Poems about Works of Art, Featuring Women and Other Marginalized Writers

Classroom Activities

Snapshot Activism

The main goal of this unit is for students to gain pride and a sense of belonging to their neighborhood of Bridgeport. To do this, students must understand that they can create the change they wish to see in it. So, once students have a solid understanding of ekphrastic poetry, we will then transition into using works of art as activism. This activity called, “Snapshot Activism,” will engage students in creating change. We will begin by using an example from artist LaToya Ruby Frazier titled, “Flint is Family.” As mentioned above, LaToya used her photography to document the water crisis that Flint still faces today and uses it as a form of activism to change this epidemic. As a class, we will identify the purpose of her project by understanding her intended goal. We will then decide why she used the photographs she did and what message they sent to audiences. Finally we will dig into the impact this project has made by asking ourselves whether if the intended goals were met. It will then be the students turn. As a class, we will take a walking tour of our neighborhood. On this tour, students will be equipped with a camera of some sort. They will be instructed to take photographs of things that they see as impacting their neighborhood in a negative or positive way. Each student should take a minimum of three photos each. By taking both positive and negative photos, students will learn what makes their neighborhood both a place where they want to be and one where they don’t want to be. When we return to the classroom, I will have students share with their peers the photos they took and why. In small groups they will discuss the positive or negative impact of each photo and create a t-chart to document. Students will then choose one of the photographs they took that they believe impacts our neighborhood negatively. Students will then identify why the photo negatively impacts our neighborhood and how they can use this photograph to promote change, just as LaToya did for Flint. Students will then write an ekphrastic poem for the photograph that will raise awareness of this issue with the intended goal of changing the problem. Students will each be allowed to share their poem with the class. Their photographs accompanying with their poem will be made available around our school as well as around the neighborhood in coffee shops, restaurants, the police station, etc. This activity will be the first of many that allows students to use their works of art and poetry to promote change in their community.

Engaging Neighborhood Artwork Using Graffiti Walls and Gallery Walks

Graffiti walls and gallery walks will be used several times throughout this unit. The first time we will be using graffiti walls will be to encourage students to learn about each neighborhood of focus by examining its public works of art. To begin this activity, I will post four graffiti walls around the classroom, each having of a work of art from the neighborhood of study on it. For example, when we begin to learn about Bronzeville, our first lesson will be to engage students by using Bronzeville’s public art and graffiti walls. On each graffiti wall I will post one of the following, an image of the statue titled Monument to the Great Migration, an image of the mural titled Bronzeville, an image of the laser cut steel work of art titled The Recognition Panels, and an image of the statue titled Victory Monument. The image of the work of art will be on each graffiti wall but students will not see the title of the work of art until half way through this exercise so that the title does not influence students’ initial interpretations. Students will begin the activity by walking around to visit each graffiti wall, equipped with a writing utensil of their choice. When they stop at each graffiti wall, they will write or draw whatever comes to mind when viewing the image of the work of art. They can describe what it looks like, what the work of art is made out of, what it reminds them of, emotions that arise as they view it, etc. It should take students roughly ten minutes to comment on each graffiti wall. Students will then have a chance to view all their classmates’ comments and the works of art again in a gallery walk. During the gallery walk, students will be equipped with a graphic organizer to guide them in interpreting the work of art beyond their initial reactions to the work of art and the title. See the graphic organizer below. Students should complete as much as they can of the graphic organizer during the gallery walk, with the exception of the row labeled “context.” After students complete the gallery walk and return to their seats, I will provide students with more context for each work of art. I will describe the work of art and the time period it was created in as well as the purpose of the work of art and any other details necessary for students. Students will choose one of the works of art and write an ekphrastic poem, using the graffiti walls and their graphic organizers. Once students have completed their poems, we will have a final gallery walk for this activity so students can share their work. Their poems will surround the work of art and students will have time to visit each work of art and read their classmates ekphrastic poems.

Chicago Neighborhoods: Works of Art Gallery Walk Graphic Organizer

Neighborhood Art Walks, Writing Ekphrastic Poetry Using Guided Imagery and Poetry Slams

Along with interpreting works of art and poetry as well as creating their own, students will be learning the history of four Chicago neighborhoods, spending about a week on each. To engage students in learning about each neighborhood, we will begin with the graffiti walls and gallery walks as described above. We will then use articles, current news and other texts to learn about how each neighborhood came to be and the reason behind the segregation of ethnicities in our city. Students will begin to explore each neighborhood’s works of art using online websites to get more familiar with the neighborhood and practice writing ekphrastic poetry. We will conclude each week with a neighborhood art walk. On the art walk, students will be equipped with a camera of some sort so they can take photographs of the works of art in the neighborhood. Students will be encouraged to take as many pictures as catch their eye, keeping in mind that they will be choosing one work of art to write a poem about. We will spend the whole day in each neighborhood exploring what it has to offer. We may have lunch in a park and stop in local stores to begin to really get an understanding for the neighborhood. When we return to school, students will choose two works of art to print out and begin to brainstorm which will be the best for them to write a poem about. Once students choose which work of art they will be writing about, we will use the strategy of guided imagery to brainstorm. Students will have a piece of paper and a color image of the work of art they will write about on their desk. The lights will be dimmed and I will tell students to close their eyes as I ask each question, but that they can open their eyes to write down their responses. Students will be encouraged to respond to as many as the following prompts as possible, but to a minimum of ten. I will ask the following, “Describe the work of art. What do you see in it? What else do you see? What words would you use to describe this work of art? What other words might we use?  How would you describe the lines in this picture? The colors? The shapes? How would you describe this painting to a person who hasn’t seen it? How would you describe the people in this picture? How are they like you? How are they different from you? Relate it to yourself. What things do you recognize in this work of art? What does this painting remind you of? How is this painting like the one we just saw? How is it different? How is this picture different from real life? What interests you most about this work of art? analyze it. What is the first thing you notice in this picture? Why does that stand out to you? What is the largest and the smallest thing you see in this picture? What objects seem closest to you? Further away? What can you tell me about the colors in this work of art? What color is used the most in this work of art? What do you think is the most important part of this work of art? Why? How do you think the artist made this work of art? Interpret it. What title would you give to this work of art? What sounds would this work of art make (if it could)? What can you tell us about the person in this work of art? What do you think this work of art is about? Why do you think that? Pretend you are inside this work of art. What does it feel like? Why do you think the artist made this work of art? Evaluate it. Why do you think other people should see this work? What grade would you give the artist for this work of art? Why? What do you think is important to remember about this work of art? How well did the artist do on this work? What makes you say that?” Students will use their responses to the prompts and create an ekphrastic poem. After we complete the writing process for the poems, students will present their poems to the class, as well as friends and family, in our poetry slam.