Planning Guide
Historically, making art as a community has been one way for people to connect, share stories and celebrate together. Through this collaborative workshop all Penn State students will be invited to make art together, create art that transforms items we often discard and illuminates our campus in a celebration full of imagination and joy.
MATERIALS:
- Recycled Cardboard Boxes (various sizes)
- Paper towel tubes(for pole attaching)
- Plastic bags
- Non-Recyclable Trash items (Cleaned)
- Packing Tape
- Scissors
- Hot Glue and Glue Gun
- Recycled Tea Lights
- Utility Knives
- Bostitch B8 Plier Stapler and Staples
- Awl to poke holes and insert lights
PREPARATION:
- Wash hard-to-recycled items in advance
- Take Sample Trash Monster Puppets
- Have a sample “pole attacher” made from tube
- Clear tape, staplers and glue guns ready to go
- Buffet of non-recyclable trash and boxes set-up
STEPS:
- Think and Plan
- Demonstrate how to make pole attacher
- Demonstrate stapler, awl and utility knife use
- Attach “pole attacher” to inside back of box
- Place lights so you can turn them on and off
- Think about how to diffuse light for bigger effect
- Embellish with non-recyclables
PROCEDURE:
Dream
What kind of trash creature will your team build? How will you maximize the use of the recycled tea lights for the most illumination?
Build
Begin by figuring out where your pole attacher will go on your Trash Monster. This should be the most secure item on your work of art. Make sure that this piece is strong and securely in place so you can bring your creature to life in the parade. It usually goes somewhere inside on the back. Next, cut out and develop the design of your monster
Light
When you have your basic structure, place lights using the awl or glue to attach. Make sure that you can access the switches on the lights by making hinges on things that cover them or poking just the lights through the box, leaving the switch accessible inside the box. Think about how to use reflected light and light diffused through plastic for maximum effect.
Embellish
Go to the buffet of materials otherwise destined for the landfill and embellish your monster. Have fun adding eyes, ears, horns, noses, scales, hair, jewelry, hands and feet and really anything you can imagine. Use plastic bag streamers (see drawing) to cover the back of your creation and to add movement to the work. The more streamers the better! They look great in the parade and bring your creature to life.
CONNECT:
On the surface, the role of the workshop leader looks like it is to teach people how to make trash monster puppets. It’s true that you want to lead people to complete the project and feel successful. Ultimately, how-ever, it is even more important to connect with the people in your workshop, listen to their ideas, encourage people to talk to each other and let them know how important they are to the process. Our goal isn’t just to make a bunch of nice light-ups. Our goal is to inspire a community of people to feel connected enough to the concept and each other that they want to participate in our campus-wide community celebration. Be sure to share specific information on how to participate in IllumiNATION during the workshop.
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