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New
York State Funding for Arts Education
Partnerships - SAP
P.S. 99Q Kew Gardens
with Queens Council on the Arts -
The Art of Liberty
The Art of Liberty engaged students
and teachers in producing five large
murals and four adjacent smaller murals
throughout PS 99, painted directly
on the walls. The imagery reflects
events and aspects of US History.
The murals were designed and developed
with the aid of computers as an image-processing
tool. They serve the school as a source
for study and inspiration for future
generations of students
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The five classes
of students and teachers each
chose one of the following themes
for their mural: Symbols of
Liberty, The American Revolution,
The Civil War, Immigration,
and Civil and Human Rights.
Students studied
U.S. History by examining artwork,
reading historical fiction,
researching specific individuals,
events and period of the U.S.,
and by creating visual narratives
that reflect what they learned
through these experiences. |
The Revolutionary War mural
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Designing the murals
began in the fall. Students researched
the topics and developed their skills
in math, history, reading, technology,
visual arts, and process skills such
as group work, task commitment, and
cooperative abilities.
Students
working on the Revolutionary
War mural |
In
the Visual Arts, students learned
how to analyze murals, draw
portraits, examine
scaling methods, design components
of their specific period of
American History, draw and paint,
work individually and as a team,
and to make adjustments and
changes to their class murals
as they took shape.Mural
painting began in April and
continued until the end of June.
Their faces were a wonder to
behold: the look and feel of
accomplishment as they “actually
painted on the wall.”
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At the end of the project, students
were asked to write about their mural
experience and the residency process.
"The technology
we used to set up the mural
was very thought out. We wanted
to show the Civil War because
it shows the history of America,
and so we do not make the same
mistakes again." - Samiallah,
Grade 5
"I didn’t want to
paint because I thought I would
mess up but Ms. Ann told me
it’s okay if you mess
up. When I was painting I was
pretty good because she believed
in me." - Keyonne, Grade
5
Harriet
Tubman |
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This wonderful opportunity inspired
students to become leaders and educate
their peers in art, social studies,
language arts and technology. Learning
across disciplines opened doors to
an exciting experience. Teachers expanded
their strategies to address different
learning styles in their students.
"There are moments when after
completing a task you can reflect
back and say “I made a difference.”
I know we can say that about the “Art
of Liberty” project." -
Roberta Nelson, Talented & Gifted
Specialist
See
more pictures
from "The Art of Liberty."
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