Betye Saar Assemblage Sculpture, Black History Month Art Project, High School

Students study Betye Saar and how she uses found objects to tell stories about history, memory and identity. After looking at her work and the history behind it, including the Middle Passage, the Great Migration and The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, each student builds a small storytelling sculpture on a personal or historical theme and explains their choices in writing.

What's included

• Teacher instructions: overview, prep checklist and day-by-day schedule
• 31-slide presentation on Saar and assemblage, with a gallery of student work (PDF, plus an editable Google Slides copy)
• Materials guide: storage, getting families to donate objects, and a starter supply list
• Aunt Jemima investigation handout (used with a free Art Class Curator page)
• Do-now prompt linking students' own collections to assemblage
• Self-assessment checklist, 3-part written critique, and a matching 5-category rubric
• Links to two short videos (2 and 14 minutes) with notes on when to show them

Good to know

• 9 to 11 class periods
• High school; students should already know the Elements of Art
• Day 2 discusses racist imagery. My teacher notes help you decide how to handle it with your class.
• Low cost: 5x7 cardboard bases, hot glue, string, and found or donated objects
• Files: PDFs

Questions? hello@mslsartroom.com