band #1 or band #2. Keep repeating these steps until your Dream Chain is the length you want. 

Two rubber bands chained together next to a single rubber band

Pulling a rubber band through a loop to create a third chain

2. On individual tags, draw or write about the things that you would like to see in your world. Feel free to use both sides of the tags. To help inspire ideas, try answering the following questions: 

Who are some people who make you feel happy?

What is your favorite animal(s)?

Where would you like to visit one day? 

What is your favorite food? 

What do you like to do in your free time? 

If you had a super power, what would it be? 

If you could change anything in the world, what would you change? 

3. Attach each tag to your rubber band link by tying or taping the tag strings to the rubber bands.  

4. Hang your Dream Chain somewhere special to remind you of the world you want to build.   

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab!
Find more activities here.

This activity was created by Flolynda Jean, Education Assistant, Studio Programs 

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We all have places where we have been, where we want to be, and where we are right now. A place can cement memories, bring us comfort, and instill hope. In this project, you will create a line drawing with wire of a place from your past, present, or future that represents a moment of you.

NOTE: This activity requires scissors and wire which can be sharp.

Todos tenemos lugares en los que hemos estado, en los que queremos estar y en los que nos encontramos ahora mismo. Un lugar puede consolidar recuerdos, brindar consuelo e infundir esperanza. En este proyecto, crearás un dibujo lineal con alambre de un lugar del pasado, el presente o el futuro que represente un momento de tu vida.

NOTA: Esta actividad requiere el uso de tijeras y alambre que pueden ser afilados.

Materials / Materiales:

  • Photo of a house or building / Fotografía de una casa o un edificio
  • Wire / Alambre
  • Scissors / Tijeras
  • Ruler / Regla
  • Marker or paint / Marcador o pintura

 

Instructions / Instrucciones:

1. Choose a photo of a house or building that has been a part of your life. Print out or copy the photo in the exact size you want your wire drawing to be. (The wire will scratch the surface of your photo, so don’t use a copy that you want to keep.) You can also draw the house or building on a piece of paper roughly 5” × 7”.

1. Elige una fotografía de una casa o de un edificio que haya sido parte de tu vida. Imprime o fotocopia la fotografía en el mismo tamaño que deseas usar para el dibujo. (El alambre raspará la superficie de la fotografía, así que no uses una copia que quieras conservar.) También puedes dibujar la casa o el edificio en un papel de alrededor de 5” × 7” (13 × 18 cm).
 

 

 

Getting started

How to create initial frame

 

Wire outline of double story building next to black and white photo of reference double story building.

 

2. Outline the building with wire. Leaving an extra inch of wire at the start, begin in the lower right corner and trace around the structure. (You’ll use the extra inch of wire at the start for wrapping after getting all the way around.)

2. Traza el contorno del edificio con alambre. Dejando una pulgada adicional de alambre al inicio, comienza en la esquina inferior derecha y traza el contorno de la estructura. (Usarás la pulgada adicional de alambre del inicio para cerrar después de dar toda la vuelta.)
 

 

 

Adding interior details

Demonstration using scissors to add sections of wires

 

Black and white photograph of a double story building next to a simplified wire rendering of the same building.

 

 

3. Outline the interior details. This can be done separately and then added to the whole piece (be sure to leave extra wire at the ends you want to attach) or worked from the same wire used for the building outline.

3. Traza el contorno de los detalles del interior. Esto puedes hacerlo por separado y luego agregarlo a la pieza entera (asegúrate de dejar alambre adicional en los extremos que deseas unir) o con el mismo alambre que has utilizado para el contorno del edificio.
 

 

 

Optional backing

 

Hands manipulating wire to form a double story house with windows, a door, and a roof.

 

4. Optional: Make a backing by outlining the building again but add a folded tab of about ¾ of an inch every 1 ½ inches or so. You will then fold these tabs around your first outline from the back to give your wire drawing more structure. 

