Created by C.W. Shipley Elementary School, Harpers Ferry, WV
Artists: Ms. Clarkâs 1-T Art Class
Title: I am Free To…
Teacher: Mrs. Clark
Theme: Freedom
Materials and techniques: Press printing with sponge stamps, fabric markers, and a sewn border.
Did you enjoy this project? Students enjoyed working on the project. Dennis Frye, historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, visited with us and talked with the children about their art work.
About: Our idea started with Mt. Rushmore. We talked about why the artist chose those particular presidents. Students knew that Lincoln was president during the Civil War. Lincoln believed slavery should be abolished and he also wanted to hold our nation together. We talked about all the things slaves couldn’t do because they were owned by another person. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation former slaves still did not have any rights because of the color of their skin. Our artwork represents all the things we are free to do because our ancestors fought for those rights. We printed our children with different skin tones and wrote down something we enjoyed and could participate in freely. A colorful rainbow border holds us all together.