The Wave of GCE

For the third action project in If These Walls could talk for Elective Term, we had to create and install a mural in our new space. All of the action projects in this class have been leading up to this moment. The other two were simply preparation for the installation of the mural. This unit did not have an internal or external because we needed all of the time to create these murals. We had to use the image that we had created in the previous project and blow it up to scale so it would fit on our set wall in the new space. There were a lot of challenges my group faced starting with not being able to get into the space when we originally thought we would be able too. This caused us to change our entire idea. We originally wanted to paint directly on the wall but with this setback, we had to paint on paper then eventually wheat paste it onto the wall. I am very pound of how our paintings turned out and I know they will look very good once they are put up onto the wall.


Our mural is titled “The Wave”. The mural is a huge wave crashing into a boat. The wave represents traditional high schools and the boat represents GCE and how we are overcoming the conventional high school's’ mission and style of teaching. For this mural, we decided to use acrylic paint, soft gel glossy medium, stencil, and spray paint. Our space is right in the entrance, there are four panels on the wall that we have to fill with our image. Since we couldn’t get into the space right away, we had to cut and trim sixteen pieces of butcher paper and then tape them together in three groups of four. To get the image onto the paper we had split our image into sixteen equal parts and traced the image onto the paper. We then painted the image with the colors we created so it could be hung on the wall. Our color scheme mimics the ocean. We used blues, greens, and whites for the main part and then we used gold spray paint for the boat. We mixed all of those colors together to create the perfect color for the sky, the wave, and the foam of the wave. I think this mural will transform the space because our main goal was to show how GCE is as a community and how we are overcoming the way traditional high schools run. We have decided to put our mural right in the entrance so it’s the first thing everyone will see when they walk into the space everyday. I think that the mural will enhance the space by giving it a sense of community. The boat in the image is representing us as a school and how we are overcoming the traditional way of teaching. I think that it will give an essence of nature with the way the skylight works with the water and the lighting will reflect off the colors to make the room seem brighter. I feel like this mural will make a very big impact on the students because it will let everyone see let everyone see that even though we are still a small school, we are making a huge impact.

The roles that I claimed were documentarian, director of operations, artistic director, and mule. Each person in my group had a different role every day. My favorite role was either documentarian or the director of operations. I was good at documenting because I really enjoy taking pictures and my phone also lets me take time lapse videos which will be a very cool addition to the resulting video. I didn’t really enjoy being a mule because the point of that job is getting what everyone needs but I was always so focused on the mural so I would be too busy to drop what I was doing to go get something. If I could change anything about the process it would be having more time in the space. Once we found out that we wouldn’t be able to get into the space, it was a major setback which caused us to have to change how we will create the mural. Instead of painting directly on the surface, we had to paint on large panels of paper which we will wheatpaste onto the designated wall space. I feel like the mural won’t look exactly how my group had envisioned it to look because we originally thought it would be painted directly on the wall rather than painted onto paper which was pasted to the wall. Even though it’s set back, we worked through it and I think that it will still look good. Our mural has still not been put up due to problems in the space but we are hoping it will be up soon.

Best of the Best

For the action project in my Book Bound class we created a portfolio with the main projects we completed in this class. Each of the projects shared a common interest in getting ready to move to the new space. All of these projects will have an impact in the new space. In this unit, we focused on different things relating to literacy. We did a lot of work on the library and books in general. We read The Great Gatsby and worked with that book to begin our discussion of the cannon. We talked about the way that we learned to read and created a storyboard around that and we also focused on illiteracy and how it is affecting the world today. It was difficult to pick which 4 projects I wanted to do because i really liked all of them. I am proud of the work that I did on every project I chose.

Assignment 1:

For this assignment we had to create a storyboard that represented our history of reading. We had to include how and when we learned to read, who taught us, how we feel about reading, etc. This relates to the course because this whole class is about books and reading and this was a biography of reading for each individual student. I decided to pick this assignment for my project because I felt like this was one of my best projects and it is interesting to show how I learned to read. To complete this assignment, I just went to the website and just filled in whatever I could remember. It was difficult at some points to remember some exact details about my reading history. To perfect this project I fixed up some of the slides so that they looked better and made more sense. I also had to change some of the objects and settings in my slides so that they looked more realistic. Then to go over the requirements, I added some more text to a couple of my panels.

Assignment 2:

For this assignment we had to create a literary journal with different pieces of literature from everyone in our group. We also had to include some external submissions that we got from people outside our class. This assignment relates to the course because we learned a lot about different literary techniques and pieces so this was a perfect way to show the different types of literary work. I selected this because I feel like this was a great piece of work that I did and I really enjoyed being able to create this magazine. It was difficult at some points to figure out how to arrange everything but in the end I think it came out very well. I am very proud of the way this journal came out and I am very happy of all of my work.