4. Opcional: Para crear un apoyo, vuelve a trazar el contorno del edificio, pero agrega una pestaña doblada de alrededor de ¾ de pulgada (2 cm) cada 1 ½ pulgadas (4 cm) aproximadamente. Luego, dobla estas pestañas por detrás del primer contorno para darle más estructura al dibujo lineal.
 

 

 

Side-by-side images of a line drawing of a house made from wire, and a sepia photograph of the same house

 

 

5. Use a marker or paint that matches the color of your wire to cover up the spots where the plastic coating has scratched off.

5. Con un marcador o con pintura que sea del color del alambre, cubre los lugares donde se haya raspado el revestimiento plástico.
 

 

Tips:

  • Check out demonstration videos featuring CW Roelle at icaboston.org/art-lab
  • Plan ahead! This is basically a contour drawing where the line never ends so know where you want the line to go. Occasionally you will have to go back over lines but that is ok!
  • Use a ruler as a hard edge to make clean bends in your wire.
  • Use scissors not only to cut the wire but also like a pair of pliers to grip the wire when wrapping or to fold over tabs. Use the tips only and be careful not to press too hard.
  • When outlining the building or any of the details, lay the wire directly on the image, then put your fingernail down where the next bend should go and hold it tight until you can make the bend right where you need to.
  • Your lines may get bent out of shape as you work, but you can always just straighten them out. 

Consejos:

  • Consulta los videos de demostración de CW Roelle en icaboston.org/art-lab
  • ¡Planifica con antelación! Este es básicamente un dibujo de un contorno en el que la línea no termina nunca, por lo que debes saber adónde quieres que vaya. En ocasiones, tendrás que regresar por las líneas, pero no hay problema.
  • Usa una regla como borde duro para hacer dobleces prolijos en el alambre.
  • Usa las tijeras no solo para cortar el alambre sino también como un alicate para sujetar el alambre cuando lo cierres o lo dobles sobre las pestañas. Usa solamente las puntas y ten cuidado de no apretar demasiado fuerte.
  • Cuando traces el contorno del edificio o de cualquiera de los detalles, apoya el alambre directamente sobre la imagen. A continuación, apoya la uña donde debe ir el doblez siguiente y sostén con fuerza hasta que puedas hacer el doblez exactamente donde lo necesites.
  • Las líneas pueden deformarse a medida que trabajas, pero siempre puedes volver a enderezarlas. 
     

Hands manipulating wire while holding a ruler. Black and white photo of a building lays on the table.

One hand holds wire outlining a double story building while the other cuts a part of it with scissors.

 

CW Roelle draws three-dimensional line drawings with wire. His images are studies of moods, thoughts, life, place, shape, and line. A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art and a MacColl Johnson Fellow, he lives and works in western Rhode Island.

 CW Roelle crea dibujos lineales tridimensionales con alambre. Sus imágenes son estudios de estados de ánimo, pensamientos, vidas, lugares, formas y líneas. Graduado en el Maryland Institute College of Art y destinatario de la beca MacColl Johnson, vive y trabaja en el oeste de Rhode Island.

 

Share your artwork on social media with #ICAartlab

Comparte tu obra de arte en las redes sociales con #ICAartlab

 

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Hanging Pocket Hearts is inspired by Cornelia Parker’s artwork Hanging Fire (Suspected Arson), which represents the vulnerabilities of being human and the challenges of our time. Focus on hope and joy by creating one heart or a collection of hearts. Hang somewhere special to inspire you each day.

This activity is designed for children ages 5 and up and their grownups to work on together at home.​

Materials:

Icon of paper

Paper
(8.5” x 11” sheet)

Icon of pencil

Pencil

Icon of rule

Ruler

Icon of scissors

Scissors
 

Icon of string

String or yarn

Icon of glue stick and tape

Glue or tape

Icon of crayon and paintbrush

Drawing materials:
crayons, markers, paint, etc.

