Freeport Public School's Dodd Middle School seventh and eighth graders in Ms. Amy Bendel's art classes were presented with the challenge of creating a piece of artwork about a significant Black figure to recognize Black History Month.
Students were able to choose any Black figure from the past or present and were asked to visually depict why this person's role and contributions are important to Black history.
Students utilized layout, design skills, graphics, photography, and typography in the form of direct quotations to communicate about their Black figure's important life. The artwork also had to communicate respect and honor for the individual they had chosen.
In their research, students observed many critical moments in Black history by reviewing archival photography and art. They were exposed to written communications from their figures and were encouraged to design with typography as an integral part of the design.
The final projects included visual depictions of Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Chadwick Boseman.