Middle school children often thrive when allowed to express themselves through creative outlets. By creating art at home, kids have the opportunity to problem-solve, improve hand-eye coordination and also develop many other skills. This summer, keep your children engaged with art using the following projects.
Summer Art Projects Inspired By Renowned Artists
Across various periods and genres, the output of great artists never fails to inspire the creative spirit. Here are some fun summer projects based on leading artists’ work. Also, visit each artist’s page for in-depth projects.
Yayoi Kusama – Infinity Dot Rooms
An exciting art project idea that kids will love is to create a miniature infinity dot room inspired by the iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Known for her fascination with polka dots, Kusama’s installations often include rooms covered in dots. To recreate this, you only need a small box, mirrors, glue – and dot stickers in various colors.
Before placing stickers on the mirrors, start by lining the inside of the box with mirrors. This project is a valuable introduction to optical illusions and contemporary art.
Claude Monet – Textured Garden Scenes
Claude Monet, the founder of French Impressionism, was famous for his beautiful garden paintings. Encourage children to create textured garden scenes using acrylic paint, sponges, paintbrushes and paper. Start by showing them pictures of Monet’s garden paintings.
Next, instruct them to dab sponges into paint and press these onto paper to mimic the texture and layering in Monet’s artworks. By blending colors and textures children become familiar with Impressionist techniques.
Edgar Degas – Wire Ballet Dancers
Edgar Degas is widely known for his ballet paintings and sculptures. Using ballet as inspiration, kids can create wire dancer sculptures. For this project collect craft wire, pliers and colored tissue paper. Children can bend and shape the wire into the form of a ballet dancer, then use the colored tissue paper to create a dress for the figure.
Toulouse-Lautrec – Character Portraits
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is known for capturing Parisian nightlife of the late 19th century through his portraits. A fun summer art project involves replicating the bold strokes and vibrant colors of Toulouse-Lautrec’s painting style. Why not discuss the history and culture of the time while creating eye-catching art?
Romare Bearden – Narrative Collages
The ability to express yourself visually is a key reason why kids need art. And this storytelling approach is present in the works of Romare Bearden. To create collage art inspired by Bearden, gather up patterned paper, old magazines, scissors, glue and a large piece of base paper. Children can cut out shapes, figures and patterns to arrange them into a narrative scene on the base paper.
Access Free Art Lessons for Middle School Children
Golden Road Arts develops comprehensive art guides geared towards elementary and middle school children. If you want to inspire children with accessible art lessons and hands-on tutorials, watch our free art lessons now.