  

 

Art Lab Play Date Hanging Pocker Hearts Step 1. 4x6 blank piece of paper.

1.
Using a pencil and ruler, measure and cut your paper into a 4″ x 6″ rectangle. Save the rest of the paper for step 4.
 

Art Lab Play Date Hanging Pocker Hearts Step 2. The paper has been folded and a semicircle has been cut from the top of the folded paper to create an

2.
Fold the paper in half, bringing the long edges to meet.
Cut a semicircle at the top as shown.
Reopen the paper and lay it flat on your work surface.
 

Art Lab Play Date Hanging Pocker Hearts Step 3. While unfolded, each bottom corner is folded inwards to align the bottom edge with the middle fold. A folded heart is made

 3.
Fold the bottom edge of the paper up to the base of the semicircle. Take the bottom left corner and fold it to the center; do the same with the bottom right corner. Then fold the remaining strip down. Tuck the corners of the strip to the back side of the heart to secure the pocket.
 

Multicolored folded paper heart icon hanging on a string with

 

 4.
Decorate using drawing materials. On small pieces of paper, write or draw what you are thankful for or the emotions you are feeling. Tuck these into your heart or attach to the string. Glue or tape your heart to your string and hang it somewhere special!

TIPS: To make a precise heart pocket, fold slowly and thoughtfully. Use your fingernails or the edge of a pencil to firmly crease your folds. You can make smaller or larger heart pockets by keeping the same measurement ratio. Try working with a piece of paper that is 2” x 3” or 8” x 12”. 

This activity was created by Sergio Salicio-Lupiañez, Visitor Assistant.

Share your art with friends and family and on social media with #ICAArtLab or email us at familyprograms@icaboston.org.

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Inspired by the 30+ portraits hanging in i’m yours: Encounters with Art in Our Times, this activity invites you to create your own handmade picture frame with recycled materials. Make a personalized frame for one of your favorite photographs or even your own drawing.

This activity is designed for children ages 5 and up and their grownups to work on together at home. Please note that this project involves using scissors to cut cardboard.

Materials:

Icon of paper

Artwork that you would like to frame, like a photograph or drawing

Icon of rectangle

Cardboard
(Read instructions to determine how much cardboard you’ll need)

Icon of pencil

Pencil

Icon of rule

Ruler
 

Icon of scissors

Scissors 

Icon of glue stick and tape

Glue or tape

Icon of crayon and paintbrush

Drawing materials:
crayons, markers, paint, etc.

  

 

 

Icons of a green frame and a green sheet with dotted lines overlapping a white sheet.

 

Steps:

1.
Using a pencil and ruler, measure the artwork that you would like to frame. Next, measure and cut a piece of cardboard that is 3” x 3” larger than the artwork: This will be the front of your frame. Cut a second piece the same size as the first: This will be the back. On the front of your frame, measure and cut out an opening for the artwork that is slightly smaller than the size of your artwork
 

Icon of two green triangles that almost meet to form a rectangle.

2.
Cut a stand for your frame: Using a new piece of cardboard, measure and cut a rectangle that is roughly half the size of your frame. Using a pencil and ruler, draw a line from the upper left corner of the rectangle to the bottom right corner. Next, cut on the line. You only need one of the triangles for your frame.
 

 

Text reading

3.
Using drawing materials, decorate the frame. Center your artwork on the back of the frame. Place the front of the frame on top so that your photo appears through the opening. Adjust until artwork is centered, then glue or tape the artwork in place onto the back. Tape will make it easier to change drawings or pictures in the frame. 
 

 

Green triangle overlapping a white square.

4.
Use glue or tape to attach the triangular piece of cardboard to the back of the frame. Attach the narrowest part of the triangle to the center of the backing for the frame to stand. Bend the cardboard stand as needed for the best angle for your frame.

 
This activity was created by Sergio Salicio-Lupiañez, Visitor Assistant.

