Letters & Numbers: 7th & 8th graders use the style of Robert Indiana to express themselves

Who doesn't know about the famous 'LOVE' statue that we have on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art? Not only is Robert Indiana's sculpture been replicated by himself (he's actually done several of the statues and paintings), but also by others for art, advertisement and the like. Did you know that Robert Indiana is actually from Indiana? Yes, he changed his name to his location at a time when it was the thing for up and coming artists to do (see Judy Chicago).
One tool I really enjoy using in my classroom to talk about art history, read about current art and see others using art in their lives, is Art Scholastic Magazine. The magazine is great because it showcases artists that kids are usually very interested in. I love it because I'm an art history nut and it gives me a new way to talk about art in the classroom. Also, using these magazines is a great way for me to have students practice non-fiction reading that is pertinent to our lesson. So, when I saw an issue of Art Scholastic that focused on Robert Indiana (a Hoosier born artist!) I was thrilled to share it with the 7th and 8th graders. Much of Indiana's work seems quite simple, but his form of pop art often times has hidden symbols that Indiana called his 'sculptural poems'.
In the style of Robert Indiana's work, the 7th and 8th graders started by listing numbers, words and letters that were important to them in some way. For instance, many students chose to use their birth dates, initials, athletic number, etc. Then, they began to work the numbers, letters and words together uniquely. Finally, they painted their pictures with bold, flat colors. The paint (acrylic) that we used for this project was new to most students, so this was the biggest challenge. Most students at this point had only ever used watercolor or tempera paint. Acrylic can be a more difficult medium because it is not as forgiving as watercolor, is much thicker than tempura and dries super fast. Because of this, many students weren't as happy with how their paintings came out, but I let them know that for their first time use with this type of paint, they all did a pretty outstanding job!