Life-Sized Collage—Inspired by the work of Judy Bowman
During this project, students will critically explore their memories and express them in a visual manner through collage. Judy Bowman—the key artist this lesson is formulated from—is a large scale collage artist that utilizes themes of memory and community memory in her work. The concept of individual and collective memory will be explored through discussion and additives classmates. Students will collaborate with their peers through the creation of a large scale collaborative mural, utilizing their individual collages to create something larger. Students will then place their Judy Bowman inspired individual collage onto a larger dream-scape backdrop, connecting ideas of collective memory and collective dreaming through peer collaboration and discussion.
Students will complete individual and collaborative collage inspired by the work of Judy Bowman, who works with large scale collage to consider concepts such as individual and community memory. The students will use their own memories or experience as inspiration for their individual piece, then work together to piece their individual works into a larger collaborative collage. The class will begin this project with a discussion about memory and how memories can affect on the individual and community planes. Students will also consider how memories can be altered and what that may affect. Students will brainstorm a memory of theirs that shaped their life in some way (what could this mean? What is a decisive moment? When do these moments happen?) After the students decide on a memory, a feeling, or a moment in time, they will complete a rough sketch of what they wish their individual collage to look like. After their sketch, they will set to work on their individual collage. Students will utilize found and made objects for their piece. On day two, students will incorporate their individual collages into a larger plane with their classmates to create a collaborative final collage. Students will then work together to add additional elements to create their “dream scape” imagined space.
This lesson is imperitive to considering why community is important. Communities shape memory. Communities build on memory. Memory and community are interconnected. Memory and identity are also connected. Who we are is based on what we have experienced. Students will take this knowledge of interconnected memory and community into their own communities. Understanding the importance of community may lead them to be a larger part in their own. We will continue discussing the concept of collective memory and work on communication skills between students.
Judy Bowman is an intuitive collage artist who utilizes different textures, materials, and patterns to create large, emotionally charged collage pieces. Her work is often large, and frequently extends from the canvas, making her pieces feel like they are close enough to reality that they would be able to literally step off the canvas. Bowman claims that she begins pieces with the eyes of her subjects, and then allows her work to narrate its own story. She often works though her memories from youth, growing up in Detroit Michigan’s Eastside and Black Bottom neighborhoods, and her experiences with family and neighbors there. Bowman’s work explores themes of family and family life, and views said life through the Black experience. She makes a point to allow the lens to be wide enough to take up space and recreate the whole image. Rather than creating an imagined narrative, Bowman often utilizes personal memories of her family, or those of neighborhood families. She does so as an attempt to frame the beauty of the Black community for the viewerand give weight to her experience as a Black woman. Bowman incorporates current social events into her collage, giving her work another layer of tangibility for the viewer. One example of this theme in action is a work titled The Killing of George Floyd, which urgently depicts the death of George Floyd, using bold contrasting colors to portray the importance of that moment in time, and the disparity it caused in our communities. This specific reference to space and time enables a deep connection with the viewer. Bowman states that her work should be viewed as an archive; one displaying the power of the Black community; spirituality and musicality; resilience and pride; a point of reference to illustrate her culture’s rich and involved history. In this lesson, students will be exploring their individual memories along with shared memories between themselves and their peers, in and outside of the classroom. The second half of this lesson—collaboratively creating a larger “dream-scape” collage—enables a wide view of our student’s community narrative through their own lens.
During this lesson, our students were able to really stretch their creative wings! Many students connected their work to something happening in their immediate Homelife. Some students created babies, reminiscing on their newest sibling that they are so excited to share about. Some students who were more unsure of what to create really ran with their classmates theme, and created baby blankets, cradles, or other accessories. Upon the completion of this assignment, students worked together to create one narrative collage that represented the entirety of our class population.