...while we do have a lot of fun at Lander, we work really hard too. It's very important to me that my students learn what a good work ethic is. Unlucky for them, that usually involves a lot of sweat, flying wood chips, flying sparks and sore muscles.
This semester Sam was introduced to the wonder of a chainsaw.
He was skiddish about it at first but he became a pro quickly.
Metal Megan worked very hard this semester. She took on a huge outdoor project made of steel.
She learned how to make organic hollow steel forms. It's a process that requires a lot of muscle and flexibility.
Flying sparks.
Flames.
Once Sam was happy with his chainsaw work he needed to darken part of it by burning.
Seth worked on his welding and grinding skills too. He made this life sized figure for an outdoor installation.
That's Seth happy when it was finally finished and installed.
At the same time, Jarvis was learning just how heavy a very small grinder can be when you hold it for hours and hours at a time.
Olivia worked on her first sculpture for a long time and learned how important that long, frustrating process can be. In the end, she came up with a great solution.
Jarvis spent a few last moments with his best friend before saying goodbye.
He poured a couple of months of work into this shiny work. There's some welding, but there's a LOT of grinding.
Speaking of grinding, Megan left this message for me one day.
Smooth doesn't come easy when you're working with steel. She lost count of how many hours she spent grinding.
Olivia eventually found herself on the floor of the welding area.
And just when they thought the hard work was over, they had to transport their heavy things across campus and dig holes for the anchors.
Hard work pays off. All those hours Metal Megan spent cutting, welding, grinding, painting and applying chrome vinyl led to this stunning outdoor sculpture.
She was happy to be finished but even while she was digging holes she was already planning her next sculpture.
Olivia got up off the floor and finished her sculpture. Then she got to dig a hole too.
Mia made this large steel drawing.
This is Olivia's finished sculpture. It's a steel torso with a giant saw blade.
Meanwhile some graphic design students were making a huge steel sign for the Annex. Mia and Jessica designed it. Jessica handled the wood and Mia cut the steel. Katie helped us stand the beast up.
And in the final days (and hours) of the semester Metal Megan traded her steel tools for a bunch of coffee filters and a grand idea. She wanted to transform our large storage closet into something new.
She tried a couple things that didn't work before figuring it out.
After she fought with a wobbly stool and lost, I took on high things and followed her orders.
Even before it was finished it started providing some very interesting views.
It was such a transformation, everyone noticed. Oscar approved.
And once again, Metal Megan lost track of the hours. We do know it took 3,200 coffee filters.
And after it was fully documented with photos and experienced by several viewers, it only took a couple of minutes to take it all down.
That's a lot of coffee filters.
No comments:
Post a Comment