Activity Idea: John Thomas Biggers (Quick Tip)

A painting of Black men, women, and children coming out of a shallow body of water. The people are framed by two monumental Black women holding a hair pick.

Use the following strategies to explore John Thomas Bigger’s work.

Using a Venn diagram, identify objects or animals in John Biggers’s Untitled that are found in both North Carolina and Africa, and elements that are unique to each place. Why might you find some things in both places and others in only one? If you could choose one thing found in only one of the places and take it to the other place, what would it be? Why?

 

John Biggers uses imagery from his African and southern heritage in Untitled. From what country or area did your ancestors come to the United States or North Carolina? Locate the place on a map, and identify some symbols associated with the place. What are some symbols associated with the place you live now? Create a self-portrait incorporating symbols from your current home and from that of your ancestors.

Grade level
1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Subject Areas
Social Studies, Visual Arts
Concepts
Family, Identity, Place