Personal Symbols Printmaking

The 5th Graders looked at the traditional textile art of Adinkra Symbols from Ghana, Africa.  We talked about how symbols represent meaning and can often be very personal.  I encouraged the students to think of a symbol that represents themselves.  Some chose one of Adinkra symbols, while others chose symbols from our own American culture.  After they chose their symbol, each student carved the positive and negative out of EZ cut linoleum for printing.  They created their colorful borders with oil pastels. 

Adinkra Symbols of Life

This collaborative artwork was created by the 5th Grade class of 2008-2009. We learned about Adinkra symbols that are used culturally in Ghana, Africa to represent different aspects of life, love and spirit. Each student chose a symbol that they identified with and used tools to carve their stamp from an EZ-Cut linoleum block. They created their own artworks and then used their stamp to contribute this collaborative artwork on a 4'x4' piece of birch plywood. Each student also contributed to painting the border which they voted on to be the colors of the Ghana flag. This piece is proudly displayed at the end of the 5th Grade hallway for all to see.