Community Answers “How Do I Help?” in Wingra School Art Project
Madison, WI (May 5, 2011) – “How do I help?” That’s the question that more than 1100 Madison-area children and adults have answered since November 2010 as part of a year-long Wingra School community art project.
The finished piece was hung on the Monroe Street fence in front of Wingra School on May 4, 2011.
Pixel-Perfect Art
Children and adults answered the question by drawing pictures or writing with markers on colored plastic squares. The squares were then tied on to a 40-foot by 5-foot mesh framework built by parent volunteers. Each square works like a pixel to make up a larger image. The many-colored squares outline “How Do I Help?” which is spelled out in yellow plastic squares.
“Teachers appreciated that kids of all ages could participate,” says Michelle Sharpswain, a Wingra parent and one of the project leaders.
Some of the responses include
- I help by being kind and listening.
- I stop for pedestrians.
- I help by setting the table.
- I stand up for people.
- I walk the dog.
- I help my mom cook bacon.
- I say hello to a person I pass on the sidewalk.
- I help by being happy.
- I try to be the best dad I can be.
- I help newcomers to America.
- I accept everyone.
- One breath at a time.
Asking the Right Question
The committee used a democratic, child-centered process to find the right question for the project.
“We wanted to create a piece of art with a positive, thought-provoking question, but we didn’t want to be the ones to decide the message,” says Sharpswain.
Wingra School students brainstormed ideas in their classrooms and passed them on to the committee. Later, each classroom voted on three of the questions to find the winner.
Art as Community Service
Wingra School Art Teacher Barbara Westfall and a committee of current Wingra parents, Michelle Sharpswain, Brian Natoli and Shelley Savage Caw, started the project as a way to serve the community.
Adults and children participated from Aldo Leopold Elementary School, New Morning Preschool, Sequoya Library, and Wingra School.
“We believe that finding ways to beautify our shared space is an act of community service,” says Sharpswain.
Wingra School is a small, independent day school providing a progressive education for children ages 5-14 in the Madison area since 1972. For more information, visit our website at http://www.wingraschool.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.