Symmetrical African Masks

 Lois Mailou Jones was a successful textile designer.
These students are using geometric and free form shapes made
of felt to recreate the experience that she may have had as a
textile designer in the beginning of her career as an artist.   

This month students in October's Art Adventures class learned about symmetry in art and created an oil pastel mask inspired by the works included in the Lois Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color and Histories in Africa: 20 Years of Photography by Liz Gilbert exhibitions.

As the students toured the exhibit, they compared the layout of the exhibit to a timeline of Jones' life because the paintings and drawings were displayed in chronological order.  They were able to see that she tried many things during her life as an artist. We focused on a group of Jones' paintings that featured colorful African masks then returned to the studio to create oil pastel drawings of Africans masks in their own design.