MIDDLE SCHOOL

Name designs ready for lamination.

Alicia York

When I was a child, my mother was gifted a heart decoration with the phrase, “Many hands make light work.” I saw this every day in our kitchen and that message still resonates with me today. After reflecting on a few semesters of virtual teaching, I was excited to merge different ideas and develop a schoolwide project based on the concept of found photography.

Found photography refers to art that incorporates photos as a material and transforms them in a new way. I believe the concept of found photography became more popular when teachers transitioned to digital assignments during the pandemic.

Photographing the Alphabet
We began with creating and photographing alphabet letters. I was initially pleased with the outcome of students’ work, but I realized some changes needed to be made as students were relying on the internet instead of their own imaginations to create letters.

After seeing so many letters solely onscreen, I thought it was important to move the digital work into a physical world where students could see and touch their creations.

I stepped away from the photography and had students draw 3D letters using a single vanishing point. Inspired by Scrabble tiles, I arranged student-created letters in alphabetical order. Where there were gaps, I added letters photographed on a weekend bike ride and patterned letters from previous art projects to develop a collection of tiles from A to Z.

Teacher Name Designs
I printed the A to Z works and spent a few hours cutting and arranging the letters on my dining room table. I thought I would use them to create a sign for my classroom, but I recalled that “Many hands make light work” and I came up with a new idea. If students shared the responsibilities, we could use the letters to make a nameplate for every teacher in our school.

I created an example and demonstrated how to copy and paste the letters from an original document. Then I created a shared document of the A to Z tiles. Referring to a staff directory, students chose teachers by highlighting their name and used the letter tiles to create a design. Students attached their finished work to the slides which I printed on a color copier, hand-feeding 11 x 17" (28 x 43 cm) paper.

Students Matthew M. and Sophia T. present their teachers with surprise name designs.

Depending on the age of your students, the names could be cut with scissors or a paper cutter. You could assign jobs along the way based on ability or class size. I mounted each name on colored backing, cut it out, and double-mounted it on black paper for a uniform look. The final step was to laminate and trim.

Special Delivery
I cross-checked the staff directory to ensure all colleagues were presented with an original work of art. You could drop the finished works in staff mailboxes or make it a special delivery by having students hand-deliver the works to each staff member.

Final Thoughts
After seeing so many letters solely onscreen, I thought it was important to move the digital work into a physical world where students could see and touch their creations.
This was a multi-grade middle-school project, but I can also see it as a fantastic way to raise funds for a program by offering to create customized nameplates for a reasonable price per letter, similar to what you might find at an art fair. Students could also design note cards in a similar fashion to fit a specific envelope—the perfect thank-you note to send a parent or colleague.

Alicia York teaches art at Glenn Westlake Middle School in Lombard, Illinois. ayork@sd44.org
Found Photography & Beyond