Share your art with friends and family and on social media with #ICAArtLab or email us at familyprograms@icaboston.org.

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Founder and Director of Abilities Dance Boston Ellice Patterson will take you through gentle stretching for every day. She will also walk you through telling a story through movement that is accessible for all bodies!
 

 La fundadora y directora de Abilities Dance Boston te guiará para hacer un estiramiento suave todos los días. También te introducirá en la narración a través del movimiento que sea accesible para todo tipo de cuerpo. 

 

Materials / Materiales:

A graphic of a human body figure

Only your body!
¡Solo el cuerpo! 

Note from Ellice: Please adapt all of these movements to whatever works for you. I use a mobility aid, so experiment how you can adapt if you use different mobility aids or, if you are a nondisabled person, how you can translate. Have fun and be creative!
 

 Nota de Ellice: Adapta estos movimientos a lo que funcione para ti. Yo uso una ayuda para la movilidad, así que prueba cómo se pueden hacer adaptaciones si se usan diferentes ayudas de movilidad o, si no eres una persona con discapacidad, mira cómo puedes interpretarlo. ¡Diviértete y usa tu creatividad!

Stretch / Estiramientos: 

A black and white image on a green background of a woman pointing to her throat with her right arm and her left leg resting on the arm of the chair.

1. Start with making a fist and placing it against your chest. Then take four deep, slow breaths in and out. Use this time to push out all of the negative internal and external thoughts and just focus on being in your body. 

1. Para comenzar, coloca el puño contra el pecho. Luego toma cuatro respiraciones, inhalando y exhalando de manera lenta y profunda. Durante este tiempo, libérate de todos los pensamientos negativos internos y externos, y concéntrate solamente en estar con el cuerpo.
   

A black and white image on a green background of a woman placing her right hand on her head and stretching her neck by tilting her head.

 

2. Take your hand and gently stretch your head side to side. Then roll your head slowly twice in both directions. 

2. Apoya la mano sobre un lado de la cabeza y haz estiramientos de un lado a otro. Luego gira la cabeza lentamente dos veces en ambas direcciones. 
   

A black and white image on a green background of a woman with her hands and fingers up as she talks.

3. Take your hands and curl as if you’re wrapping your hand around an ice cream cone finger by finger. Energize through your finger tips and build warmth in your hands. 

3. Toma tus manos y haz como si estuvieras envolviendo tus manos alrededor de un cono de helado, dedo por dedo. Siente la energía a través de los dedos y acumula calor en las manos.
   

A black and white image on a green background of a woman sitting in a chair as she reaches to bend down to her toes.

4. Take a stretch, bending forward as far as is comfortable and stay there for 5 sec — onds. If standing, ensure legs are straight and for an extra stretch bend your knees 5 times while bent over. Rise and take a stretch bending backward as far as is comfortable and stay for 5 seconds. 

4. Estírate, inclinándote hacia adelante tanto como te resulte cómodo y permanece en esa posición durante 5 segundos. Si estas de pie, asegúrate de tener las piernas extendidas, y si necesitas estirarte un poco más, flexiona las rodillas 5 veces a medida que te inclinas. Levántate e inclínate hacia atrás tanto como te resulte cómodo y permanece en esa posición durante 5 segundos. 

 

 

Ellice Patterson founded Abilities Dance in 2017 as a space for diverse artists to train and perform. Through their work, they use art as a tool to promote intersectional disability rights. They have performed at the MFA, Peabody Essex Museum, Wimberly Theatre at the BCA, and Gibney Dance in NYC, among other venues. 
 

 Ellice Patterson fundó Abilities Dance en 2017 como un espacio de capacitación y actuación para artistas diversos. A través de su trabajo, usan el arte como una herramienta para promover los derechos de diversas clases de discapacidad. Han actuado en el MFA, el Museo Peabody Essex, el Teatro Wimberly en el BCA y Gibney Dance en la ciudad de Nueva York, entre otros lugares.

 

Find Abilities Dance Boston on social media on Facebook and Instagram.

Find where they will be next at abilitiesdanceboston.org
 

Descubre a Abilities Dance Boston en las redes sociales, en Facebook e Instagram.

Obtén información sobre dónde actuarán próximamente en abilitiesdanceboston.org

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2020 has been an incredible year, unlike any in our history. This writing exercise and open mic activity calls for individuals to reimagine their present in order to dream toward a brighter and more autonomous future. Let’s get writing and enjoy an open mic for the entire family!

2020 ha sido un año increíble, como ningún otro en la historia. Este ejerci-cio de escritura y actividad a micró-fono abierto invita a volver a imaginar el presente para soñar con un futuro mejor y más autónomo. ¡Comenc-emos a escribir y a disfrutar de un micrófono abierto con toda la familia!

Materials/Materiales:

  • Writing Utensil / Útiles para escribir
  • Paper / Papel
  • Make-shift “microphone” (any household item will do!) / “Micrófono” (¡cualquier artículo del hogar servirá!)
     

A graphic illustration depicting steps for a writing exercise and includes icons of paper, pencil, avatar, and makeshift

 

Instructions:

  1. Gather your materials and find a cozy and quiet place to write.

  2. Think of an occurrence of this year you’d like to change or something that you wish had not happened. It can relate to something as large as the pandemic, or a small mishap in your day. Once you have thought of some-thing, go ahead and write it down!

  3. Write the story of that occurrence as it happened. Imagine you’re telling the story to your friend. When you get to the moment you’d like to change, in-sert a “miracle” or a moment of magic that changes the outcome.

  4. Host an open mic (with your makeshift “microphone”) where you and others can share their writing aloud. You can organize this live with the people in your household, or plan a virtual open mic via video call with friends and family. Offer snaps and applause for some of your favorite moments.

Instrucciones:

  1. Reúne los materiales y busca un lugar cálido y tranquilo de tu casa para escribir.
  2. Piensa en un hecho que haya ocurrido este año y que te gustaría cambiar o en algo que desearías que no hubiese suce-dido. Puede estar relacionado con algo tan importante como la pandemia o con un pequeño contratiempo en tu día. Una vez que hayas pensado en algo, ¡comien-za a escribir acerca de eso!
  3. Escribe una historia sobre este hecho tal como sucedió. Imagina que le estás con-tando esta historia a un amigo. Cuando llegues al momento que quisieras cambi-ar, inserta un “milagro” o un momento de magia que cambie el resultado.
  4. Presenta una sesión de micrófono abier-to (con tu “micrófono” casero) para que tú y los demás compartan en voz alta lo que escribieron. Puedes organizarla en vivo, con las personas que viven en tu hogar, o planear una sesión de micrófono abierto virtual con amigos y familiares. Saca fotografías y aplaude algunos de tus momentos favoritos.

 

Porsha Olayiwola is a writer, performer, educator, and curator who uses afro-futurism and surrealism to examine historical and current issues in the Black, woman, and queer diasporas. Olayiwola is the author of i shimmer sometimes, too and the current Poet Laureate for the City of Boston.

Porsha Olayiwola es una escritora, intérprete, educadora y curadora que examina temas históricos y actuales de las comunidades negras, de mujeres y homosexuales a través del afrofuturismo y el surrealismo. Porsha es la autora de i shimmer sometimes, too (a veces, también yo brillo) y es la Poeta Laureada actu-al de la ciudad de Boston.

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This activity is recommended for children ages 5 and up, and is a great activity to work on as a family.

By way of riddles and rhymes, explore our current moment and reimagine the future with your family! During this activity, you’ll collect household objects and build a temporary family sculpture to capture and reflect on for years to come.

