Here are some of my favorite Women’s History Month art lesson ideas. Women’s History Month is a perfect time to celebrate the many influential women artists of the past and present. Most of the artists I learned about in Art History were European male artists. It is important to teach our students the struggles and accomplishments of female artists too. Here are a few female artists I have introduced to my students and the concepts I teach. Elementary-geared lessons are first, with lessons for older students at the end.
Alma Woodsey Thomas
She was the first African-American woman to hold a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. This is one of many reasons to celebrate her greatness! Her mosaic-like style is perfect for young students to replicate using stamping with a paintbrush or tearing small bits of paper strips to create patterns. I have my younger students create a happy rainbow collage with bits of colorful paper just like Alma Thomas.
Bridget Riley
Her vibrant optical pattern paintings were central to the Op Art movement of the 1960’s. She is considered the queen of Op Art or optical illusions. Op Art can be fun for students of all ages. My younger students trace shapes, using 4-5 geometric shapes on a paper. Next, they create vertical or horizontal lines using the edge of a ruler as a guideline. They use complementary colors to create a pattern with the lines in the background, skipping the shapes. Lastly, they color the shapes with the opposite color to create an optical illusion. Shadows may be added to intensify the illusion.
Yayoi Kusama
This Japanese “princess of polka dots” is a legend and an iconic woman. Her dots have been used by Louis Vuitton and seen in installations all over the world. Her subject matter varies, with mushrooms being a common theme. My students make a mushroom collage by cutting mushroom caps and stems from colorful paper and add them to a piece of colorful patterned paper. After the mushrooms have been assembled, students use colorful markers to add dots in a variety of sizes and shapes, just like Kusama. The dotting is relaxing and the results are whimsical!
Sonia Delauney
She was the first female to show at the Louvre art museum in Paris. Similar to Delauney’s style, my students create a non-objective painting using geometric shapes. Students begin by tracing lids in a variety of sizes on their paper, with a goal of 8-10 overlapping shapes. They use watercolor to add color and pattern to create unity in their finished painting. They do this by choosing a color scheme to paint each shape that is created by the overlapping circles. Once the painting is dry they use line variety to trace over the shapes, lines and shapes may be added too. Another option is to fold the paper in fourths, then cut and mount the four squares on black paper. They love the simplicity of this painting and the results are always beautiful!
Louise Nevelson
She experimented with early conceptual art using found objects, and tried painting and printing before dedicating her lifework to sculpture. Nevelson remains one of the most important figures in 20th-century American sculpture. My students create a found object assemblage sculpture inspired by Louise Nevelson. I find odds and ends in my junk drawers or ask students to bring in small items that would be thrown away. We use game and puzzle pieces, small toys, Lego, stickers, pens and markers that no longer work, small pencils, bottle caps, etc. The students arrange and glue these objects to pieces of cardboard using Elmer’s glue. Once the glue is dry, the students paint the objects with a single color of acrylic paint. I have also spray painted them. The finishing touch is a dry brush of a contrasting color, such as silver on black paint.
Georgia O’Keeffe
In 1977, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald Ford. This iconic female artist holds the record for the highest price paid for a painting by a woman. She is most recognized for painting close-up paintings of flowers. My students use viewfinders to create close-up drawings of succulents. They use watercolors to add a contrasting background and blend colors to make the transitions in the leaves. Once the painting is dry, they use Sharpie markers to add stippling. These stippled succulents are just stunning!
Middle and High School Women’s History Month Art Lesson Ideas
Some of the other women artists I introduce to my students include: Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Lorna Simpson, Jen Stark, Mademoiselle Maurice, Indi Maverick, Faith Ringgold and Lois Mailou Jones. I have created individual lessons for each of these fantastic female artists. Some of my favorites are below (click lesson name for more info on each lesson).
Frida Kahlo Inspired Self Portraits
Indi Maverick Inspired Animals in Sweaters
Georgia O’Keeffe Inspired Extreme Closeups
Spread the word about our great women artists! – Trista
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