Diversity in Childrens Books

As schools prepare for a critical academic year like no other, educators are looking to engage with students in essential literacy skills while providing high-quality literature that students can relate to, enjoy and learn from.

Join Jennifer Serravallo, renowned literacy consultant, expert, and New York Times bestselling author, and Adjoa Burrowes, educator, artist, and award-winning Lee & Low author and illustrator for an Live-Only Webinar, as they discuss:

• how diversity and identity fits into reading instruction
  
• how to incorporate race and social justice into your literacy block
  
• explicit tips for supporting comprehension, phonics instruction, and writing techniques with incredible texts
  

Attendees will come away with book recommendations, resources, and more importantly practical and concrete strategies to take with you into your own respective setting.

Whether you are a teacher, librarian, administrator, or parent, please join us for this incredibly timely and essential conversation about the importance of diversity for young readers in kindergarten and first grade. 

Kindergarten teacher, Damaa Bell and Adjoa Burrowes

My ten week art and writing residency at Ludlow Taylor elementary school ended today with a gallery walk of student artist books created during the residency. Each book housed picture stories and written narratives. During the residency, kindergarten students created tissue paper collages referencing a springtime memory and used the picture as a bridge to writing their unique narratives. Other images were created in their winter books about a memory during winter break. Students learned several basic book forms including the flag and accordion book and learned how to create paste paper with pigment and adhesive to make textured effects on paper. The final books demonstrated their understanding of bookmaking, creative writing, and art processes including collage. All students were totally engaged in the creative process. Thank you Ms. Bell for being a great partner in learning!

Students created Spring and Winter accordion books that
housed their visual and written narratives.

One student sharing her writing with her parents.

Student proudly sharing her collage picture story with her mom.

One proud author and illustrator posing with her Dad.

Putting Bee Banners Together

Adding the flowers, bees, sun and trees that the 2nd grade
students at Seaton ES created.

Bee Banner Teamwork

Students at Seaton created paste paper flowers to add to the Bee Banners

Working in a team to create the hexagon honeycomb

Building the Bee Banner

Students collages tissue square for the banner grass

Students paste paper sheets to use for flowers

Paste paper flowers for the Bee Banner

Constructing Flag Star Books

As the Kennedy Center residency comes to a close, 5th graders construct a flag book illustrated with drawings from the zodiac constellation. 

It's In The Stars: Our Personal Constellation

My personal constellation star book

Students writing their star stories

My 5th grade students in a S.W. DC school are finishing up their accordion books during my Kennedy Center bookmaking residency this fall. In ten sessions I led students in creating their own personal constellations based on their lives and values. Students created three star patterns, choosing an object and animal to illustrate and outline for the first two. The third star pattern was created from individual photos I took of them striking a pose. Each object was traced and outlined.

Students had to identify character traits that resonated with who they were inside. Words had to be translated into Latin. The objects and animals they chose had to be researched and students had to justify their choices in writing. Finally, after hearing stories about how ancient cultures created myths about the stars, they wrote their own star stories based on the animals, objects and characters in their constellations.

Anacostia Lantern Walk

Adjoa leading workshop                    Photo by Mike Briscoe

The Lantern Walk was inspired by the story of African American families who built their homes in the historic Barry Farm / Hillsdale neighborhoods in Anacostia by candlelight after returning home from a long day’s work. Presented by the 11th Street Bridge Park and Washington Performing Arts.

More photos of lantern walk

Photo by Matt Campbell

Self-Advocacy & the Arts Training

I had an opportunity to train with Master teaching artists Erica Rooney and Nancy Volante from Everyday Arts in Special Education (NYC). They led teaching artists in training on arts activities that promote self-advocacy skills for high-school students with disabilities. They demonstrated multiple activities in dance, theater, music, and visual arts with a special emphasis on:

• How to extract multiple lessons and value from any given arts activity
• How / why / what makes arts valuable tools for teaching and learning in a special education classroom
• How to create new activities and adapt your own activities with the above in mind

Thanks to Susan Oetgen for organizing this valuable training opportunity!

