Portraits of Trust Early Learners
This exhibit displays 60 self-portraits by young learners between the ages of 3-5 years old who attend the Martin Trust Partnership in Education for Early Learners (Trust Early Learners). The process for the self-portraits began with exploration. Students observed themselves in a mirror and then created color swatches of their skin, hair, and eye color. Two books were read: Colors of Us by Karen Katz, about an artist painting many shades, and All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger, which explains the ancestral origin of our skin color. After reading both books, students began creating their self-portraits by using tempera paint sticks to draw the head shape, facial features, and hair. When the self-portrait drawings were complete, they collaged backgrounds until they were covered. The self-portraits are a visual display of learning and personal development our young artists have cultivated during the school year.