Kolam-Inspired Art

Kolam is an ancient art form that originated in India 5,000 years ago. These intricate floor drawings are made from white rice flour, and are used for ornamental or ceremonial design during traditional Indian festivities. The drawing consists of dots and lines that together form a meaningful design that symbolizes happiness and prosperity. The word kolam in the Tamil language means “form” or “beauty.”

Kolam Origins and History
Each morning in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, millions of women draw kolam designs on the ground with white rice flour. Throughout the day, the drawings get walked on, washed out by rain, or blown away by the wind, and new ones are made the next day. Each morning before sunrise, the floor is cleaned with water, and the muddy floor is swept well to create an even surface. The designs are drawn while the surface is still damp so the design will hold better.

Traditionally, kolams were drawn with coarse rice flour so the ants would not have to walk too far for a meal. The rice powder also invites birds and other small creatures to eat it, thus welcoming other beings into one’s home and everyday life—a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. The kolam design is all about symmetry, precision, and complexity.

Project Inspiration
As an elementary art teacher in the San Diego Unified School District, I was inspired by the 1,800-piece kolam that was installed on inauguration day near Capitol Hill in January 2021. I decided to have my students collaborate on a kolam-inspired installation at our school. Kolam designs are a perfect way to integrate several concepts in art such as symmetry, line, shape, color, space, and repetition. I created a website (see Resource) and wrote grade-level lesson plans with how-to videos that integrate visual art with math.

Class Discussions
I shared a photograph of women in Tamil Nadu drawing kolams as a hook—I engaged students in a think-pair-share and a class discussion where I encouraged them to talk about what they saw, what they think the people in the photo are doing, and what part of the world the photo is from. This led to a great discussion about the history and origin of the kolam, the process of creating them, and the designs.

Art-Making
Each student created a kolam-inspired tile on a 10 x 10" (25 x 25 cm) square paper plate.

Kindergarten students created twenty dots on their paper plates, numbered and connected them, and colored the shapes they created.

For first-grade students, I created 2 x 2" (5 x 5 cm) dots on each plate using a template and black permanent marker so they could connect them to make shapes. They first drew lines with a pencil, traced them with a black permanent marker, then colored in the shapes using crayons to complete their artwork.

Second-grade students worked with 3 x 3" (7.5 x 7.5 cm) dots, third-grade students with 4 x 4" (10 x 10 cm) dots, and fourth- and fifth-grade students with 5 x 5" (12.5 x 12.5 cm) dots. All students connected their dots with lines to create shapes that incorporated symmetry and colored them in.

Installation
Once students were finished creating their kolam-inspired tiles, I punched a hole in the corner of each paper plate and connected the plates together using a 1.5" (4 cm) metal fastener. I created a collaborative kolam design in the school parking lot by arranging an odd number of plates in each row and making sure to include every kolam created. The plates are relatively simple to connect, move, and adjust—any leftover plates can be incorporated into the final design.