Lesson: Patterns All Around

Review students’ notes from their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Pattern” skills sheets.

1. Read the article as a class. Ask students to observe the artworks closely.
2. Divide students into groups or pairs, with each group focusing on one of the featured artists. Ask: How does your assigned artist work with pattern? (Beatriz Milhazes draws inspiration from the Brazilian Carnival, creating patterns that dance across the canvas; Farah Al Qasimi’s photograph features a leopard print pattern as the central motif; Crystal Liu uses a marbling technique, spots, and irregular shapes to create her landscape.)
3. Invite each group to present its findings and discuss as a class.
4. Have students record their findings in their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Pattern” skills sheets.

• Compare these works with Yayoi Kusama’s works on pages 4-9. What do you notice? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artworks and text.)
• Compare how Milhazes and Liu use pattern to represent their subjects. (The patterns in Milhazes’s work buzz with energy like Brazilian Carnival music; the quiet patterns in Liu’s work reflect nature’s serenity.)
• Do you see similarities in the relationships between pattern and mood in these three works? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artworks and text.)

• Create an artwork in the style of one of the artists featured here. What medium will you use for your work? How will you use pattern?
• Choose one of the three featured artists. Research some of her other works online. Write a few sentences or a short paragraph about how this artist uses pattern, and how pattern conveys meaning in her work.

• Have students complete the “Sketchbook Starter” on page 10.