Be a Creative Changemaker: A Kids’ Art Activity Book by Paula Liz (Author), Illustrated by Bambi Ramsey
Paula Liz is an artist, activist, educator, and author born in Puerto Rico. She has a very active Instagram account and works closely with NAEA. Having been an art teacher for over a decade, she noticed that we usually look at the same old artists all the time, and she decided to change that. Her main aim in this book is to invite us to see art from new perspectives and deepen our understanding of artists at a global level.
That is how she decided to present these 25 creators—some more well-known than others—in a new light, and to propose meaningful activities inspired by their lives and art. The best part is that they are meant for 12-year-olds and up and have a degree of complexity that is refreshing to see. Usually, kids’ art books stop at the early grades and do not dare to invite the older kids to chip in with their own experiences. Plus, if we want them to see the world from an artist’s perspective, we tend to leave out an important part: subjective experience.
Liz invites kids to pour their subjective experiences and the things that build their sense of self and personality into their artworks, portraying local heroes, drawing their pets using motifs, and engaging in art from an activist perspective.
She introduces us to European female artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi or Luisa Ignacia Roldán and invites us to explore chiaroscuro or construct a historical figure sculpture. She also discusses more contemporary Asian/African/Latino artists such as Jamini Roy in 20th-century India, and how he portrayed animals in a colorful way related to storytelling.
I have to say that the work of Bambi Ramsey is a highlight and helps immensely when portraying the artists depicted. I would love to own these portraits as posters!
Liz attended the Maryland Institute of Art, receiving a BFA in Painting and an MAT in Art Education. She was named Art Educator of the Year in Maryland in 2022. She also co-wrote another book reviewed here: Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids.
Be a Creative Changemaker is available on January 16th, 2024.
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Pages: Trade Paperback 128Pages
ISBN: 9780760378021
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