Building Day 2

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“Martin,” “Rae,” and “Jessie Brown” starting to take shape

Our puppet heads have taken a real leap forward in coming to life. Last session we created the “bones” of the character. This was the support system and the basic proportions of the face that everyone has in common. In keeping with this metaphor today we started to add the “muscle.” Features are becoming more unique and expressive. Eyelids and eyebrows are framing the eyes giving them various expressions. Mouths are open, smiling, frowning, stern, showing a deeper individual character. Noses and chins are protruding to create the hills and valleys of a profile. Even cheeks and ears are popping up! The students are working diligently and recognizing their sense of agency and ownership. As one student put it, “We made some decisions that we really liked.”

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Taping on an egg carton cup for the eyeball

Before getting their hands on the materials students were asked to ponder the symbolism behind portrait sculpture by Harlem Renaissance artists from the 20s through the 60s. They were asked to mimic the faces they saw and think about what the subject was thinking, feeling, and doing. “He’s helping people out of slavery like Harriet Tubman.” “He’s thinking about what to do and what to not do.” “She’s moving forward out of the fog.” Their responses show that they are thinking about the artwork representing an individual person with a fully realized life, as a symbol for groups of people of a specific time and place, and even bigger universal stories. The artwork was presented both front on and in profile view. This gave them the opportunity to see how artists ensure that sculptures are captivating from all dimensions.

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Alexis talks about cheekbones in front of “El Canto” by Elizabeth Catlett.
The tape covered puppet head was created by Liza and the students call it “Mona Lisa.”

Once they started working the collaborative leadership style was on full display with the team behind the puppet named “Martin.” One student was assigning roles to make sure that one person was working on the eyes, another on the nose, and a third on the mouth. The fourth team member was demonstrating  behind-the-scenes leadership by walking around the room photographing the process. I also overheard a great example of nurturing leadership from another group when one student told another “I’m proud of you bro” after he finished making a nose.

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The evolution of “Unspeakable”

The energy really started to buzz as every student was engaged in some part of creation. Everyone has to come to a consensus even if they are making different features. For instance, one student was making a nose but it wouldn’t fit in between the eyes and mouth. Rather than move these features he trimmed the nose down to fit in between. He had to compromise his original vision of his piece in order to fit with the rest of the face.

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If you think we look good now, wait until we have our skin!

During “recognitions” at the end of the class students compliment each other and it gives us insight into what they are internalizing about the process. For instance when a student said, “Not everyone is in the same group but we still helped each other,” it shows us that they see the classroom as a community and that the shared goal of the project encourages generosity. When we hear, “Even though our team wasn’t working together that well, we tried to put all the pieces together,” we know that they are working on conflict resolution in order to work towards something bigger.

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Striking a “Wakanda forever” pose after collecting tape