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Cultural Understanding and Critical Thinking
Focus on Romare Bearden’s artwork and visual conversation
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“You should always respect what you are and your culture because if your art is going to mean anything, that is where it comes from.”
— Romare Bearden
Under Construction: Collage from The Mint Museum includes works of art by artists from other countries or eras or who have backgrounds different from those of your students. For this activity, students will look at an artwork by Romare Bearden as a visual conversation about artists who convey community, race, and culture through their art.
Although he was an accomplished painter and printmaker, Romare Bearden is best known for his masterful use of collage. Bearden used cut and torn photographs found in popular magazines as well as painted papers he made himself. He would then reassemble them into visually powerful statements on African American life. His imagery and symbols and imagery depict the hectic life of New York City and his adopted home of Harlem, memories of his North Carolina childhood home, a celebration of jazz, and blues musicians, and of African American religion and spirituality.
Romare Bearden’s work reflects on his life growing up in rural North Carolina as well as the bustling Harlem community he moved to in New York city. In this piece, we can find details in the different characters’ clothing that tells the story of a family member living in the city visiting an older loved one still living in a rural community.
Examples of Bearden’s art tells stories about urban and rural life for African-American citizens. See more of his works here: http://www.mintmuseums.org/art/exhibitions/detail/romare-bearden-southern-recollections/
Located in Gallery 1
I wonder... Does this look familiar to you?
Many of George Washington’s portraits and profiles look the same Take a look at a selection of George Washington’s portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Washington, Washington Everywhere | National Portrait Gallery
Why do you think so may artists would use the same image over and over again? How did this contribute to new Americans learning about the founding of the United States?
Think of other portraits you have seen and look at other images below—what does each one tell us something about the person featured? What has the artist shared with us about the subject of the painting?
SSP.01 Gather information from a variety of sources
SSP.05 Develop historical awareness by: Sequencing past, present, and future in chronological order and Understanding that things change over time
SS.4.08 Determine the importance of different groups to the American Revolution
Located in Gallery 1
Located in Gallery 1
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
Invite students to identify examples of how Romare Bearden represented his culture, the time period, and race or ethnicity of the figures seen in the The Train.
- Ask students to research Bearden’s heritage. Have them explore:some text
- Black communities in early 20th century North Carolina
- Harlem in the mid 20th century
- Major events that took place in the U.S. during his lifetime, especially those related to race relations. As they research, ask them to keep a list of facts they learn that help them to better understand and appreciate this artist’s life experience.
- Next, using their list and looking at the objects, setting, and people in the image, ask them to write about what this work might mean in the context of the information learned about the artist’s life and times.
Located in Gallery 1
Located in Gallery 1
Not on view
Something to consider: STEM Connection
Artists were key players in documenting conflicts both to share with the public and to create a record of events. Do some research about the methods used in the artworks from the Hunter Museum. How would an etching or lithograph reach a different group of people than a painting? How would these inventions (and others like photography and film) affect the ways in which Americans learned about and responded to conflict?
SSP.01 Gather information from a variety of sources, including media and technology sources
ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS
Look at artworks by Romare Bearden and other pieces he and other artists have made that depict a personal understanding of race and culture through the content, symbolism, and perspective of the work. Look at examples by other artists that use mixed media and collage elements to share personal stories.
- Elizabeth Catlett
- Radcliffe Bailey
- Jiha Moon
Review the critical thinking questions listed above with the students and use their answers a motivation for making their own artwork.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Using a pencil, have students sketch out a scene, story or interaction that shares a perspective on their lives– if they need help, suggest a holiday, special occasion or place that their family celebrates or visits that offers insight into what makes their family special or unique.
- Use collage and other materials to fill in the scene. Suggest ways to help the main idea stand out by using brighter colors or layering different textures, colors and materials to draw attention to these important details.
- Have students share their work along with a short paragraph or presentation that highlights what they are sharing with the group.
Located in Gallery 4
Located in Gallery 4
Located in Gallery 14
Art can be an expression of identity and culture. Some communities have had these important personal representations threatened because they were different or were in opposition to new ideas being brought by expanding frontiers.
Look at the following 3 artworks that respond to the impact on the people and the land during the Westward Expansion of the United States.
Consider: what emotions do you see represented? Can you find examples of how it felt to lose something very important? Can you also find examples of resilience? What symbols, colors, and details did the artist use to share these emotions?
SS.3.22 Examine how American Indian cultures changed as a result of contact with European cultures, including: decreased population, spread of disease (smallpox), increased conflict, loss of territory, and increase in trade.
Located in Gallery 5
Located in Gallery 5
Located in Gallery 5
Cities also expanded rapidly during the mid 19th century. People came to the United States from all over the world! In cities like New York, many diverse groups of people lived very close together. Trains, trolleys, and streets showcased the many ways lives overlapped.
Look at the images below: Find people who are working, resting, excited, nervous, and confident. What are they doing? Where do you think they are going?
SSP.03 Organize data from a variety of sources in order to: Compare and contrast multiple sources, Recognize differences between multiple accounts, and Frame appropriate questions for further investigation
R.1. Cornerstone Read closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Located in Gallery 3
Located in Gallery 12
Located in Gallery 14
Listen to the song Poor Old Joe by Paul Robeson, a renowned singer during the early 1900s and the Harlem Renaissance. During the Great Migration, many African Americans travelled to cities in the North in search of new opportunities and equality while others remained and worked in agriculture in the South. How do the lyrics connect to the artwork?*
*This is an artwork about migration by someone who was an immigrant (rather than a migrant) but has overlapping themes for both experiences as discussed above
Left: Hung Liu (1948-2021), I Hear Their Gentle Voice Calling, 2017, mixed media, multi-layer resin, 82 x 82 in. Toledo Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey.
Located in Gallery 12
Located in Gallery 15
Immigrants have been crucial in shaping American history and culture. Many of America’s most celebrated artists were immigrants or the children of immigrants who chose to build their lives in the U.S.
Located in Gallery 18
Located in Gallery 18
Look at the artworks above and at left: Think about how these two artists combine images from American culture with historical Japanese and Korean art to create something new.
Located in Gallery 1
Activity: Mimi Herbert left half of the work Celebration Flag blank, suggesting an opportunity for viewers to add their own ideas to complete the flag. Flags are used to identify a place using colors and symbols—The United States flag uses 50 stars for the 50 states, 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies, blue for justice, red for valor and bravery, and white for purity and innocence. Use the blank space provided in the activity below to share how you would complete Mimi’s flag.
Download activity
Located in Gallery 13
Contemporary art continues to address themes of identity, conflict, movement and our changing world. Contemporary can be defined as “right now.” All artwork is contemporary at the time it is made and reflects the social, political and personal impacts of the artist’s environment. Look at the works below. How do these artworks reflect on history as well as the “right now”?
Not on view
Not on view
Not on view
Paper
Pencils
Collage materials (magazines, photographs, print images, fabric, etc)
Glue or tape
Scissors
Drawing/painting materials (charcoal, oils pastels, water color, other paints)
