Jean-Michel Basquiat Art Game
Ready to teach a Black History Month art project in February that’ll keep elementary or middle school kids engaged? This Jean-Michel Basquiat art lesson will boost student confidence and creativity. Kids will appreciate his loose style of painting. Moreover, they’ll connect with his personal story of grit and determination.
And, it’ll help time-starved teachers like you create lesson plans based on modern Black artists like Basquiat.
During this project, your class will discover Jean-Michel Basquiat’s rise to fame in New York City under the name SAMO. Use it to discuss art as social commentary towards the issues people of color have faced in the art industry. Students will design a Basquiat abstract portrait using the step-by-step guide.
Plan lessons for students about art history and art appreciation in a way that excites them. Finally feel confident in your art curriculum and be organized and prepared to teach art!
What’s Included
Can I be honest with you? Art history can sometimes be boring for kids. There, I said it. Teaching about artists and cultures doesn’t have to be a snoozer, though!
I’ve designed 3 different ways for students to attempt this Basquiat art project. All will engage kids to create! Choose which way works best for your classes:
- Roll a Basquiat dice game to add randomness to your student’s artwork
- “You Pick” art worksheet for kids to choose their own elements
- Digital spinner wheels, so kids can randomly pick elements and you can integrate technology in the art room
- Printable dice template in case you have no dice
- Step-by-step picture directions to guide students through the art process
- Drawing practice worksheet, for kids who want to sketch out their ideas
- Jean-Michel Basquiat Artist biography about the life and work of this abstract portrait painter, so you don’t need to research
- “Big Ideas” reflection worksheet where students write about their art process
- Art rubric, a self-assessment tool to get students thinking about things like craftsmanship and art project goals
- 8 “I CAN” Statements aligned to the Studio Habits of Mind to use during instruction or post on your bulletin board
- 4 Art exit tickets with quick, thought-provoking prompts
- Art history coloring pages to keep kids inspired by Basquiat’s artwork outside of the art room
Ways to Use This Basquiat Art Lesson
This art project is flexible and can be used in many ways throughout your art room and beyond. It’s great for maternity or emergency art sub plans, early finisher activities, and even for virtual art class or an after-school art club.
You Will Receive
- 1 Non-Editable Printable PDF (Jean-Michel Basquiat Art Project)
- 1 Non-Editable PowerPoint
- 5 Digital Spinner Videos (downloadable, and links to them on Google Slides and YouTube)
- Paperless Google Drive Digital Resource
Why You’ll Love It
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This was a fun project for students and introduced to them to the amazing work by Basquiat! The kids even started to recognize his work in pop culture after doing this project!
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This resource was so fun! My students and I read a book about Basquiat and then I led them through this activity and they loved it. Can’t wait to use this for years to come.
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This project was perfect for my fifth graders in honor of Black History Month. We used the activity spinners and choice board to do physical and digital drawings (using Jamboard) inspired by Basquiat. They were so engaged! Thank you so much for this resource!
Terms of Use
Please refer to my complete terms of use prior to purchasing.
Daniel S. –
I always love the game you provide in your resources because it gives my students an easy choice board to choose from, and a reference that helps tremendously.
Lauren Rose W. –
Since the drawing portion was pretty simple, I had my students make 2 backgrounds, one that was the background in this project and a second one using the bleeding tissue paper method. The students were engaged and the fact that they pick elements from a sheet really help my students (alternative school for suspended students).
Maria H. –
Great resource. Easy to use and easy to follow. It was also well organized and detailed. Thank you.
McKenzie V. –
My students loved this project, it was hands on and influenced their creativity.
Ms Candelora (Teacher-Author) –
This was a great art lesson to do with my grade 6-8s. They loved that they were able to “scribble” in the background and create their own version of a portrait.
Caitlin M. –
This was a fantastic resource. My students loved learning about and creating art in the gritty style of Basquiat.
Jennifer B. –
My Grade 3’s loved learning about the artist and their projects turned out great!
krista K. –
My students enjoyed using this to make some whacky monsters, although some were definitely a bit difficult to drawer for younger kids (I know this lesson is not necessarily meant for all ages though). I enjoyed getting to talk to them about Basquiat and show them his unique artwork!
Jennifer Thompson –
Thank you so much for this activity. We enjoyed it.
