A modified version of the Stitch America Together project began today with a group of eleven middle school art students. Students are printing carved linoleum blocks onto fabric, which will be sewn together to form a quilt. They will also add embroidery to their piece of fabric. The reason for the modification is to appeal to the younger age group, and offer a way for students to make multiple copies of their printed artwork.
The group discussed The First Amendment and brainstormed about important issues in America. Students made individual lists and shared their lists with the group. The group list included college tuition, poverty, taxes, Occupy Wall Street, terrorism, health care, immigration and the environment. Then, students chose one area of focus, and thought about how they could take action and positively contribute in that area. Finally, students began to sketch their symbol or illustration. In two weeks, they will carve their design into a linoleum block and print onto fabric for the quilt, and onto paper for themselves.
The students seemed very engaged in the discussion, printmaking demonstration and even expressed interest in sewing the quilt by hand. Some students took their sketches and lists home to develop further before next class. Exciting! Here are some photos of the lists and sketches from today:
