Painting a 15×18 inch portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. in celebration of Black History Month might feel a bit intimidating. Thankfully, for our members at Yawkey Club of Roxbury, Art Programs Director Natalie Behnke had a solution—one that invites everyone to join.
Start Small and Build Together
In order to engage as many members as possible, Natalie created a project in the style of paint-by-number kits. “I painted a giant piece of scrap wood black, and used pencil to draw out a 15×18 grid on its surface, 270 squares total,” she says. “Then, on a printed-out photo of MLK, I drew the same grid on a smaller scale, cut it into 270 tiny squares, and put those in a jar. Each paper square of the photo had a number written on the back that corresponded to a number written on the larger grid.”
Over the coming days, members of all ages tackled one square at a time, painting what they saw on their square onto the wood. They practiced using various materials – tempera sticks, colored pencils, oil pastels, and acrylic paint.
Success Tools Beyond the Art Room
“The kids got to watch it slowly come together over time, and practiced painting what they see, not what they know,” Natalie says. “Mapping out a project is a great technique they can use if they’re creating something on their own.” Outside of the art room, Natalie believes that the members will find countless opportunities to repurpose the trick, and break a large task into small parts to make the process a little bit easier.
“Kids can gain so much from exercising the creative part of their brain,” Natalie says. “They can relax and take a break from their day. There’s no right and wrong or good and bad answer. I want the kids to know how to practice mindfulness and use art to not think too much for a bit.”
Nurturing Art Appreciation
Natalie plans to expand the kids’ knowledge of art by visiting local destinations such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Institute of Contemporary Art every few weeks. Recently, the group visited the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) in Roxbury, which celebrates Black artists from around the world.
Coming to the Yawkey Club with a background in art education, Natalie hopes to foster a love for art by creating similar projects for the members. As Black History Month comes to an end, the kids are about to create a similar portrait on an even larger scale, and members will vote on who they’d like to see on a wall-sized canvas. The short list features Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman. Follow along on Instagram to see what the Yawkey Club artists are up to next!
