Islamic Tile Design- Printmaking by 6th Grade

For the Muslim artist, reality begins with and centers around Allah (Arabic for God). Since only Allah can create life, the artist does not try to imitate nature, but concentrates instead on conveying what nature represents. So, almost all Islamic art is made up of complex abstract patterns that create a sense of unending repetition- another reminder that Allah's world is infinite.

Sixth graders are currently studying Islam in History/Geography. In the project, art students were inspired by Islamic art to create tile design prints. For Muslims, geometry reflects the language of the universe and all geometric patterns are developed within a circle, the symbol of unity. Sixth graders were challenged to create a radially symmetrical pattern on graph paper, which they transfered to a small printing block and printed with their choice of ink/paper color.

Here are a few photos of students in the process of printing their block: