Tilden’s second and third grade art history classes recently enjoyed a trip to Seattle Art Museum to see the special exhibit Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series. This series of 60 paintings was divided in half and sold to two separate museums: The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In celebration of the late Jacob Lawrence’s 100th birthday, The Migration Series was reunited for a special showing at SAM. In order to appreciate Lawrence’s masterwork fully, our students learned in class beforehand about the Harlem Renaissance, and the work of Jacob Lawrence and his artist wife Gwendolyn Knight. Our own staff member, Reeta Tollefson, a student of Jacob Lawrence’s at UW, shared her first-hand experience with our classes.
The series of sixty paintings hit a chord with our kids. In their own words:
I think Jacob Lawrence is an amazing artist. I really like how he told a story by his art. It was so amazing to see the real paintings at SAM.”–Maryn, 2nd grade
“My favorite picture that Jacob Lawrence painted is number 38; Pouring fire, in Chicago and other cities, they labored. I like it because I could feel what he was thinking when I saw that picture.”–Lewis, 2nd grade
“I like Jacob Lawrence’s painting because it comes alive.”–Pilar 2nd grade