Allison J. –
Kids loved this resource. Thanks!
The Sunshines Nook (Teacher-Author) –
Loved this resource!
Chloe S. –
Great!
Dalia K. –
Great resource! Thank you!
Shannon’s Virtual Classroom (Teacher-Author) –
I like the opportunities for each student to be guided through making their own piece. I also liked the reflection writing and self-assessment aspect.
CK’s Classroom (Teacher-Author) –
This was such a fun project to do with my kiddos! I collaborated with the art teacher for Black History month to do this.
Elena T. –
The students loved this lesson and the finished products turned out great!
Christine K. –
Students loved the use of mixed media and experiencing multiple techniques working together in one composition. What was challenging for them? The students referred to it as making “messy” art – the random crayon scribbles, and random scrubbing of paint, they did not expect their messy and random strokes would compose a visually pleasing artwork . At the end, they loved how this random composition of mixed media created texture, depth, and variety. Use of white colored pencil on top of the black paint was another favorite of the students – how the simple fine lined white pencil strokes changed the work, elevating the visual interest through contrast.
Justin G. –
My students loved exploring Basquiat for BHM!
Aubree body –
My students loved this project! They were so engaged in Basquiat’s artistic style! Playing the dice game interested even the usually stand-off students and it went really well!
SquareDoodles (Teacher-Author) –
Excellent resource!
Kimalyn H. –
We loved using this activity for a Basquiat artist study! It really helped students gain a better understanding of his style, and they had a lot of fun playing both the dice game or using the other sheet to choose their own elements.
Darlene D. –
I teach Saturday school and I always focus on an Artist -art project and science. In honor of Black History Month I focused on this particular artist. The students enjoyed learning about him and his artwork. They loved creating the collages.
Madeline S. –
Super fun activity! Students were very engaged and created some great pieces!
Sharon M. –
This was a great distance learning lesson. I had to modify it for my classes, but it was engaging and worked. I teach at a special school so was able to use it with all grade levels.
Caitlyn Montague –
Used this when I overestimated how long a project would take and didn’t have the next one prep. It was a two day project, and while some of the students (I work in a very rural area) did really understand or fully appreciate the style or end result, they loved the process of creating it.
Laura C. –
Definately a resource I will use year after year! Fantastic extension to Black History Month. Students were very engaged and their final products were amazing!
roxana S. –
Easy to use, yielded great results!
Lianna H. –
Loved this! It was informative, and the instructions made the activity very easy to complete.
Jasmine M. –
My first graders LOVED this activity!
Laura F. –
This was a fun project for students and introduced to them to the amazing work by Basquiat! The kids even started to recognize his work in pop culture after doing this project!
Jennifer H. –
My students loved this recourse!
Allison W. –
This resource was so fun! My students and I read a book about Basquiat and then I led them through this activity and they loved it. Can’t wait to use this for years to come.
Louise Stevenson –
Great resource to introduce my students to their self portrait project in a fun, engaging and accessible way.
Laura C. –
Excellent resource!
Lucky in Fifth (Teacher-Author) –
Great product! One of my students’ favorite projects we did 🙂
Ivy N. –
My students loved learning about Basquiat, and created some very creative inspired art!
Kevin A. –
Great resource for artist study. My students enjoyed learning about Basquiat.
Natalie R. –
This was so much to do and a great way to finish off our Black History unit. The students had so much fun spinning the wheels and seeing what their picture would look like. They had so much fun creating their work and seeing what the outcomes will be like. Great resource!
Brenna Ray –
Students love this resource. It was perfect for our Basquiat study.
Art in a Sensible Tote Bag (Teacher-Author) –
This was a great resource for kids to explore the style of Basquait’s artwork!
Classroom of Kindness (Teacher-Author) –
This project was perfect for my fifth graders in honor of Black History Month. We used the activity spinners and choice board to do physical and digital drawings (using Jamboard) inspired by Basquiat. They were so engaged! Thank you so much for this resource!
Hopes smART Studios (Teacher-Author) –
Loved this Basquiat resource! A great way to bonify my unit for Black History month.
Christine L. –
Great fun!
Dawna B. –
These art projects are so fantastic! They work for multiple age and ability levels and they always turn out so wonderful. I’m using them as the core of our art portfolio building this year. Thank you so much!