Creative Collage Projects for Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month Art

March is Women’s History month, what better way to celebrate the contributions of women throughout history than through making art?  These collage ideas  offer a creative and engaging opportunity for middle and high school students to explore the stories of women historical figures and changemakers while learning key concepts of art.
This project is the perfect activity for in between units or as an opener for a larger project or discussion of the elements of art and principles of design. I am always looking for 1-2 day projects this time of year because of the chaotic schedule with Spring Break and many school assemblies, art shows and performances that happen this time of year. It is always helpful to have a quick but meaningful “mini-project” in my back pocket that can bridge larger unit investigations.

US Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse Image Libraries

I was inspired to create these collages by the Free to Use and Reuse image sets on the US Library of Congress website. There is a photo library specifically for Women’s History Month as well as a photo library for African American Women Changemakers.) These high quality photos can be downloaded at different resolutions for printing. I recommend choosing the .TIFF file (large file) and then exporting to a jpg format once downloaded to ensure a high resolution image. 
I recommend using this image archive because it teaches students the importance of using images that are “fair use” and to respect copyright laws and creative property. I also like that these image libraries include images that are not as famous and there were quite a few historical figures I wasn’t aware of. There are also images of unnamed women at work (during WW2 for example) which I think is a nice addition to the project to show that the contributions of everyday people are also important to commemorate this month. 

Materials for Women's History Collage

  I find it helpful to curate the materials (have magazine pages torn out and printed images of US monuments and the architecture of Washington D.C.) for this and to have the photos of the historical women already printed so that students are ready to get started after introducing the lesson. 

• Printed copyright free images from the US Library of Congress (Women’s History Day, African American Women Changemakers)
• Recycled magazines, newspapers, old maps or printed images - I curate these images to save time on this project by going through magazine pages and tearing out images that will work for the project including repeating patterns, textures, or pops of color. 
• Scissors
• Glue sticks- these are my favorite, they are PH neutral and very sticky
• Tracing paper
• Paint pens or markers- I purchase these Posca Pens
• Shape punches- I like these circle punches 
• XACTO knife 
• Cutting mat - I like this self healing mat
• Poster boards or thick backing paper for display- I use this Canson Paper for backing

* To see all the products I purchased with links check out this LTK post

Introduction to Women's History Collage Project

To introduce this project I printed a number of photos from the US Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse image library and laid them out on the back table. I wrote the names of the women represented in the photos on the back in pencil (so it wouldn’t bleed through the copy paper) and if a specific name wasn’t given to the photo I wrote the description from the image library. For example “Riveter at work on Consolidated bomber, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas.” I also wrote the name of the image library where I found the image so that students could locate their photo to do independent research. The Library Congress website includes some key information on the photos that could be used as search terms for deeper research. ​

After choosing their photos students set to work doing some research about their image or historical figure. I put up a slide with some key information to find. This includes the time period, the profession or role of the woman(en), the topics or themes of their work/contributions, and a quote (if possible) of the figure. For the images of women at work this is a little more challenging to find, but they may be able to find a quote about the women who for example worked as riveters during WW2. 
Once students have some background information I demonstrate a few different techniques to help them get ideas for their project. I find that curating the materials that students have access to also helps with the timing of the project. I have found that when I give students free reign to go searching for images it takes a lot of class time and they often get distracted or overwhelmed by choices. I do think that searching for images has value but for this activity I chose to select the printed elements and it worked out well to keep the focus on the historical figure and celebrating women’s achievements.  When selecting collage materials I have found that patterned paper, maps and printed images with an all over pattern or texture work best for this project. I also included some scrap paper from other projects like Gelli-Plate printing and the backing sheets from spray painting because the abstract markings had beautiful colors and textures. 

