Njideka Akunyili Crosby
(Nigerian, born 1983)
"The Beautyful Ones" Series #5, 2016
Acrylic, transfers, colored pencils, pastel, graphite, collage and commemorative fabric on paper
61 x 42 1/2 inches (154.9 x 108 cm)
Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, New York
Bequest of John Mortimer Schiff, by exchange, 2017 (2017:3)

• Images (magazines, old books, photographs, etc.)
• Random sheets of paper to write and draw on
• One large piece of paper (thick paper or cardboard would be great!)
• Glue
• Pencil
• Coloring materials (colored pencils, if you have them)
• Fabric (optional)

Portrait: a work of art that depicts a person

Autobiographical: tells one's own experiences or life history

Collage: a work of art created by pasting together photographs, bits of newspaper, or other two-dimensional materials

Discussion

Begin by using the Teaching Tips and Tools for Discussion. After your students have looked at the work, you can bring in information about it based on what they have observed. They may have noticed that there is a woman’s face in the oval that is to the right of the painting in the center, and may have wondered who that is and if she was related to the young girl in the painting. You can then share that the portrait is a likeness of her mother, and that it is from a portrait fabric that was from her funeral. In Nigeria, portrait fabrics are used for important events like weddings and funerals. Additionally, you can share that the girl depicted is the artist’s mother as a young child.

Next, watch this video from SFMoMA.

In this video, Crosby shares how her two “homes” have collided, and that is something that spurs her artmaking.

To begin a discussion with your students, you can ask the following questions:

• What do you think of when you hear the word home?
• Does a certain person, place, color, or object pop into your mind? Or perhaps a smell, a taste, or a feeling?

Artmaking Activity

Overview: In this project, students will make a multi-media project inspired by Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s work.

First, have students gather several images that represent what home means to them. They can be photographs or pictures cut from magazines, old books, etc. If they have access to a printer, they can even search for images on the internet and print them out.

Next, tell students to pick two activities from the following list:

• From memory (or from an image online), students should draw one of their favorite plants. If students have any plants in their homes or can see any plants from the window, they can also use these as inspiration.
• Encourage students to write a sentence of something that reminds them of home. A couple of ideas: Maybe they can describe a smell from when their favorite is dinner is being cooked (or delivered—mmm, pizza!) or how it feels to snuggle up in their favorite spot to relax.
• Have them search throughout their home to find a pattern. When they find a pattern that they like, they should draw that pattern repeating on a piece of paper. If they are stuck, suggest they look at patterns on wallpaper, blankets, or their clothes. If they have fabric in the house, they can also use that as a pattern option, as long as they get permission first!

On a larger piece of paper (or on any flat surface, like a cereal box or cardboard), students should draw an outline of something that reminds them of home, perhaps something that is very meaningful to them. It could be the outline of a person, a piece of furniture, an object, etc. Next, encourage them to color it in with coloring materials (paint, colored pencils, etc.).

Next, show them how to lay out their cut-out images, and their drawings/writings/fabric from the above list to create a pleasing design. Show Crosby’s work again, and show how she arranged her materials throughout her work. Point out how Crosby collages—the steps are completely collaged, the wall is from a pattern fabric, and the sentence is completely visible. Once they are happy with their lay out, have them glue down all of their images/drawings/fabric.

Lead students in a reflection about the project. Some prompts might include the following questions:

• How did it feel to use multiple materials to create a work of art?
• Do you feel like your final piece represents your home? Why or why not?
• What would you title your work?

Optional: Share your creations on Twitter or Instagram with #BuffaloAKG and #MuseumFromHome!