Art I

Painted / cut paper collage

Inspired by Jacob Lawrence’s Migration series, students went on an ancestral investigation. Lawrence’s series, completed in 1940-1941, captured simple and elegant forms meaningful to experiences of African Americans during the Great Migration. By reflecting on significant encounters, personal family memories, and stories passed down from generations, students took Lawrence’s lead and focused on small, significant moments within a larger story. Students considered the varied compositional strategies that Lawrence used in his series- such as single bold figures, silhouettes, distance shots of rural and urban scenes, altered perspectives, and symbolic objects.

George Washington High School

John F. Kennedy High School