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Family

Art Activity

Screenshot from At Home video of artist in front of colorful artwork

Our Inside the Composer’s Mind Young People’s Concert Experience is all about exploring the building blocks of music.

Now, let’s join artist Jimmy Longoria to create a visual composition built on the idea of how music composers arrange sound and visual artists arrange artistic elements to create a whole artistic piece. Enjoy working with Jimmy to build your own unique composition!

Materials you will need:

  • 5 sheets of paper
  • Markers, crayons, pencils, pens - whichever you prefer
  • Scissors

Making Your Part of the Composition

On the first piece of paper, make an object. It can be anything you want! Fill the whole sheet with 20 versions of this object—all different sizes. Make sure the objects do not overlap, as you will be cutting each out individually.

On the second piece of paper, make a different object. Follow the same instructions as on the first piece of paper.

On the third piece of paper, make a different object. Follow the same instructions as on the first piece of paper.

On the fourth piece of paper, make 8 worms/ribbons/noodles that go across the whole piece of paper—wavy, jaggedy—whatever you want.

Save the fifth piece of paper to make more objects if you need them after you start arranging the first four elements.

Lay out all the sheets of paper and color the objects any way you want, knowing that color will create harmony between the object elements. As you color the worms/ribbons/noodles, keep in mind that they will be the unifying elements in your composition.

Once you have colored all the objects and worms, cut them out.

Lay out the objects however you wish on a space big enough to accommodate all the pieces. 16” high x 20” wide is an ideal size. Begin by placing the worms/noodles first, and then add the other objects.

Once you have laid out all the objects, look at your composition and change it until you are happy with how it looks.

Share Your Art!

Photograph your completed composition and email it to the artist at jimmy@mentoringpeace.org.

Jimmy will use Photoshop to smooth out and blend your composition. Then he’ll return it to you so you can print it out or use it as a screen saver on your computer!

Co-founded by artist Jimmy Longoria and arts administrator Connie Fullmer, Mentoring Peace Through Art identifies, engages, and develops young individuals’ leadership potential through art projects that serve diverse communities’ social needs. Minnesota Orchestra audiences may recall the work of Mentoring Peace Through Art from Sommerfest 2019, Música Juntos, when they presented activities during family-friendly events and had several of Longoria’s pieces displayed in the Orchestra Hall lobby throughout the summer. To learn more about this youth outreach organization’s transformative work, including their MuralWorks projects, visit mentoringpeace.org.