Elementary Library

Discussion prompts: ●​ What surprised you most about how books are made? ●​ Who do books belong to? ●​ Where can you find ownership information?

Yayoi Kusama (You Should Meet) by May Nakamura (BIO KUS) Get to know Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese artist known for her extensive use of polka dots and for her infinity installations Discussion prompts: ●​ What do you notice about Kusama's art? What characteristics does she use a lot of? What colors does she use? What patterns do you see? ●​ How does Kusama's work impact viewers? What does immersive mean? What feelings does her work make people feel? ●​ What can we learn from Kusama? What is the message of perseverance and believing in yourself that her life experience conveys? ●​ How can we pay homage to Kusama without violating copyright? Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe (BIO BAS) Presents the life of the artist, who was inspired as a child by a book of anatomy given to him by his mother after being injured in a car crash and who went on to become a celebrity in the art world before his early death at twenty-eight. Discussion prompts: ●​ What kind of person is this “radiant child,” Jean-Michel, based upon the elements of the collage? Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanne Walker Harvey (BIO THO) Tells the story of painter and teacher Alma Thomas, discussing her childhood, teaching career and activism. Discussion prompts: ●​ Alma’s childhood wasn’t perfect, but she found joy at home. What were some of the experiences that she enjoyed? How did those experiences in her childhood shape what she chose to do with her life? ●​ When they moved to Washington, D.C., why did Alma’s mother tell Alma and her sisters to “take off their shoes and shake out the Georgia sand. And never go back again.” How do you think it felt for Alma to leave her old home behind for good? ●​ The book says Alma painted “how nature made her heart sing and dance, even when life could be unjust.” Nature is healing for many people. Why do you think that is? Does nature make you happy? Is there something else that makes your heart “sing and dance”? ●​ Re-read the words of former President Barack Obama about the installation of Alma Thomas’s painting at the White House. Why is it important that art by Black artists be displayed in a place that represents our country? ●​ How does the story of Alma Thomas’s life show in many ways the story of the United States as a country? ●​ What does “art has a healing power” mean in this story and to you personally? ●​ What happened to Basquiat’s art after he passed away? Who owns it now? ●​ How can we make art inspired by Basquiat without violating copyright?

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