Aminah Robinson Project

Fourth Grade Art

Miss. Derrig
 What is the project?
- Local art competition for Columbus City
Schools students
- The goal is to “explore the culture and
rich history of our neighborhood … by
celebrating the works of native Aminah
Brenda Lynn Robinson who gives a
descriptive look into the history and life
of our community.”
Competition Guidelines
- Dimensions: 10”h x 14”w
- Drawings, paintings, collages, and mixed
media art preferred
- Groups of two or more students
- Theme/Topic: Memories From My Mentors
- Artwork must have a title
- Students will need to write a brief artist
statement about the theme to submit with
the work
Project Deadline: MARCH 7th
- We have FIVE weeks to work on this
before they must be submitted
Our Project Guidelines:
- You will be put into groups by Mrs. Z and I
- Each group will determine how they want to
portray the theme “Memories from my Mentors”
- You must include representations of Aminah’s
mentors and a personal connection to that
Mediums we’ll use:
- Paper (pre-cut to size)
- Crayons
- Scraps of colored paper
- Paint
- Found objects (i.e. beads, buttons, etc)
Aminah’s Mentors
Elijah Pierce and Kojo Kamau
Elijah Pierce
- Born in Mississippi in 1892
- His father gave him a pocket knife when he was
7 and he started carving animals out of wood
- Started working in barbershops when he was a
teenager
- Moved to Columbus in 1923
- Opened his own barbershop and eventually
turned part of it into his studio so he could work
on his carvings in between cutting hair
- Believed that art should tell a story, all of his
carvings had stories behind them
https://youtu.be/5OgivJMrEeM
- He has won several awards and is highly
renowned for his art
Kojo Kamau
- Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1939
- Became interested in photography at a young
age and bought his first camera when he was a
teenager
- Went to Columbus School of Art (now CCAD)
after graduating high school in 1957
- He started photographing Elijah Pierce in 1974
- Used his photography to show positive images of
African Americans
- He cared about representing the people who
made a community - strong community pride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgTPfZZ
- Felt that life was meant to be documented, so
m0Ts
that’s what he tried to do
Similarities between the 3 Artists
- Making art was an essential part of
their lives
- Used their art as a form of storytelling
- Became highly renowned artists and
their works have been shown and
celebrated all across the United States
- Cared about representing the people
who make a community
- Strong sense of community pride
- Used their art as a form of
documentation, especially for otherwise
invisible African American communities

Now: Think about how you might represent these things in a piece of art
What scenes, images, symbols, words, might you include to convey one of these ideas?
Project Timeline:
Each week, we’ll focus on a different medium to add to your piece

Today (Week 1): Brainstorm with your group ideas for how you will represent Aminah Robinson,
her mentors, and your own mentors in your art piece

Week 2: Iron on Crayons, planning your composition

Week 3: Fabric

Week 4: Paint

Week 5: Found-objects (beads, buttons, etc)