Artist Sam Gilliam is a painter and member of the Washington Color School. During the 1960s and ’70s, many people thought African Americans should make art about civil rights. Sam Gilliam defied this by making colorful experimental works inspired by the world around him.
One of the things that inspired Sam Gilliam was laundry hanging from clotheslines. He liked the way it looked and began to drape the canvas of his paintings. With your child, look up images of city clotheslines or hang something from a clothesline inside your own home. How does it look?
For more unique hands-on projects and activities, go to HIRSHHORN KIDS at Home, part of #HirshhornInsideOut, a Hirshhorn-wide initiative to bring the Museum into your home. New projects are released every week. Follow along and share on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
The Hirshhorn is a leading voice for contemporary art and culture and provides a national platform for the art and artists of our time. It is located in the heart of Washington, DC, on the National Mall. For more information, click below.