Materials:

  • Household objects
  • Flat surface to place household objects on
  • Smartphone or digital camera to photograph final artwork

Directions

Work together to try and solve these riddles: 

1. What is Black and White and Read all over? 

A. An artwork

B. A family treasure

C. Music

D. Newspaper 

2. What is always in front of you, but can’t be seen?

A. At-home recycling machine

B. Time-travel portals

C. The Future

D. Gold 

3. It belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do. What is it?

A. Clothes

B. Your name

C. Toys

D. Instruments 

4. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

A. Yosemite!

B. Mirror

C. Silence

D. Crystal Lake 

Reveal answers + move on to next steps!

  1. D. Newspaper
  2. C. The Future
  3. B. Your name
  4. C. Silence 

Compare your answers with the hidden correct answers. How did you do? 

Explore your home or surroundings to find objects that represent each riddle answer.

Discuss the significance of each object. Here are some questions to explore while searching: 

A newspaper tells us what’s going on in the world. What object(s) around you represent what’s happening in our world? A book, a magazine, a painting? 

What does the future look like to you? What objects around you represent the future you want to see? A calendar, a clock, flower seeds, a full cup of water? 

What objects represent your identity? A school picture, something you made that you’re proud of, a uniform with your name on it? 

What do you do to relax or feel peaceful? What objects can represent this feeling? A book, a pillow, a favorite stuffed animal?

Final steps:

Assemblage

Once you have collected all your objects, arrange them in an interesting way. Try stacking them in a tower, or overlapping objects to hide secrets or show their importance. What other interesting ways can you showcase your objects? This action is called making an assemblage, which is how some contemporary artists create sculptures today. 

Line graphic and icon of a stacked assemblage sculpture made from household objects.

Photograph your work!

Photograph your assemblage to keep and reflect on in the future. Post it online to share with your friends, family, and community. Once you have collected all your objects, arrange them in an interesting way. Try stacking them in a tower, or overlapping objects to hide secrets or show their importance. What other interesting ways can you showcase your objects? This action is called making an assemblage, which is how some contemporary artists create sculptures today.

Photo Tips:

  • Find a flat, blank backdrop to place your arrangement in front of.
  • Use natural light or spotlights. Set up your light source behind you.
  • If using your phone, turn OFF the flash. Shoot in “auto.”
  • Photograph your assemblage from a straightforward perspective, then try photographing from above or below.
  • Save your original photo and play around with editing applications to achieve your desired results.

 

 

Cut-out silhouette of a figure in a blue plaid button-up shirt and red bowtie, and made from collage and mixed media.

Gerald L. Leavell II, M.F.A. is a community artist and arts educator based in Dallas, TX and Baltimore, MD. His practice is interdisciplinary in approach and often conceptual by nature. As a studio artist, Leavell mostly enjoys collage and assemblage—experimenting with materials, objects, and mediums to create…a “something.” 

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With every aspect of our daily lives being so disrupted and precarious right now, it can be difficult to cultivate meaningful rituals, routines, or even a sense of purpose. Finding ways to cope, no matter how big or small, are more important than ever.

The intent of this activity is to encourage a routine that slows down time, encourages visualization, and focuses on process rather than outcome. Like the sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhist monks, or the seasonal cycles of plants, you will create and erase—paint and rinse—and, through this rinsing, you will create a new space for creation. Ultimately, you will create a one-of-a-kind artwork that is a reminder of this process.

En este momento, cuando cada aspecto de nuestras vidas cotidianas resulta tan alterado y precario, puede ser difícil cultivar rituales significativos, rutinas o, incluso, un sentido de propósito. Encontrar maneras de sobrellevar las situaciones, sean estas grandes o pequeñas, es más importante que nunca.

El objetivo de esta actividad es fomentar una rutina que haga más lento el tiempo, facilite la visualización y se concentre más en el proceso que en el resultado. Al igual que los mandalas de arena de los monjes del budismo tibetano, o los ciclos estacionales de las plantas, crearás y borrarás—pintarás y lavarás—y, al lavar, al diluir, crearás un nuevo espacio de creación. En definitiva, crearás una obra de arte inimitable que será un recordatorio de este proceso.

