Culminating Project Aesthetic Education

Spring Term 2009

Adam Yeany Cindy DixonLeah KrollKate Gilson

“Mechanical Amusements”

By Woody JonesTom Ridge Environmental Center

Erie, PA

Picture Slideshow

Click on the Picture to Go to the Slideshow!

What did we expect to see?Always movingJust woodenOutsideDarkNot too colorfulWe expected only one tower

Noticings

Noticings ContinuedWhat did you feel? We felt calm, like we were part

of natureWhat did you hear? Waves on a beach Wind blowing Birds chirping Trees rustling in the wind Cranking of the structureWhat did you see? 3 tall structures land, air, and water Lighthouses

different colors Small figurines made of wood words on the floor Little flags Different heights Connected by metal chains and

wooden pulleys Wheels on the towers Back and forth motion Scenes separated by platforms Encased in glass, metal corners Orange letters, blue square,

beige background

Noticings ContinuedWhat did you smell?Salt waterSuntan lotionFlowersWhat did you taste?Salt waterMarshmallows Smoke

Questions Did the architect purposefully plan to put the towers beside the

windows to make it seem like they were outside because there was a natural flow of daylight?

Were the towers built in the Tom Ridge Center or were they built somewhere else and moved into it?

Why lighthouses? Are all the scenes supposed to represent Erie in some way? What made the architect make three different structures instead

of one? How long did it take to make it? What are the scenes made out of? Do the colors of the structures serve a purpose? Why are the lighthouses different heights? When the structures were designed, were the words a part of the

original plan? Do the different shapes that the lights were enclosed in represent

something? Why did he include motion into the structure?

Social, Cultural, and Historical Context

The piece of art that we are focusing on is called Mechanical Amusements. It is located in the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. The art piece is made up of many one foot by one half foot wooden, animated vignettes. There are three glass towers that hold vignettes, the vignettes are stacked on top of each other; together the stacked vignettes are nearly two stories tall. Each vignette was hand made by the folk artist, Wood Jones from Decatur, Georgia. Woody Jones is storyteller who tells his stories through working with wood. His wood vignettes are custom, animated sculptures that depict everyday life, personal stories and unusual tales. We have found that this artist is very private and that not much information is available about him or his art work. The people working at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center do not know more about him other than what information appears on the signs on the art piece. Also there is really no information about Woody Jones or his art work, although it appears that a Woody Jones website is in the works and will be coming soon. Because there is little information available about the art piece, we can only assume that the wooden vignettes were made especially for the opening of the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in 2006, since it was the first visitor’s center in Presque Isle and because the vignettes so perfectly match scenes and experiences in Presque Isle.

The piece of art, Mechanical Amusements is housed just inside the entrance of the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, near the entrance to Presque Isle State Park. This setting makes the piece of art even more meaningful because the wooden vignettes depict Presque Isle wildlife and environments. The scenes in the vignettes give visitors who have not yet entered the park a taste of what they may see and experience while in the park.

Tom Ridge Environmental Center Website: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/trecpi/

Personal/ Curricular Connections

Personal Connections Fishing among the cattails with my

father on our farm’s pond The notorious Erie wind that blows all

year round Hiking to the tip of Presque Isle with

my family Spending hot summer evenings with

my family at Presque Isle Picnicking with my summer campers at

Presque Isle early in the summer The Presque Isle lighthouse Airplane runway lights

Curricular Connections An engaging, active activity is best:

wheels, binoculars “art is not apart. It is a continuum

within which we all participate”:interactive art

Booth idea that art engages people: interactive art

Gaining insights by searching for meaning in art

Noticing, giving attention: noticing things about the art work I had never noticed before

Fowler’s idea of infusing education with art: art within the TREC center, which is also a learning center

Kate

Personal/ Curricular Connections

Personal Connections The lighthouses reminded me of last summer

when I was in Australia and I visited a lighthouse beside the ocean.

In seventh grade my teacher had us make little scenes from a book we read inside a shoebox. The action scenes in the lighthouses reminded me of when I had to make my scene.