Assignment 3:


We had to create a poster to promote literacy in different ways based on a question we came up with. My question was “How does reading affect the brain”. This assignment is good for this course because it focuses on literacy and how we can teach people that reading is good and worth doing since the literacy rate has dropped drastically. I decided that this was one of my best projects because I put out a lot of information about illiteracy and I decided to do my project digitally so I was able to make it very unique. I looked up as many facts as I could and I also found a study that a neuroscientist had conducted to test illiteracy in Brazil. It wasn’t very hard to find much information because there has been a lot of tests done on this topic. Illiteracy has become so big all over the world so many scientist have been trying to figure out why. Some of the changes I made were making the cuts nicer, and shrinking the image so that when I print out the image it will all be on one paper.

Assignment 4:

For this assignment, we had to create a slideshow about one of our favorite books and why it should be in the cannon. This course was focused around our new school space and we were in charge of the library. This project let everyone defend their choice book and why it should be in the cannon. I chose this project for my AP because I think it was very well made and the book that I chose to do is one of my favorites and I think that it is an amazing story that made for a good project. Once I had chosen my book, I focused mainly on the audio clip and found out that my book has its own youtube channel so I had a lot to choose from.  It was hard to find some things about the author and it was hard to think of a bunch of connections because this book is unique in it’s own way. Some of the revisions I made were changing some of the slides so that they made more sense. I also changed the video clip because the slide was not right so I corrected it, as well as adding another slide about the connections.

Overcoming the Wave

For the second unit of If These Walls Could Talk, we learned about revolt murals. We talked about all the different revolt murals that have been created after the Renaissance until now. For the Action Project in this unit, we were put into groups to think of a mural using some of the aspects from the images we all created in the first uni. My group decided to create an image titled “The Wave”. One of the challenges in this project was figuring out how to create an image and deciding a theme and a message. Something I think we did well was listening and deciding on an image and message together. I think that we worked well and we never argued about how the image should look.

Artist Statement:
MF
Overcoming the Wave
12/15
Measurement: 4 in by 5 in
Painting with spray paint and acrylic media

For our scene, we decided to create the japanese wave to symbolize traditional high schools and the ways that they teach and handle their school. We then created a boat that also acts as a banner with four ' of people sitting. The boat and the people in it represents GCE as a whole and how we are working to overcome the traditional education system and to create a new way of learning that we can share. This mural is both a tribute mural and revolt mural. It is a revolt mural because GCE is revolting against that traditional school ways. It is a tribute mural because we are paying tribute to GCE and how we can get past the traditional school ways and create our own unique way of teaching and learning.The final sketch we created compiles the different ideas from the sketches that members of the group created in the first unit of this course. The wave was from my image, the banner was from BKJ’s original image. We liked how the Japanese wave from my image looked, so we conducted research on what it symbolizes and learned that it represents strength and unity.In the beginning, we wanted to have the wave represent GCE , but after further thought, we added the boat and changed the meaning of the wave. For my medium I chose to use stencil and spray paint. I chose this medium because I thought that it would make everything very clean and crisp. The stencil would also keep the lines looking nice and better carry out the image we envisioned. I found that the stenciling would be effective in highlighting a specific part of the image, and not be used for the entire mural. I think the swatches came out looking good, using the stencil made it look very clean and crisp. I think the process of this was difficult because I had to be super precise when I cut the stencil out. The banner on one of my swatches was very intricate so it was very hard to make it look the way I wanted it to look.

For our final media, we decided to use acrylic paint, spray paint, and coarse pumice gel acrylic medium. We thought that the acrylic paint made a really nice texture for the sky and it will blend really well with the other color.

MF, 2015

MF, 2015

MF, 2015

The Wave

During this first unit of If These Walls Could Talk, we talked about murals in pre- history and the renaissance time period. For the Renaissance, we looked at multiple artists and pieces they created and how they contributed to the new era. For pre- history, we looked at the way cave painters created movement in different ways and how complex the art was even though it came from over 30,000 years ago. For the first Action Project in the If These Walls Could Talk, we had to research a neighborhood in Chicago and create a mural highlighting some of the needs that community faces. This mural would potentially be displayed in the neighborhood. I really like the way that my drawing came out. I feel like it really got the point I was trying to make across and I think my drawing are really nice.