Materials/Materiales:

  • Watercolor paint with brush / Acuarelas y pincel
  • Watercolor canvas board / Tablero de lienzo para acuarela 
  • Time / Tiempo
  • Water / Agua
     

 

Nine watercolor paintings depicting the progression of a purple flower growing from soil.

 

Instructions:

  1. Paint the soil
  2. Paint/Plant the seed
  3. Add water to your plant*
  4. Paint the growth
  5. Repeat steps 3-4 until your plant blossoms,
    or as long as you’d like

* This will rinse away most of the painting, leaving traces of color and a new canvas for you to continue on. 

Instrucciones:

  1. Pinta la tierra
  2. Pinta/Planta la semilla
  3. Agrégale agua a la planta*
  4. Pinta el brote
  5. Repite los pasos 3 y 4 hasta que la planta florezca o el tiempo que quieras.

* Esto hará que se lave o se diluya la mayor parte de la pintura, dejando trazos de color y un nuevo tablero de lienzo para que puedas seguir.

 

Shaka Dendy is a conceptual artist and musician living in Boston until he can move to the future.

Shaka Dendy es un artista conceptual y músico que vive en Boston hasta que pueda mudarse al futuro.

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This activity is recommended for children ages 5 and up, and is a great activity to work on as a family.

A public monument is a statue, building, or other structure that represents a special person or event. Are there examples of these in your community? Who and what do you want to see represented in monuments? Where should they exist? Dream and design your own monuments through these two activities designed for kids by teens. 

Draw or build your own monument!

Think about something that is really important to you. If you were to share it with the world, what would it look like? You can create something on paper or with found objects. See images in the banner above for some artwork examples we made to share with you!

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Coloring materials
     

MONUMENTAL COLORING SHEET

 

ICAartlab_monuments- COLORING SHEET

Coloring sheet by TAC member Rosaylin B., Activity text written by TAC member Scania G.

Steps:

  1. Using drawing utensils of your choice, fill in your name.

  2. Imagine yourself 15-20 years in the future. What is something that you want to accomplish?

  3. Draw your future self and accomplishment that you want to be remembered for.
     

 

Artist Bios

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CICI MARLÉNE B.

As a Black, lesbian, Haitian immigrant, I center marginalized beings within all that I create. My intention is to utilize my inner anguish and existential hubris in order to portray and represent celestial beings, such as myself, on the forefront of eternal life.

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KY B.

My name is Ky and I’m 19 years old. My way of self expression is multimedia art. I love to use the items we find unnecessary in this world and repurpose them into something worth looking at. I’m a writer: I write about my life and my point of view on the world, which I still have hope in. Moving to America from Tunisia at the age of 18 really gave me a different perspective on life and how truly beautiful it is. With my creations, I wish to show how the little things will always matter even if we choose to marginalize them. The world has potential yet we use it in the most destructive ways. I wish to show peace, equality and love through what I make. Through art, writing and activism, I find my hope.
 

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MINTOU B.

My name is Mintou Barry and I’m 18 years old. I express myself and create art typically through photography, however I am interested in and open to learning more about digital art and graphic design. I care a lot about social justice issues and reform and I’m very passionate about obtaining equity for minorities. Through my art, I hope others will be inspired to express themselves freely through their own art.
 

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ROSAYLIN B.

I’m Rosaylin and I’m 17 years old. I love to express myself through my makeup and general appearance. I’m currently learning how to create films and digital art. With my art, I hope to inspire others to seek out the best versions of themselves.

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SCANIA G.

My name is Scania Garcia and I’m 16 years old. My eyes see the world with an unfocused lens and my mind is often fogged. Art has taught me to focus on the more beautiful things, even when I feel like there aren’t any. I have the chance to see the world and its beauty in its entirety: Unfiltered and whole. The fun thing about existing is that you have the opportunity to make your life your own.