Connecting Text and Image

Wow! I found this video of me and writer Joy Jones discussing how to connect text with images in books that the National Museum of Women in the Arts did over 7 years ago for their Arts, Books and Creativity (ABC)  a model arts integration curriculum that marries visual art and language arts in bookmaking. 
http://artbookscreativity.org/video/connect-text-and-images/

Step by Step Collage portrait

Before 3rd grade students start their cut-paper collage portraits I show them an exemplar to demonstrate the steps.

Artist Adjoa Burrowes Conducts Sculpture Workshop

This article appeared in the Critical Conversations on Art Practice, Theory and Research blog that captures the artistic practice and research of students in ARTE 780: Cultural Diversity in Art and Society class at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. https://criticalconversationssite.wordpress.com/

Collaborative Art Making at VCU

Grad student Anika, created her sculpture from recyclables.

I had a great opportunity to be a visiting artist at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA this week as a guest in Dr. Pamela Lawton's "Cultural Diversity, Art and Society" class. During the three hour class with graduate and doctoral students, I shared my latest sculptural art form with them through  a visual presentation and invited them to experiment creating a small sculpture from recyclables. The last part of the session was dedicated to collectively creating a cardboard sculpture that was placed on display in the VCU Arts building.

Dr. Pam Lawton working on the collaborative sculpture.

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Ginger's sculpture made from recyclables.

David, a musician and doctoral student at VCU's sculpture.

VCU's graduate and doctoral students at conclusion of workshop.

Turning The Page "Community Nights" at DC Public School Engages Families

"Turning The Page" invited me to engage with families and teachers at an elementary school in SW D.C. as part of their “Community Nights” series that give families a chance to meet an author or illustrator, learn about their writing and art process, and discover what inspired the book. I read to an audience of children, teachers, parents and other family members. Each child walked away that evening with a signed copy of my book, Grandma's Purple Flowers, compliments of TTP. Turning the Page is a non-profit organization that supports DC public schools in Ward 8 to increase their capacity to engage families in their children’s education. http://turningthepage.org/

First, third and fourth grade classes made cut-paper portraits of their grandparents inspired by my book  "Grandma's Purple Flowers. Photo by Vvdaul Holloway

Sharing my art process with students, families and

teachers. Photo by Vvdaul Holloway

Last Day Art Camp

Students worked so hard on their artworks at the Black Rock Art Center mixed bag week long art camp in Gaithersburg, MD. On the last day students displayed all their work for parents and family to see. Students printed, painted, sculpted with clay and paper, drew, made book forms and had a whole LOT of fun!

Figure That!

Students sketched their peers in a figure drawing exercise. 

Art Element Exploration.

 I love working on paper sculpture with students where they can explore line, shape, color and other art elements with paper to create a playful composition.

Prints on Display

My students displayed their glue prints, which were printed on rice paper, on the wall. 

Summer Camp Printing at Black Rock Art Center

Students created glue prints today. Some very beautiful textures can be had. 

Pour Your Art Out - DC

Surrounded by Arts on the Block - Pour your Art Out teen apprentices. 

Invited by Arts on the Block - Pour your ART Out - DC lead artist, Sonal Sheth, I shared my art and books with high school teen apprentices. I talked about my journey as a visual artist and how my career has taken many exciting twists and turns as a visual artist, author/illustrator and graphic artist. 

Apprentices working on a mosaic tile commission.

Arts on the Block in the Washington, DC area offers young people a unique chance to learn directly how art, design and business are linked by getting involved in "real-world projects" over the summer and throughout the school year. Apprentices will showcase their creations at an Exhibition and Reception on Thursday, August 6 at 5:00 pm at Pepco Edison Gallery in Washington, DC. For more information go to http://artsontheblock.com/