Rondo Collages after Miriam Schapiro

Miriam Schapiro (born 1923), became a professional artist in 1955, originally painting in the Abstract Expressionist style (like Jackson Pollock did). As she developed her art and expanded her vision, she developed her own personal style and became a pioneer in the Feminist Art Movement in the early 1970s. Schapiro eventually introduced the element of fabric collage into her artwork, cutting pieces of patterned cloth and combining them with acrylic paint to create a beautifully orchestrated symphony of pattern and color. Schapiro, along with another artist named Melissa Meyer, coined the term "femmage" to apply to their type of collage art which utilizes commonplace materials and techniques that historically have been associated with domesticity, and therefore with women: quilts, buttons, sequins, tea towels, embroidery, lace, crochet, carpets, and fabric design. Schapiro is one of the first artists in history to make art addressing the feminine experience.

Schapiro’s 1989 book, Rondo, contains a colorful accordion foldout with a string of highly animated dancing figures, using collage as a medium. None of the works rely on “drawing”- the drawing is done with scissors. In this project, fifth grade artists created Rondo-like collages of their own. They first created colorful various collage and background papers using bleeding tissue paper, watercolor and salt. After discussing body proportion, students chose a dancing pose or posed their figure performing an activity they enjoy. Various papers, fabric, wallpaper scraps and other textiles were layered to create the final collage pieces. Here they are: