The goal of this workshop is to enhance students' understanding of the use of symbolism and quilt patterning in Michele Wood's art, and to apply these concepts to students' own works celebrating African American history.

In order to do this workshop with your class, you'll need the following materials: 10-inch squares of cotton in various colors, oil pastels, and masking tape.

Making the quilt squares will take about an hour.

• With your class, look at the art in Going Back Home. On page 3, Michele Wood says, "When you look at my art, you will see that I often create quilt-like backgrounds. This is my way of showing how pieces of life can fit together." Talk about what makes quilts special—how they are a way to preserve history. Quilts have a particularly special role in African American history, since they were often used as maps to the Underground Railroad.
• Discuss some of the symbols used in Going Back Home: the hen, the house, the black pot, and the mule, among others. Ask students what symbols they could use to represent people or movements from African American history. For example, the Underground Railroad could be symbolized by train tracks, or Rosa Parks by a bus.
• Ask students to pick an important person, place, or event from African American history that they wish to symbolize. Give students enough time to consider the full range of this history and to choose their selection carefully.
• Give each student a cloth square. Use masking tape to secure students' squares to their desks, so they have a smooth, flat surface on which to draw.
• Using pastels, students should draw a large square in the middle of their cloth. Inside this square, they draw the symbols they have chosen. Outside, they create a border that echoes the patterns in quilts and Michele Wood's art.
• Once everyone has completed their squares, sew them together into a class quilt.