Patterns from Our Cultures
A CSUMB student creating a page of pattern variation.
It was so fun hanging out and doing projects with California’s VAPA Collaborative Network this week. We talked about a few project ideas during the session, including Hammering Plants and Blind Contour. A fun, relaxing project relating to culturally relevant pedagogy is creating patterns.
For inspiration, please scroll down to see videos of Ruth Carter and Kay Walkingstick talking about incorporating pattern into design.
Students are invited to draw or paint patterns from their cultures. (Keeping it plural is important!) They are also invited to create a pattern that relates to the place they live. This is because sometimes students are separated from families or personal cultural histories.
One fun way to research patterns and patterning is to do an internet search of [culture patterns]. For example a search of “Ireland Pattens” brings up results like this:
Irish quilt patterns from ‘Quilting Daily’
Patterns can also be musical, percussive, verbal or performative. My students collect patterns that they will use to tell a story from their life: a visual and music memoir.
But first, as always, we start outside, working with our hands.
Materials:
Mixed media or watercolor paper
Brush
Red, Blue, Yellow and Black paint
Phone (Camera)
Process:
After students complete any research they’d like to do, invite them to create a series of boxes on their paper.
Students can create patterns. Each time they paint each pattern, it will look a bit different. Using the primary colors, they can mix shades of green, orange and purple.
Invite students to take pictures of their patterns to use for visual storytelling and memoir.
Students can take their photographed work into the computer and create patterns but selecting, copying and pasting pieces in Photoshop or similar software.
For inspiration, I show my students these videos:
