Storytime & Artmaking: Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity

Take inspiration from Sarah Suzuki's book Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity to create a garden collage. (While this activity is inspired by a book, you do not need to read the book to do the activity.)

    About the Book

    Growing up in the mountains of Japan, Yayoi Kusama dreamed of becoming an artist. One day, she had a vision in which the world and everything in it—the plants, the people, the sky—were covered in polka dots. She began to cover her paintings, drawings, sculptures, and even her body with dots. As she grew up, she traveled all around the world, from Tokyo to Seattle, New York to Venice, and brought her dots with her. Different people saw these dots in different ways—some thought they were tiny, like cells, and others imagined them enormous, like planets. Every year, Kusama sees more of the world, covering it with dots and offering people a way to experience it the way she does. Written by Sarah Suzuki, a curator at The Museum of Modern Art, and featuring reproductions of Kusama’s instantly recognizable artworks, this colorful book tells the story of an artist whose work will not be complete until her dots cover the world, from here to infinity.

    Getting Started

    • Pumpkins are a very important vegetable for artist Yayoi Kusama. What are some fruits or vegetables that are important you?

    Materials

    • Construction paper
    • Pencil
    • Scissors
    • Glue or tape
    • Markers, colored pencils, or crayons

    Artmaking Activity

    1. Think of what fruits and/or vegetables you would want in your garden, then draw them.

    2. Cover your drawings in circles or another shape.

    3. Cut out your drawings.

    4. Select a piece of construction paper; this will be the background for your garden.

    5. Tape or glue your fruits and/or vegetables to your garden!

    Vocabulary

    Pattern: A repeated decorative design

    Collage: A form of art created by sticking various materials together

    Garden: A small piece of ground used to grow vegetables, fruit, herbs, or flowers