First, we used official architectural terms to trace, cut and create our buildings.
Students had access to varied types of paper. Construction paper, magazines, decorative paper, and painted paper. Later, we even added maps and newspaper.
Since group work is a huge focus of my work, I rolled out a huge paper and had them add their collage structures as they saw fit. The exciting part of letting go more is the vast variety of ideas, ways in which papers are combined and ways in which the items created are weaved into a narrative. Had I controlled more, I would never get this rich a work and the students would also not be as focused.
I brough in the book, The Block. The book has large close ups of a series of collages by Romaire Bearden.
Here are some