Women’s History Month Collage Ideas

Patterned Background

This idea was inspired by UK collage artist Naomi Vona who uses paint pens to embellish the background of vintage black and white photographs with intricate and colorful patterns.
To create my example of this style of collage I chose a photo of Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Thurston. I liked the pattern in the background of the image and as I am not as gifted at freehanding patterns as artist Naomi Vona I thought this was approachable for me. Thurston was a bold and confident woman who was not afraid to speak her mind and her groundbreaking books shed light on the Black female experience of the rural US South. From my research of Thurston I found two quotes to guide my project, both about time, cycles and how the past shapes the future. To represent this I wanted to evoke the image of repeating rising suns to show the passage of time and repetition. To get the effect of rising suns I cut out circles from an image of a gem (to reflect complexity and boldness) I found and cut slits around the hat and in other areas of the image to place my cut out circles within.  I chose a color scheme to work within (3-5 colors) and set to work tracing out the background pattern with paint pens. One thing I found with using the paint pens is that the dark colors layered better over the light colors and that I often had to add a second layer of paint pen to cover the shiny surface of the black and white laser print (if you are using an inkjet printer this might not be an issue.) As a finishing touch I added some cut outs of a calendar to show time and mounted the collage on a thicker piece of black paper.
This style of collage creates a visual contrast between the figure and background that highlights the figure as the main focal point. 

Narrative Collage

This approach to the project is centered around the idea of narrative or story telling and is inspired by Parisian artist Twiggy Boyer who uses torn paper, drawing and found imagery to create collages that evoke a scene or story. I chose to work with a photograph of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for this history collage project. Both of these women were key figures in the US abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. For this collage style I needed the figures to be smaller so I had room to show a landscape in the background. I had the idea of creating a torn paper mountain range in front of the US capitol building to show the long climb towards the liberation of enslaved people and women’s right to vote. I chose mostly light toned paper inspired by Boyer’s style and tore the edges to create the ragged lines of the mountains. Once all the elements were glued onto a mid-toned backing paper (I used this Canson paper)  I placed the photograph of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the foreground to show the “mountains” they and other women fighting for their causes needed to “climb” to achieve the dream of equality. I noticed in Boyer’s pieces she often includes vines and flowers climbing through the collage and I wanted to add this element as well so I used white gel pen to draw on one of the layers of paper. When teaching the lesson it might be helpful to have a couple of versions of the photo printed out at different scales and even some black and white images (of related architecture/monuments) for this style of historical themed collage.  

Replacing Elements with Collage

I drew inspiration from US artist Bisa Butler who creates large scale figurative quilts characterized by their bold colors and intricate patterns. Bisa Butler uses her quilts to tell the stories of Americans with African descent throughout history and carries on a tradition of quilting that has been present in the African American community for centuries (to learn more about African American quilting traditions, check out this blogpost on the Quilts of Gee’s Bend.) I chose to work with a photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking with a British female machinist while on her Goodwill Tour of Great Britain during WW2. Drawing inspiration from Butler’s collages I chose brightly patterned printed images from magazines. I divided them based on color scheme because I wanted the figures to have contrasting color palettes to create contrast as Butler does in her work. I used drafting vellum (thicker than tracing paper) to trace the outlines of the historical women’s clothing and then cut them out to make patterns that I used to trace onto the magazine images to make similarly shaped pieces. It was a bit like dressing a paper doll as I placed the colorful cutouts on the figures and glued them into place. As a finishing touch I cut out the figures from the background and glued them on a pink paper. Once again I drew inspiration from Bisa Butler who layers patterns, I used paint pens to draw a repeated pattern by hand. I kept the pattern small and used colors that would both complement and contrast the figures so they would remain the focal point of the piece.

Reviewing the Elements and Principles of Art

This project is a great way to review  the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Some of the visual concepts that can be highlighted in this lesson are: 

• Adding Color to Black and White: Encourage students to experiment with adding color to black and white images to create contrast and visual interest.
  
• Focal Point/Emphasis: Guide students in creating focal points within their collages to draw attention to key elements and narratives.
  
• Elements of Art and Pattern Ideas: Prompt students to explore elements of art such as line, shape, texture, and pattern to enhance the visual impact of their collages.
  

Women's History Month Art Display

Once completed, students can showcase their collages in a Women’s History Month art display, accompanied by a paragraph of research on their chosen historical figure. This provides an opportunity for students to share what they learned about these historical women, with their peers and the broader school community. 
 Women’s History Month art projects offer a meaningful way to celebrate the contributions of women historical figures and changemakers. I hope you try this  collage exploration with your students. It is a great way to engage in creative expression, storytelling, and reflection, fostering a deeper appreciation for the diverse narratives of women’s history.