Under Our Noses, 2013

Streams Elementary School
Pittsburgh, PA

See video clip to the right.

Under Our Noses is a meditative, sensory exploration of the coming of spring. Second grade students spent quiet, independent time observing changes in color, sound, smell, and touch/feeling in and around their own small patches of schoolyard over a 3-month period. Using drawings, photo documentation, and notes recorded in field journals, students discussed findings and generated patterns and colors with a different printmaking method for each observation. Studies of Native American, Tibetan, and European mandalas informed collaborative compositions with prints on muslin. Poetry and other classroom activities between residency sessions deepened students’ awareness of their observations. The project culminated with a student presentation to the school.

Documentation Loop