Art on the Mind: Black & White Activity

This activity accompanies the Art on the Mind: Ten Years of Creative Aging exhibition at the Frye. In Creative Aging, art-making projects are designed to emphasize creative decision-making and the tactile experience of working with different art mediums. Such projects build self-confidence and foster a sense of play for people living with dementia. This activity allows a care partner to encourage creative exploration and experimentation with a person living with dementia and provides an opportunity for both to discuss and make art.

This activity challenges you to work with only two colors: black and white. You’ll use black and white paper shapes and arrange them to create interesting plays on pattern and composition. Download the activity card or follow the video or written instructions for this art activity below.

MATERIALS

• Scissors

• Black-and-white patterned paper (which you can make with collage, markers, or paint or print from websites), cut into assorted shapes in large and small sizes

• Glue stick

• Black cardstock

• White cardstock

PREPARATION FOR YOUR ART-MAKING TOGETHER

• Cut large shapes out of white cardstock and glue them onto black cardstock to create a background. Or feel free to use the black cardstock alone for the background. You can make multiples to allow some options for your artist.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

1. After your artist has chosen a background to use, set out an assortment of 6–10 of the smaller precut paper shapes.

2. Encourage your artist to lay out the small precut shapes on top of the background and try out different arrangements. The artist can also change the shapes or cut new ones. In particular, the artist can think about contrast and symmetry as they work on the composition: How might you make the smaller precut black and white pieces of paper stand out? How might you want to arrange them on the background? Will it feel balanced or off balance?

3. When the artist is satisfied with the composition, assist with gluing the pieces down if needed. Gluing can be a fun team activity, with one person handling the glue stick and both smoothing down the paper together.

4. After the pieces are glued in place, hold up the work to be viewed from a few feet away and discuss what you’ve created together.

   • What do you see? How does what you see make you feel?

   • What happens if you rotate the work? Do you like it upside down?

   • How did it feel to use only two colors?

To explore the exhibition, you can take a virtual tour of Art on the Mind, where you can see the artworks in the exhibition, read the wall texts and labels, and view photographs of the exhibition galleries.