Martin Luther King Art Lesson Freedom MLK Art Project MLK Art Activity

This MLK Day "Freedom Is..." Hand Drawing Project invites students to reflect on freedom, diversity and identity through art. Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of peace, kindness and equality, students draw a hand, fill it with a mosaic of colors to represent diversity, and add personal symbols of freedom in the background.

The lesson blends realism and symbolism while students practice drawing, oil pastel blending and painting. It fits MLK Day, Black History Month and social justice discussions, and works for classroom teachers and homeschool educators.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★★ “I used this in coordination with a project I found in an article on the Art of Ed website on the wide range of skin tones seen in the human race. It generated a great depth of discussion in addition to the joy of creating the visual art.” Marti A.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (27 PAGES, NON-EDITABLE)

• About the Resource
• Lesson Plan (2 pages) with materials, learning outcomes, goals and "Teacher Does/Student Does" instructions
• "Freedom Is..." Bulletin Board Sign
• "Freedom Is..." Brainstorm Page for students to reflect on their own definition of freedom
• MLK "Freedom Is..." Hand Step-by-Step Drawing Handout
• Art Piece Demonstration Step-by-Step (15 slides with images and descriptions)
• Example of Completed Art Piece
• Rubric for Art Piece

Materials needed: pencil, eraser, black felt, the step-by-step draw handouts (30 copies), watered-down blue or purple paint (or watercolor), card stock or thick paper such as watercolor paper, oil pastels, a paintbrush and water.

HOW TO USE IT

Look over the lesson plan, gather the materials in advance, and photocopy the student handouts such as the step-by-step draw and rubric. You may want to make a sample yourself using the visual and text step-by-steps.

Print the poster sample in color and show it before the lesson as your hook. Then show the PDF on a projector or under a document camera for students to follow, or use it as your guide while you demonstrate. Every step includes both a visual and a text description.

FAQ

What do students create?

A drawn hand filled with a mosaic of colors, with personal symbols of what freedom means to them in the background.

What art techniques are covered?

Drawing, oil pastel blending and painting with watered-down paint or watercolor.

How many pages are included?

27 non-editable pages, including a 15-slide step-by-step demonstration.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★★ “This was a great project. I will definitely use it again” Esperanza J.

★★★★★ “Thank you!” Angie B.

★★★★★ “Thank you” Amy K.

★★★★★ “thank you” Michelle J.

★★★★ “We did this project in honor of MLK Day - it was perfect!” Tami R.

★★★★ “Students really were engaged with this art project during out MLK Jr. unit. Thank you” kindle K.

★★★★ “I am currently using the material. I have found videos of children reciting the 'I Have a Dream' speech is staring a conversation of what freedom is. I have created a google document with the prompt Freedom Is to assist students in brainstorming. I will modify the drawing to have the students trace their hands and create symbols to represent what freedom means to them.” Nancy L.

★★★★ “After going to an art museum for a field trip, I wanted students to be able to create their own art. As it was close to MLK Day, this fit the bill for art and for celebrating MLK Jr.” Joanna F.

★★★★ “Very useful resource. My students enjoyed it. Thank you.” Rachel K.

★★★★ “Helpful resource for my gifted class. They enjoyed this. Thank you!” AZteacher49

★★★★ “I really enjoyed this resource! It was very helpful!” Mikayla S.

★★★★ “I am super satisfied. I really liked this resource. Thank you so much!” Sara's P.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use the images as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations, and use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: share this product with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic