The Prehistoric Art Challenge

Learning about the art of the past becomes distinctly memorable when we help kids connect what they've learned to their lives today. 

So, what would Prehistoric art look like today? 

To help my art history students think about this we started by identifying limitations. Prehistoric artists, we agreed, faced the following challenges: 
​
- They were limited to materials they could find in their environments. 
- They had to design ways to apply these materials or use their hands. 
- They had limited time and resources to dedicate to artmaking, so they focused their imagery on things that were really important to them. 

Mixing powered hot coco with a stick to make a paste.

With these limitations in mind, I asked my kids to bring in non-art materials that could be used to mark on paper, as well as a means to apply them. On challenge day we had a range of media, including pesto, carmex, hair dye and sprinkles, although the less prepared had to forage for mulch  on the school grounds. 

There were no bison or fertility goddesses in our creations!  Netflix, iphones, pets and favorite foods were popular images. 

Drawing with chapstick worked surprisingly well,  but suspending food dye in vaseline and painting with peanut butter were less successful. 

This beloved pet was created with the contrasting combo of honey mustard and jelly. 

At the end of it all, we learned that making art is hard and sometimes messy when you have to forage for your own supplies. My kids left this experience with a new sense of how much time and skill it took early humans to form images, and how important it must have been for them to dedicate their limited resources to creating. 
​
Also, my classroom still smells like pesto .