Artist's Statement

MF

11/2015

The Wave 11” x 14”

Marker on paper

Uptown has always been a place full of culture. With its many ethnic restaurants and shops, there is always something new to try. While they do have multiple ethnic restaurants, they also have many chain stores/restaurants which is good for the majority if they just want to go to well known places. Since Uptown is one of the most known neighborhoods in Chicago, there is a serious sanitation problem. People will come and instead of throwing their trash away in the many garbage cans there are, they choose to throw their trash on the streets and in the parks. This is causing a lot of problems because it is becoming so dirty and unpleasant that people are beginning to move away. The people in the neighborhood have been trying to organize monthly garbage clean ups which never seem to work. It never seems to work because once they are finished, more garbage just suddenly appears like it fell from the sky.

MF. Mural Sketch. 2015

For my scene, I’ve sketched the outline of uptown with a large “garbage” wave falling all over the neighborhood. On the side you can see a sign that says “you are now leaving uptown” with people running away. My sketch is under the category of revolt. This is because the people in uptown are sick of all the garbage around the neighborhood and want to get rid of it. I chose the uptown neighborhood. The need of my community is sanitation. Since 2014, the people of uptown have been organizing garbage clean up days but nothing seems to be changing. The trash cans are still overflowing and people chose to just throw their garbage on the streets. My sketch references the garbage because you can see in the wave that there is a coke can and a starbucks cup flying towards the ground. I specifically chose those two products because there are a lot of starbucks’ around the uptown area and also there are a lot of convenient stores.

I decided to incorporate the Greek style by using a lot of greens and blues. Also the style of the wave kind of relates to the way the Greek painted things: very exaggerated. People have been moving away from the uptown area so I drew people running away from the garbage wave. Some people say that soon enough the entire world will be underneath garbage which is one of the main reasons why I created this. By just throwing things away in the proper places, we can help save the earth.

Once complete, this mural will be on the walls all around uptown. It will be used to show the people of uptown and the people who just come to uptown to visit that the cleanliness and the future of uptown depends on them and how they chose to keep up the neighborhood. Hopefully people will realize that by just throwing away some trash in a garbage can, they can make a huge impact.

Love is Love

In the last unit of Rhetoric, we learned about how a group of people can ultimately change something that they don't agree with. For the last Action Project in the Rhetoric course, we had to sound off on an art form. We had to pick a topic that we felt passionately about. For my topic, I chose to focus on the LGBT community and the rights they do and don’t have. I am passionate about this topic because I have a few family members and many friends who are part of this community and I don’t think it is fair that they have to be scared of being ridiculed because of whom they love. I am proud of the work I did; I think that the background of my art piece is very meaningful and I also am proud of my work itself. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted it to look like and I think I executed that very well. One of the main things I struggled with was figuring out what I actually wanted to do for this project. I was not sure what I actually wanted to tackle, so it took me a while to decide on my topic, and once I had chose my topic, I had to decide on the best medium to get my point across.

MF, 2015. Love is Love 

In the current age, it seems to me that being gay is glorified. There are countless movies about GBFs (gay best friends) and being gay is often represented in pop culture as being cool. But at the same time, people are still strongly against the LGBT community. Since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage all across the United States on June 26, 2015, people who are against gay marriage have been protesting nonstop (NPR). While others have created a barrier around the LGBT community with tweets and Facebook statuses about how everyone is equal and should be able to love who they choose. 

This topic speaks loudly to me because I am one to fully support equal rights for everyone. I want everyone to be able to make their own decisions about themselves. It isn’t fair that only certain people deserve to be happy. In my opinion, the arguments people use against gay people make no sense. They claim that the Bible is against gays, but they seem to have forgotten that the Bible is also against pork, tattoos, rounded haircuts, gossiping, woman helping men in fights, etc. People need to realize that saying “I can’t do this because it goes against my religion” is perfectly fine;what is not fine, is when people say, “YOU can’t do this because it’s against MY religion.” 

What other people do should not concern anyone but them. People need to realize that even if someone is gay, they are still a human being with feelings. It is a fact that 1,500 gay and lesbian youth commit suicide every single year due to bullying (SPEAK). Kids will go to school, but instead of learning, they will be focused on tearing each other down. Many people have been speaking out about homophobic bullying, but nothing seems to be changing. Kids are still ridiculing their peers because of who they are. Adults will try to justify the things that their children say but some people just need to realize that “This world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another” (Ellen Page, Time to THRIVE). 

So many teens are so scared to come out of the closet because they are afraid of being tormented by their friends/peers. No one should have to be scared to be who they are. Everyone should be able to be who they are in peace and not be worried about what everyone else thinks.

Facts:

• On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all 50 states of the USA.
• 30% of gay youth attempt suicide by the age of 15.
• It has been conservatively estimated that 1,500 gay and lesbian youth commit suicide every year.

