Drawing Differences Program
Let's make art that looks like all of us!
EmbraceRace teamed up with three fantastic antiracist art teachers to produce Drawing Differences, a program designed to address the underrepresentation of diverse characters in children's drawings. Representation teaches powerful lessons about beauty, normalcy, and worthiness. Drawing Differences aims to encourage kids and their adults to create portraits that together feature people with different skin colors, hair textures, and facial features. While the program is aimed at kids from 8 to 11 years old, teachers, librarians, caregivers and others have modified it to use with younger and older children, too. (Follow these tips for using the lessons with younger children.)
The lessons are organized into affirmations:
- Introduction: We observe closely.
- Affirmation #1: We see color.
- Affirmation #2: We see individuals.
- Affirmation #3: We feel seen.
Introduction: WE LOOK CLOSELY
This introductory video introduces the theme of observation, or looking closely to notice, name, and draw differences between individuals — whether that's individual, unique trees or individual, unique people.
We have put together a starter guide with useful framing and tips families, educators, librarians and all caregivers engaging with the lessons for the first time. We also recommend watching this short video, on the power of explicitly discussing race and racism when using the Drawing Differences lesson materials.
Each affirmation section includes the following:
- An activity guide featuring specific ideas and suggestions for educators, families,
and librarians - An assortment of handouts and visual resources that support planning, creating,
and reflecting on the affirmation - A video guide offering a kid- and adult-friendly overview of the featured
affirmation - A conversation tip sheet to help adults respond thoughtfully to children's
questions about race and physical differences - A student-facing slide deck geared to teachers as an instructional tool
Affirmation #1: WE SEE COLOR
Children learn ways artists can mix colors to represent our vast array of skin colors. No need to run out and buy more art supplies. They can blend unique skin tones using tools that are likely available at home or in school. Three media—crayon, colored pencils, and watercolor paint—are explored.
Affirmation #1 Lesson Materials:
Affirmation #2: WE SEE INDIVIDUALS
Children are encouraged to notice how hair and facial features are similar and/or different with reference to curly afros, thick braids, straight bangs, head coverings, and tight fades, among other styles. They also see differences in sizes and shapes of lips, eyes, and noses.
Affirmation #3: WE FEEL SEEN
Children explore and draw diversity in community. They start by reflecting on paintings of various people by some popular, professional artists. They are then invited to a playful Portrait Party to draw family and friends in booklets.
Affirmation #3 Lesson Materials:
We're thrilled to announce that our friends at the Mead Museum at Amherst College have created an amazing and family-friendly exhibit inspired by EmbraceRace's Drawing Differences art lessons! Experience Re/Presenting: Art Beyond the Color Line - which includes art, a drawing room and prompts, a reading room and many interactive elements - through July 6, 2025. What's more, EmbraceRace has joined with the Mead and other community partners to plan activities connected to the exhibit and to Drawing Differences happening in Western Massachusetts into 2025. Stay tuned for those announcements! One such activity that involves the Mead, the Jones Library Kids' Desk, the Eric Carle Museum of the Picture Book and ice cream: it's Drawing Differences Bingo! Download your bingo card or pick one up while they last at the Jones Kids Desk or at the Mead. Win ice cream and get entered into a raffle for a grand prize! Participants must be local to Western MA.
Drawing Differences was created by arts educators Libya Doman, Khadesia Latimer and Paula Liz in collaboration with EmbraceRace.