One of the scenes I saw was of two skiers, and reminded me of my first and only time skiing, about ten years ago. It was very fun and I wish I could do it again. The picture made me want to get out there and give it another try.

Another scene was of a rainbow which reminded me of a Thomas Kinkade picture my mom has at home. Looking at it made me wish I were at home.

Curricular Connections I could connect the experience of viewing the three

towers by having the students give other ideas for

what topics they could use for the towers instead of air, land, and water.

I could connect what I saw at the Environmental Center to the classroom by realizing that succeeding at doing the little things in life are what shapes a person’s life. I need to encourage my students to work on the little things, and in time they will start to turn into the big picture. I realized this because several little scenes are what make the three lighthouses so unique and special.

The lighthouses are all very similar, but at the same time, they are very different. I can teach my students that while everybody is similar, there are certain things that make everybody unique.

I will teach my students that it doesn’t matter how big you are or what you look like on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that matters. This relates to the lighthouses in that they were all different sizes and had different flags, but the main idea and what made them special were the little scenes on the inside.

Adam

Personal/ Curricular Connections

Personal Connections Looking at “Mechanical Amusements”

reminded me of being at home. I live right on Lake Erie in Ohio and the scenes were similar to places in Ashtabula.

I was reminded of days spent at Presque Isle with my friends. Some of the scenes had many people on the beach, and made me reminisce of times I had with friends.

I was also reminded of dioramas we made in elementary school that depicted one scene of a story. The small vignettes in this work were similar to what we did

The way the small scenes moved reminded me of children’s toys in a toy store that move and make sounds.

Curricular Connections This work of art can be used in the

classroom to learn about environment and weather. Each scene had a different activity going on in a specific environment. And there were scenes that incorporated rain, wind, and sun.

Students can create their own vignette that they would incorporate into one of the towers. This can help them learn more about a particular topic and relate it to a personal experience to create a work of art.

Students can use this as a brainstorming and writing topic as well. There is a lot going on in the towers, and discussing what they see and writing about it can be a great thing to do.

Cindy

Personal/ Curricular Connections

Personal Connections It reminds of my time spent at Deep

Creek Lake, where my family hikes and spends time on the like.

It was a very calming experience, and was similar to the calming quality of nature.

The work of art shows the unlimited possibilities for learning and experiencing that nature provides us. 

The polar bears that were depicted caused me to think of Global Warming, and the possible extinction of certain species due to this.

The “Mechanical Amusements” creates not only an appreciation for nature, but also gave me a greater

appreciation for Erie.Curricular Connections

We need to educate our students about helping the environment, and this work of art encourages this.

There were so many stories that could be created from each scene in the towers. Students could write about/explore individual scenes.

It is important for students to have an appreciation for where they come from, and the “Mechanical Amusements” encourages this appreciation for Erie and Presque Isle.

Leah

Lines of Inquiry

Experiential Activity Ideas

Math Students can estimate and eventually measure the height

of the towers and compare the different heights. Students can determine if the time between the turning of

the wheel and the actual movement is the same each time a tower is used.

Language ArtsStudents can use the contents and movement in the tower

to think of a writing topic. Poems can be written about the small scenes in the towers

and can be shared with the class. Scenes can be acted out to tell the stories about the small

scenarios in the vignettes.

Experiential Activity Ideas

ScienceStudents can learn about weather and how the weather

relates to each vignette in the towers that represent air, water, and land.

Habitats can be taught and learned about after viewing the towers.

Students can learn about how to be aware of the environment from the scenes and themes of the towers.

Social StudiesArchitecture can be taught and understood by students. Students can learn about and research different areas in

Erie that are depicted in the structure.

Experiential Activity Ideas

ArtStudents can draw their own vignettes and

how they would incorporate them into themed towers.

MusicInstruments can be used so students can try

to portray the sounds that would be pertinent to the scenes, or towers.

Mind Map

Our Group “Mechanical Amusements”

SourcesWordle http://www.wordle.netGlogster http://www.glogster.comInspiration Music- Green Forests, Lush Meadows, and

Soft Rain Falling from Pure Sounds