Older Children

Older Children
Silhouette of hand
Ann Hamilton
American, born 1956
O N E E V E R Y O N E
2017
PDF icon oc_hamilton_v1.pdf

 

 

Subject: Drawing Emotion
Activity: Make a silhouette with symbols and words that describe you
Materials: Flashlight; large sheet of paper; pencil; crayons, colored pencils, markers, or paint
Vocabulary: Silhouette, emotion

Introduction: 

Artist Ann Hamilton took photos of people behind a cloudy sheet of plastic to make these photographs. They are hanging in the Dell Medical School to represent all the different kinds of people who need care or who have cared for others. Even though they are blurry you can see details of a person’s face, hands, or an object they are holding. This helps the artist show us what the most important part of the picture is. 

Questions: 

What are some reasons why someone would have their picture taken?

If this person could talk, what do you think he or she would say?

Pretend you are inside this photograph. What does it feel like?

Can you assign a mood to these photographs? 

Activity: 

Create a silhouette of your head by standing sideways a foot away from a wall. Have a friend shine a  flashlight toward you so that your face casts a shadow against the wall. Have another friend tape a large sheet of paper to the wall and trace your profile. If you want a larger canvas lay down on a large sheet of paper and trace your entire body!


Use crayons, colored pencils, markers, or paint to  fill in your silhouette with facts you want people to know about you. What is your favorite food? Where do you like to go on vacation? What do you like to play with your friends? What makes you happy or sad? What is the most important thing about you? Use art to show who you are!

BTW: 

You can visit www.hamilton-landmarks.org to see more photographs taken for this project. 

Vocabulary: 

Silhouette - The outline of a person or object
Emotion - A strong feeling, like happy or sad