the process
Our Creative Journey
Day 1 Why and Who?
Introductions
On the first day we learned that we all joined for different reasons. Some liked art. Others liked history. And some just wanted to do something during the summer. The interests are 3 history / 3 sports / 3 art painting / 2 fun / learn
All students took turns sharing what they were interested in learning about Central High School's History on the board.
Eli shares expectations and procedures with students
Art kits are given out with notebook and sketchbook
Review of results from survey discussion of artists and different mural styles.
Collecting and organizing information to use later.
Tyler and Eli explain the importance of using the sketchbook and notebooks as tools to collect and information for future use.
Art Activity: Personal Timeline: Think of 3-5 events in your lifetime that maybe connect, illustrate them in the form of a timeline. How do the events lead to the next, how do they tell a story? How do you depict these events visually? With one icon?
Day 2 “Notice what you notice!”
Exploring Central with a different mind set.
On the second day, students walked around Central High School and were told to explore the building like they had never done before. Looking at the walls, the sidewalks, the architecture, the parking lots: imagine the history, observe the architecture. Looking at windows, streets, the location of the building and the people in it. Imagine it through different seasons and at different times in history.
Exploration Walk Exercise
Things that were taken into consideration.
Central High School has been a public space in Providence for 100 years. Think about the history and what this space has been witness to over those years.
How does Central look as a public space when in use? How and many people people are walking around in it and outside of it? Why are they there and what are they doing? Where are they from? What do they look like?
Where is it situated in the city? Does it’s location hold any significance? Why?
What else do you notice? What would you change? What do you like? Exploration Walk around Central
Comparing the past and present Providence with aerial views from different times in history.
Areal View 1939
No parking lot for the school.
Areal View 2020
Highway 95 was not started until 1960's.
Day 3 “RISD Museum Visit”
Julia Gualtieri (RISD museum educator) gives a tour through rooms filled with art and design. 100,000 pieces of art and only 2000 on exhibit.
Visual Voices
On the third day, students visited the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, travelling through history and around the world with art. Students sketch and combine images to create new meaning. Symbolism, composition, and scale are discussed.
Student Takeaway / A Favorite from RISD
Day 4 Ask and Learn to Tell
Research is about gathering sources from all around and forming a story that is as accurate as possible.
Ask a Question / Tell a story
On day four our group starts understanding the importance of asking questions. And asking the right questions they can answer. Stories start to develop and those stories will be told with visual answers.
Guest speaker and artist, Walker Mettling, came by to share his experience with research and making a mural that tells a story. His project is centered around the history of Long Pond, a body of water in Providence that no longer exists.
We explore understanding as a group by watching a video about a mural in Providence created by researcher and artist Gaia.
Visiting researcher and artist
Artist Walker Mettling shares his experiences researching and making the mural for Long Pond. https://walkermettling.com/longpond
We explore understanding as a group about a mural in Providence created by researcher and artist Gaia.
"Still Here," mural is inspired by the indigenous peoples of Rhode Island.
Week 2 Day 5 Building on Something
On the fifth day students created collages taken from old misprinted yearbooks. The goal of the exercise was to have each student build a section that would be placed next to another student's art. Collaborating to create with a common goal in mind.
Week 2 Day 6 Research 3 sources
Day six had students handle old yearbooks, look through history in Providence Public Library's online database, and sifting through old newspaper clippings.
Students were asked to find primary sources that tell visual stories from multiple locations.
Socratic Style Debrief
The debrief asked students to take what they learned and start to collaborate on their idea of what the mural should look like.
Week 2 Day 7 Fort Weatherill
Week 2 Day 8 Providence Public Library Archive
1803 Survey Map of Providence. Note: References Key and Westminster St / Broad St
Student Takeaway / Favorites from the PPL ARCHIVE
Propaganda Posters
4000 yr Old Tablets
Waling Log Book
Tattoo Archive
Week 3
Our Kids paired up and worked on the themed letters
