Why should we study Diego Rivera? After all he was controversial as well as a multi-faceted individual. Why should we teach our students about this artist? The answer is simply that Rivera was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. He was a legend in his own time. The effect of his art can be compared to that of Michelangelo. We can learn about history and ourselves through the murals created by Diego Rivera whose dream was to be the artist of the Americas.
In this curriculum unit students will learn about the artist Diego Rivera, the Mexican mural movement, New Deal Programs , and finally, murals in New Haven, Connecticut. The students will learn how mural art can teach a wide audience. The students will demonstrate what they have learned by creating a mural in their school. This will be an interdisciplinary unit that will be taught by the fourth grade teacher, the art teacher and the media specialist. Computer and research skills will be developed and the reading of biographies will be used as a research tool. The length of the unit will be one month. Several field trips will be planned in order to view some local murals in neighborhood schools.