Eighth-graders at Churchville-Chili Middle School, like the rest of us, have found that the most challenging thing about wearing a safety mask is that it can hide their smiles and conceal their moods and personality. They’ve tackled this problem by creating expressive self-portraits that reveal the distinctly individual personalities “behind the mask.”
“This project embraces where we are in this difficult time,” said art teacher Charmagne Dodd. “Students use their artwork to celebrate the positive attributes of who they are, employing graphic cues that reflect their interests and noting expression in their eyes.”
The project, which originated with an art teacher in Tennessee and spread across the country via YouTube, uses drawing on folded paper to create two views of the artist: one wearing a mask, and one showing who is behind the mask. Churchville-Chili students employed colored pencils in a humorous cartoon style, adding patterns, color, hairstyles, and imagery to define their character. As the art opens up, they are revealed, with full expressions and words like “Funny,” “Kind,” “Generous,” and “Creative.”
