Learn how Diego Rivera, Josè Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros used murals as political messages in their
communities by converting public spaces into vibrant history lessons and social commentary of the times. Be inspired
to create figurative mobile murals reflecting today’s society and its immediate concerns. The five C’s are covered in
this socially conscious endeavor. Students will be exposed to: cultures, comparisons between cultures and the artists,
connections among disciplines, communication tactics, and community awareness, while creating a lasting legacy
that will linger as an incentive to awaken civic responsibility in all participants and viewers.
Inclement Weather
DON’T WORRY! Artists will follow
school closings/delays, and will work with
you to reschedule the performance if
necessary.
Young Audiences Contact Number
410-837-7577
After Hours / Emergency Number
Call 410-837-7577 and follow the prompts to be connected with a staff member on call.
Teacher Prep:
Use the art strategies provided to discuss themes and brainstorm ideas relating to your chosen project prior to the
residency with students and in team meetings. Share the results with Danyett as soon as possible, so that she can customize
your sessions accordingly.
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Danyett Tucker is an author, illustrator, and
passionate community artist with a BA in Fine Art
from Morgan State University. In addition to
teaching art and illustration in schools, Danyett
has partnered with Community Law in Action to
teach illustration to juveniles in the Baltimore City
Juvenile Justice System. Danyett’s work has been
featured in several exhibitions. She is also in the
process of writing and illustrating a graphic novel
entitled “A Fly Girl’s Travel Journal.”
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When you can’t find the words to express yourself, one picture can be worth a
thousand. Where there are language barriers, illustrations are universal. We come
to know who and what we are while reaching out imaginatively for what we might
become. Illustration can be an instrument of experimentation as students search for
knowledge and understanding of learning concepts and the human condition.
Learn how Diego Rivera, Josè Clemente Orozco, and David
Siqueiros used murals as political messages in their
communities by converting public spaces into vibrant
history lessons and social commentary of the times.
Be inspired to create figurative mobile murals reflecting
today’s society and its’ immediate concerns. The five C’s
are covered in this socially conscious endeavor. Students
will be exposed to: cultures, comparisons between cultures
and the artists, connections among disciplines,
communication tactics, and community awareness, while
creating a lasting legacy that will linger as an incentive to
awaken civic responsibility in all participants and viewers.
(Grades 5-12)
Tentative sessions as follows:
Day 1: The History and the Vision
Day 2: Vision Boards
Day 3: Grid Pattern Drawing
Day 4: Grid Pattern Drawing
Day 5: Painting Workshop
Day 6: Painting Workshop
Day 7: Painting Workshop
“She inspired our students and has valuable experience to
share with our students and help prepare them for the
real-world as a designer.”
- Leah, Studio Art Teacher, Baltimore Design School
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Baltimore is more than just “The Wire”:
Students will celebrate the rich history of Baltimore,
past and present, and will plant seeds for the future that
provide positive alternatives to the negative images
portrayed in the popular television series The Wire,
combatting deeply rooted perceptions of this city.
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Louder than Words:
Students will use expressive song lyrics, poem passages,
and quotes to create revealing vignettes that
demonstrate how a picture can be worth a thousand
words.
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Time Capsule Murals:
The graduating class will work together to
commemorate their last year of middle or high school,
leaving behind a legacy for their school community that
will last for many years to come.
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In 1921 after the end of the Mexican Revolution, Mexican writer, philosopher and politician Josè Vasconcelos was
appointed to head the Secretaria de Educaciòn Pùblica, which was responsible for overseeing the development and
implementation of national educational policy and school standards in Mexico. At the time, most of the Mexican
population was illiterate and the government needed a way to promote the ideas of the Mexican Revolution.
The government decided that public works of art could play an important role in restoring a nation tattered by civil
war. Expatriate artists Diego Rivera, Josè Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros, also known as Los Tres Grandes
(The Three Great Ones), were summoned to collaborate on a program of mural decoration of public buildings
meant to educate the illiterate population and reunify the country.
This renaissance turned revolutionary propaganda into one of the most powerful and significant achievements in the
20th Century. All three artists believed that art was the highest form of human expression and a key force in social
revolution; however, the three differed in their artistic expression because of their different experiences during the
Mexican Revolution:
 Diego Rivera was a utopian and idealist. His works depicted traditional everyday life and images of ancient
Mexico.
 Josè Clemente Orozco was critical and pessimistic. His works were an angry denunciation of oppression and
class systems, depicting human suffering, fear of technology, and the future.
 David Siqueiros, the most radical of the three, focused on the scientific future, modern machinery, and other
elements related to technology in his paintings.
The Mexican Muralists’ influence spread abroad, advocating the idea of mural painting as a form of promoting
social and political ideas. The idea of the moveable mural was developed in the United States in the 30’s because of
high American interest in Mexican arts, crafts, and culture during the time and because the murals in Mexico
couldn’t be moved to the U.S. The artists painted reproductions of some of their murals on large moveable
canvases rather than on the walls of buildings as in the traditional method of painting murals so they could be
moved to various shows. This later inspired the street art movement where artists not only attempt to have their
work communicate with people about socially relevant themes much like the Mexican muralists, but bring art to
the streets, to everyday people, and away from the elitist traditions of museums and galleries.