To sound off on this issue I decided to create a painting. I drew an American flag and made a tear in the center which it shows the LGBT pride flag behind the American Flag. I chose this medium because I think that it clearly shows that since gay marriage has been legalized, we are moving into a brighter future. But, at the same time, there are still people blocking this new future from becoming a reality, which is why I didn’t show the completed LGBT flag. I also chose to write love is love instead of drawing the 50 stars that represent the 50 states to show that now everyone is free to marry who they want all across the USA.

The rhetorical appeals I used to represent my viewpoint artistically were pathos and logos.. I used pathos with the flag itself because it shows how people need to ultimately make room for this new future because it is coming whether they like it or not. It makes people upset to see the American Flag being dismembered but people need to realize that this new era is coming.

I would like my art piece to be displayed on the streets, I wouldn’t want it just sitting in a museum somewhere. I would want it painted on the streets in every city. I want it to be all over the place so people can see it and understand that love is love.


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Citations:
Chappell, Bill. "Supreme Court Declares Same-Sex Marriage Legal In All 50 States." NPR. NPR, 26 June 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

"SPEAK: Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids." SPEAK: Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

Michelson, Noah. "13 Things The Bible Forbids Other Than Homosexuality (That You're Probably Guilty Of Doing)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 Aug. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

Smoooth

In the last unit of the Design and Engineering course, we talked about bikes and how they work. We talked about the way they are made and the different types of bikes there are in the world. We got to go to a bike shop and actually learn about all the different types of bikes that there are and how they are used and how each bike is different. For this action project we were given a persona to create a bike for. We were told how far they had to travel, what kind of terrain they would be in, and what their needs were. I am proud of the way that my bike came out. The bike we created looks exactly like how I wanted it to look and I think that it fits all of our persona’s needs. One obstacle we ran into was trying to figure out how to make the seat comfy with a back but at the same time making it so she could still pedal freely. We had to alter the seat a few times so that the pedals could still be reached. Another obstacle we had to overcome was while we were creating the bike. It was hard to make all of the things we wanted look the way we pictured.

For our persona, we had a 13 year old girl named Christine. She had to travel 3 miles to school and she lived in Peterson Park. Since Chicago is known for its extremely unpredictable weather, we had to create a bike with little things that would help her in the harsh weather all year round. She was also very serious about comfort. She didn't want to have to waste all of her energy on her ride to school. In designing our bike, we mainly focused on how comfortable the bike was going to be. Our persona never mentioned needing some place to put her backpack but we figured since she was going to school, she might have heavy things to carry, so we created a basket in the front of her bike that would hold her backpack. We also created a waterproof sheet that can be put over the basket for when it rains or snows.

While we were figuring out how we wanted to make our bike, we had to do an interview with a biker that we knew. My cousin told me that he “hates having to travel up and down hills because since my bike is a fixed gear, it makes extremely bad noises when I am trying to travel uphill.” This made us realize that since our user is going to be having to travel up and down hills on her way to and from school, we could not make her bike a fixed gear single speed bike. We then had to think about our gear ratios. We decided to have our gear ratio be 1:2 so that for every 2 pedal rotation the wheel would turn 1 times. She really wanted an easy and comfortable ride so we had to make sure that the big cog was in the back and the small one was in the front. On the first gear there are 20 teeth and on the second gear there are 10. Our bike wheel has a diameter of 28in. It’s circumference is 87.92in. Christine is traveling 3 miles long. Google Maps says that it would take her around 20 minutes to get to school everyday. For our scale, 2.75 inches on our model is equal to 28 inches in real life. So, 1 inch on our model is equal to 10.18 inches in real life.

Since our rider will be riding up and down a lot of hills on her way to and from school, she is going to have a lot of potential and kinetic energy. We realized that our bike has potential energy whenever it’s on top of the hill just waiting for her to continue down it. The bike has kinetic energy whenever she is actually traveling down or up hill because she is exerting her energy to get herself to the top and then using the energy she gathered to make herself actually go down the hill.

MF, 2015. Smoooth. 

MF, 2015. Smoooth. 

MF, 2015. Sketch. 

Time to THRIVE

For the second unit of the Rhetoric course, we focused on certain people and how their message, good or bad, made us and other people feel. For this action project, we had to pick a person with a good/bad message and analyze it and talk about what made it so good or so bad. I chose Ellen Page who is an actress. In 2014, she came out as gay at a conference for Time to THRIVE which is a part of the Human Rights Campaign that focuses on the LGBT community and how they can change the way people treat the people in that community. We had to create a Prezi with information about the person, an annotated version of the text, and the devices and appeals we found inside of it.