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.

The veterans wrote to thank us for giving attention to their experience, and for helping them to feel that their service was not forgotten.

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