African Mudcloth

In celebration of Black History Month the kindergarten artists studied some traditional African craft making techniques. We looked at the steps for creating mudcloth from this great site put out by the Smithsonian. Students were then able to look at an original piece of mudcloth that a dear friend brought me from Africa.

Printmaking was first as students stamped out their patterns and symbols using found objects. (Not sure why this student is printing on already woven strips - maybe he/she was absent).

When the printmaking was done students used their printed strips of paper and wove them together. Just like real mudcloth!

When they were done weaving they glued all the pieces down to a background color of their choice.



By far - one of my favorite things about being an elementary art teacher - is seeing small hands like these making something they are proud of.

Seeing little hands reminds me of my all time favorite e.e. cummings poem....

"(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands