Designed for elementary school students, this lesson explores the importance of places within our communities and lives. This project is inspired by Kerry James Marshall’s large-scale painting, De Style, which reverently depicts a barbershop as a vibrant and vital place within the Black community. Students will create their own two-dimensional mixed media artwork about a place that holds meaning for them. By making art about places that are important to us, we make space for ourselves in the art world and therefore elevate our communities.

Watch the video below or share this direct link with your students: https://vimeo.com/736584469

Images

Kerry James Marshall, De Style, 1993, Acrylic and collage on canvas, 104 x 122 in. (264.16 x 309.88 cm), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Ruth and Jacob Bloom (AC1993.76.1), © Kerry James Marshall, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Additional Resources

Explore additional resources about Kerry James Marshall and his artwork, De Style, by following the links below:

• Kerry James Marshall: Mastry, a 2017 exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art
• Kerry James Marshall | Art 21 A series of videos about the artist Kerry James Marshall

Downloadable Lesson Plans

Please download the lesson plan below and cater it to your needs. We've provided .docx and PDF versions.

Generous support for School and Teacher Programs is provided by the Anna H. Bing Children’s Art Endowment Fund. Additional funding is provided by The Rose Hills Foundation, The Lucille Ellis Simon Foundation, the Edward A. and Ai O. Shay Family Foundation, Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, the Mara W. Breech Foundation, The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Edison International, the Louis and Harold Price Foundation, the Goodwin Family Memorial Trust, and the Ducommun and Gross Family Foundation.