IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK...

People have been putting art on walls since The Stone Age, before writing and agriculture (think of it simply as farming-growing plants, raising animals).  Art sent a message to the community.  What do you think this early art was trying to say, express or communicate?

What surface is this art created on?  What materials would have been available to the artists?  Would they have been able to go to Michael's or Blick to get canvas and paint brushes?

Look at the subject of the art.  Most common are large ice age animals like horses, bison, mammoths, and deer. You can see human figures, handprints, and abstract symbols. 

Pigments were created from natural materials like charcoal (black), ochre (reds and yellows), and materials from nature.  Some images were carved or scratched into the rock.  Even 10,000 to 20,000 years ago,  pictures were placed on walls to communicate and display what was important to the people of these areas of the world.

Artists today are still creating art on walls.  When an artist creates a large-scale artwork on a wall, it's called a Mural.  What would motivate an artist to create art this size?  Can you think of any murals inside or near our school?  

Artists are able to communicate their ideas to more people and even the world when they create murals.  Large art murals are easily seen and can be enjoyed by the community.  They can provide beauty or share an important message.

 The Giant of Boston is a mural found in Boston and painted by Brazillian artists by Os Gemeos.  Their art explores the idea of immigrating or moving to another country.  When you move to a new city, you bring your culture, ideas and beliefs and that might affect how you feel in a new place. How do you feel when you are in a new place? (excited, nervous, proud, unsure, timid)

Kelsey Montague creates murals around the world that often ask the question, What lifts you?  These murals bring joy to a community and ask us to think about what inspires us?  What are your dreams and goals?

Saint Louis has Mural Mile.  A stretch of a flood wall (a large barrier that protects St. Louis if the Mississippi river were to rise) that sits between Saint Louis and the Mississippi River is covered in graffiti and murals.  Area artists can use this space to be creative and expressive and also beautify an industrial and neglected part of a city.

Artists can use murals to send messages to the community.  What do you think Banksy might be showing that he/she thinks is important or values?

Not all murals are on walls.  Can you tell where this mural was painted?  Michelangelo painted this mural in Italy.  Does anyone know the title of this painting?  

Art we hang on the walls of our home and the spaces we visit can represent what we like and what we value.  Think about the art on the walls of schools, offices, libraries, even your fridge or phone screen.

When a person puts art under a magnet on the fridge, in a frame on the wall or saved on a phone screen, it will be seen often.  We surround ourselves with things we want to see. 

How do you choose what to display?

*beauty, memories, decoration, heritage...

What are some items you have on your walls?  Tell us about what you or your family displays on the wall, a shelf, the fridge or another place?  and why?  what do we value?  

What will you display on your walls?

What will your art communicate?  and Who is the message for?