1.0 Perceiving and Responding:
Aesthetic Education-Students will demonstrate the ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to ideas,
experiences, and the environment through visual art.
2.0 Creative Expression and Production:
Students will demonstrate the ability to organize knowledge and ideas for expression in the production of art.
1.2-Identify and compare ways in which selected artworks represent what people see, know, feel, and
imagine.
1.2. b-Use color, line, shape, texture, and form to represent ideas visually from observation, memory,
and imagination.
3.1-Create images and forms from observation, memory, imagination, and feelings.
3.1. a-Experiment with art media, processes and techniques, and describe ways they can be used to express
thoughts and feelings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multi-step procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases
by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as
appropriate.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
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The YouTube movie “Mexican Muralists” by cheN2history (July 13, 2009) gives a brief introduction to the history of
Mexican Muralism. This is a great way to introduce the art form to your students prior to the residency.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUjiIXyWaRE
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The YouTube movie “Diego Rivera and Famous Mexican Painters” by travelvideosource (July 7, 2011) gives a brief
introduction to the three great ones. This is a great way to introduce the artists to your students prior to the residency. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViLS2EWZjng
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Manuel’s Murals by Jeaninne Escallier Kato and Rachel Smith (Jan 30, 2012): "Manuel Jesus Ramirez Rodriquez, a passionate nine year old boy from Mexico City, loves to paint murals like his hero, the legendary 20th Century Mexican
muralist, Diego Rivera. He dreams of the day he will become as famous as Diego Rivera so he can take care of his family and never have to watch his father clean other people's buildings ever again. However, because of this single-minded
quest, Manuel learns how his actions can affect the lives of others in ways he never imagined. Manuel takes a solo journey to learn more about Diego Rivera's art, but what he finds is a greater understanding of his own culture. The theme
of this picture book revolves around family; however, an appreciation of who we are emerges as colorful as the soul
that is Mexico.” Amazon.com
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Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siquieros by Desmond Rochfort (Mar 1, 1998)
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“Los tres grandes: Jose Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Now legendary, these men have
emerged as the most prominent figures of the famed Mexican mural movement, which lasted from the '20s through
the early '70s and was hailed as the most significant achievement in public art of the 20th Century. The dramatic story
of the movement is told here in a fascinating history of the artists, accompanied by over 100 spectacular color
reproductions of the murals. Showcasing popular as well as lesser-known works from around the US and Mexico, this
is the first high-quality paperback to do justice to a subject that will captivate every lover of Mexican art and culture,
Rivera fan, and art historian, as well as anyone who appreciates a beautiful, intelligent art book.” Amazon.com
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Unveilings
Students will take part in a ceremony unveiling the finished work to the student body, parents, and community.
Students should give a brief description of the process, share the vision and inspiration for the work created, and
celebrate their efforts by introducing the finished product as public art.
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School Wide Scavenger Hunt
Students create a scavenger hunt tour leading up to the grand finale. Pieces of the mural are revealed and placed
throughout the school with explanations of their importance and meanings so viewers can learn about the messages
singularly before seeing the entire masterpiece completely.
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Picture Making and Doodling: an artful way of
expressing ideas and showing perceptions in visual
form. It comes from a need to give physical form to
one’s thoughts. It can be used as a tool for thinking
about and engaging with the world. People doodle
to visualize the ideas in their heads so that they can
interact with those ideas.
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Pictionary: have students identify words or ideas
with quick sketches and guess what other students’
drawings represent to see if those words and ideas
have been clearly communicated visually. This is a
great word study activity and will boost students’
communication skills.
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Active Doodling: Allowing students to make “marks with meaning” in the margins of their notebooks or creating
doodling notebooks for note taking and brainstorming sessions can have a profound effect on creative problem solving
and deep information processing.
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Sketch notes: a visual medium that does not require drawing ability of any kind. Essentially, they're about
transforming ideas into visual communication, structuring thoughts, and giving hierarchy to concepts using strictly
text and a few lines.
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Last but certainly not least! The Elements of Art: Line, Shape, Color, Form, Texture, Value, and Space.
These are the building blocks used to create any work of art and should be referenced frequently.
What materials will we need to complete our project and what should we provide for the artist?
Danyett is constantly drawing throughout each session so a smart board, white board, or drawing easel is her best
friend. Drawing works best when students are sitting at desks, and sharpened pencils with erasers are illustrating
necessities. The rest of your materials will be included in your fee and supplied by the artist. Materials vary based
on the chosen project.
General Lists Include:
Crayons, markers, colored pencils, cardboard, scissors, and glue sticks for vision boards. Masonite panels,
hardware, gesso, paint brushes, acrylic paint, and drop cloth for mobile murals.
What if some parts of the process take longer than expected?
Danyett adheres to the motto “adapt and overcome.” She will gauge your classroom’s productivity and adjust the
lesson/schedule accordingly. Regardless, by the time she leaves, you will be able to follow up with your class to
add finishing touches if needed and will have a finished body of work that you and your students will be proud of.
We want our parents to meet you! Will you participate in a parent event after school hours?
Absolutely! Danyett would love to participate as long as her schedule permits it. The second most rewarding part
of doing what she does outside of working with the students through the process is seeing the looks on their faces
as they are presenting their work and being praised for their efforts.