Integrated Art Classes Support Deeper Understanding

CAW in-school art projects integrate with humanities curriculum

Students at Hamilton Grange Middle School are gaining a deeper understanding of the humanities thanks to Creative Art Works in-school programs, which aligns art projects with the essential questions and major themes of core academic courses. This integrated approach encourages students to draws connections between different areas of study by emphasizing related concepts across subject matters.

“It makes such a difference to have our art lessons properly sync up with what the students are learning in their humanities classes. The 6th graders had a lot of fun making connections between greek gods and heroes and characters they already know from other stories and pop culture. They were delighted when we passed out copies of the greek mythology comic books at the end of class.”

— CAW Teaching Artist Ayla Rexroth

“Can One person make a difference?”

The essential questions that seventh-grade students have been exploring in their humanities classes this year all revolve around issues of power and individual rights. In light of this, CAW Teaching Artist Ayla Rexroth challenged her students to design a print that highlighted an issue of social justice which had personal significance to them. These young artists did not shy away from some of the most contentious issues of our day, including gun violence, climate change, and immigration.

Students drew inspiration from wood-block prints created by Mexican activists, including Jose Guadelupe Posada, Leopoldo Mendez, and Arturo García Bustos, as well as Mexican-American artist Elizabeth Catlett. These artists used print-making as a simple and inexpensive way to advocate for political and social change at a time when other forms of mass communications were out of reach to average citizens. HGMS students made their prints by inscribing their designs onto foam plates.

A Gallery of Social Justice Prints

Build your Own Archetypes

Sixth-grade students studying ancient Greek mythology were introduced to the concept of archetypes — characters who appear repeatedly in myths and stories across cultures, such as the hero, the trickster, and the wise man. This concept was integrated into an art unit on cartooning and anatomy. Students were given the chance to sculpt their own clay models based on characters from literature, movies, and popular culture, who represent universal archetypes. The sculptures included Hester Prynne of the The Scarlet Letter, Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, and a dizzying array of humans, animals, mermaids, and sea monsters.

At a Meet the Writer event, students got to ask author and artist George O’Conner questions about his series of graphic novels, The Olympians — each volume of which tells the story of one of the gods in the Olympic pantheon. Students then made their own cartoons telling a story about the archetype they created, further enriching their understanding.

CAW's in-school programs at HGMS are made possible, in part, by a grant from West Harlem Development Corporation.