Creating Communal Art

Educators can use this activity to collectively make a mural as a class that pays homage to John T. Biggers.

Drumfolk’s visual design was inspired by the work of renowned muralist John Biggers. His work can be found on the campuses of Hampton University in Virginia and Texas Southern University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and more! In this activity, have your class make a mural of their own that pays homage to the style Biggers perfected.

1. As a class, look into John Biggers’s work and history as an artist. When looking at images of Biggers’s murals, ask your students,
   • What do you see in these pieces?
   • How does his work compare to artwork you have seen in public?
   • What stories do you see being told?
   • How do they make you feel?
   • Why might Step Afrika! have chosen Biggers’s work as inspiration for Drumfolk?
2. On a large piece of chart paper or a white board, make a list of things your students would like to include in a class mural. Tell them that the mural should both capture each individual student’s personality as well as the class’s dynamic as a whole. Think about what qualities make your class unique!
3. Decide how the class will create the mural by devising a list of guidelines. Will everyone draw at the same time? Will one person outline it and the rest of the class fill it in? What materials will you use? How will it capture the essence of the class? What kind of story will it tell?
4. Once you’ve decided on the process for creating the mural, execute it! Note: Create your mural on a large piece or pieces of butcher paper rather than drawing and painting
   directly on the classroom wall.
5. Show off your work! Hang your class mural up on the wall in your classroom, or if you’re particularly excited, in a public location for the whole school to see! Put a poster next to the piece explaining that it is inspired by John Biggers’s work and a show you saw at the New Victory Theater, Drumfolk!

Reflection Questions:

• What was it like to work together as a class to make the mural?
• How did you feel seeing the finished project?
• How did creating a mural of your own affect your perception of John Biggers’s work? Why or why not?
• What were some of your favorite moments in this activity?
• What was the most challenging part of this activity?