Art in Your Own Words

This page contains prompts for students to craft a written response or poem to one of John T. Bigger's works of art, a prominent African-American muralist in the 20th century.

The prompt for this handout is as follows:
"Take a trip to your local library and find a piece of John T. Biggers’s work that sparks inspiration in you. Then, put pen to paper and write a poem or journal entry based on that piece of art. Use the following prompts to help guide your writing: What or who is in the painting? What actions are depicted? What is the mood or emotion(s) of the painting? What happened before and what will happen after the moment depicted in this painting? If you could hear the sounds in the image, what would the rhythm(s) be? When you’ve finished writing your poem or journal entry, share it with a friend and have a chat about interpreting visual art through writing!"