Art & Lit 2022 |Collectively You Portrait
Your authentic self is who you really are deep down, the part of you that doesn’t care what others think. Revealing who you really are takes courage, but learning how to be your authentic self is an essential part of building meaningful relationships - just like protagonists Cece, Héctor, Mateo, and Rufus do in the books that inspired this project!
Authenticity happens when your words, actions, and behaviors consistently match your core identity. That core identity is a collage – or collection – of our experiences, our actions, our values, and our histories. So how do we put our authentic selves out there? We reflect and courageously share.
Our stories sit right next to stories of other people in our communities – our families, our friends, our neighbors. Being generous, patient, and challenging the assumptions we make about others creates space for us to learn their real story and learn about ourselves in the process. This project encourages you to create a portrait that explores the collage of who you are.
View a tutorial of the project below:
The ARTISTS who inspires us
Hannah Höch
Collage is an artistic technique that assembles pieces to form a new whole. Collage artists usually use elements like newspapers, photographs, paint, clothing, and other objects to create collages.
The most renowned collage artists are Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch, Joseph Cornell, Henri Matisse, Robert Rauschenberg, Wangechi Mutu.
The BOOKS that inspire us
We have identified three age-appropriate anchor texts for students in 4th-12th grade. Each text shares common threads of resilience, courage, belonging, and friendship enabling families and partner sites to engage in shared, thematic conversation and exploration. Words Alive embraces a model of creative invitations that guide students through making connections to text in multiple ways. Our robust curriculum supports learning for students aligned with this approach.
Check out a book at the library or purchase one through our Bookshop, and read along!
4th - 5th grade
“And being different? That turned out to be the best part of all. I found that with a little creativity, and a lot of dedication, any difference can be turned into something amazing. Our differences are our superpowers.”
6th - 8th grade
“Be yourself. Be over the top. Outlast them. Show them that no amount of fear will ever make you change who you are. ”
9th - 12th grade
“You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.”
Join the Conversation: Mental Health and Mindfulness
No matter which Art & Lit book you choose, the whole family can connect about the topic of
mental health using this guide to get you started.
