When I think about high school, I think of the age at which we strive for independence; the age at which we begin to question who we are as individuals. It's at this point in our lives that we begin to find our voices...
And what is street art if not the voice of opinion (and sometimes rebellion)? Street art speaks to every individual on some level. In this lesson students used their names to create a radial design that was inspired by street art. Students were encouraged to make font and color selections that they felt represented their individual voices. Color theory and psychology was introduced and students were asked to write about why they selected the colors they used in their works.
We also talked about mandalas and geometry, discussing how to create a radial design using repetition. The history of mandalas were of particular interest to students, who were amazed to find that buddhist monks spend weeks on send creating beautiful designs in sand, only to destroy them as a symbol of the impermanence of life.