Each year, students at Wade King Elementary School learn about a different region of the world through their World Tour program. To kick off this year’s 2015 unit on Africa, four of the fifty-five nations were highlighted to increase understanding of the world’s cultural and artistic traditions and represent the great diversity of the continent: Ghana (West Africa); Morocco (North Africa); Rwanda (East Africa); and South Africa (Southern Africa). Students were presented with an introduction to the Art of Africa by Deborah Stokes, Curator for Education. During a planned week of art activities integrated into their curriculum, Deborah guided them through a variety of art workshops that included Moroccan Mosaics, Akan Adinkra Symbols, West African Masks, and Ndebele Wall Painting Designs. This video was made possible by the work of 5th graders Mimi Baydek and Diane Park who interviewed students responding to what they liked best about their work during the week of art workshops – Hear their thoughts about lines, colors, shapes, symmetry, abstraction, and patterns!
