5/5/26 - Executive Summary and Finished Installation
Budget
Southside Elementary
School Proposal Brianna
Evelo
Overview
This project is a site-specific installation consisting
of 8 hanging sculptures that incorporate abstract plant shapes and bright
colors to liven the cafeteria of Southside Elementary School in Powell, Wyoming.
The sculptures within this project aim to take the white
blank surface of the school’s cafeteria and turn it into the site for a
permanent installation that uses bright colors and abstract shapes to engage
students.
These sculptures would be fabricated by me and
transported to Southside Elementary to receive student involvement for the
painting of the pieces and possible safe viewing during assembly and
installation.
Concept
The idea behind
this installation is inspired by the large sculptures that fill the hallways of
the Powell High School. I have always liked the high school’s decision to
include large-scale art in its hallways because of how they transformed rather mundane
spaces into immersive study areas. I remember staring at them as I walked
through the hallways or during class breaks. They made me want to build larger sculptures myself and made me even
more interested in our school's art classes, which in turn led me to where I am
today. Making a sculpture for the elementary school would not only be giving
back to the community that supported me but would also unify the schools within
Powell and inspire future creatives.
Site Relationship
I want to bring more sculptures to this location, in
particular, because Southside is the elementary school I attended growing up in,
as well as the place where my mom has worked for the past 10 years. The school
has a wide, high-vaulted ceiling, which is the perfect space for a hanging
sculpture for students to view during lunch. Right now, it is just a blank space
despite being an area where parent and student events are held and being
centrally located. By installing a sculpture here, my hope is that students
have another element of their school to engage with and enjoy.
Materials and Process
The abstract shapes the sculptures take on are inspired
by local agriculture, namely barley, as well as the rays of the sun, which is
the school’s mascot. I plan to use the school's colors, yellow and blue, as the
primary color palette, which can enhance creativity within students, improve
the school's aesthetics and pride, and boost student morale and motivation to
learn. To add to this, I think having students be involved in the painting of each
of the components would add a component of interactivity that increases student
excitement for the project, but also inner pride by helping make something that
will be displayed for years to come.
The installation will be constructed from aluminum sheets
to serve as a sturdy yet light structure to be hung from the ceiling
·
4 Unique Tendrils: made
from aluminum sheet to hold the desired curling shapes and painted a different
shade of blue or yellow
·
Hanging Elements:
Structures will be hung from the ceiling Via steel cable and ceiling mounts for
a secure connection.
·
Blue and Yellow Paint: There
will be three different shades of blue to make each tendril unique while
staying in the same color family as the school’s colors. Yellow will be used as
an accent color to help draw viewers’ eyes to the installation
Viewer Experience
As visitors walk through the hallway entrance, they will
be able to see the sculptures in the cafeteria through three windows and the entryway.
The prime area to view the installation will be from the cafeteria tables,
where children, parents, and staff can comfortably engage with the sculptures
and see their full size from directly below.
The bright colors mixed with the flowing shapes of the tendrils
will not only energize the space but also the viewer's morale. The installation
will serve as an inspiration for student creativity and imagination, which in
turn promotes creative thinking that drives problem-solving and innovation.
4/26/26 - Progress
I was able to paint and assemble most of my maquette over the weekend. There was a good amount of problem-solving to attach the windows, light fixtures, and mini sculptures to the maquette, but I was able to secure everything with the help of patience and a bit of tape. I also had to add some sticks to the walls and ceiling because they were starting to warp vertically and would not have been able to support the roof without help.
4/26/26 - Illustrator designs
This week, I worked on making the Illustrator files for my maquette. I want to laser cut the walls of my building, the cafeteria tables, and the pieces of my sculptures to make my maquette. I scaled down the size of the building to 15" x 15" x 6.1" to have a comfortable viewing size for the sculptures. I'm planning on having most of my small components, like the tables and windows, painted and assembled before class, so I can work on the walls during class.
4/19/26 - Artist Inspo and My Ideas
Commissioned by The Public Art for Public Schools program of the NYC Percent for Art Program, “Everything at Once” is a site-specific artwork created by Wendy Letven @wendy_letven for the lobby ceiling of the newly created Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold Explorers in Brooklyn. Bold, brightly painted shapes made from cut aluminum are curved and layered to create an exuberant burst of color that stretches over 12 feet long. The artwork can be seen from the sidewalk as students and passersby approach the school entrance, and it greets everyone when they first enter the building. From each angle, the undulating shapes look different, encouraging people to walk around, experience its many vantage points and notice how the patterns, colors, lines and shadows change.
Letven’s design was inspired by the many patterns found in both our natural and built environments. It incorporates forms that can be observed in nature such as tree branches, Fibonacci spirals, and ocean waves, as well as scientific elements, such as molecular structures and topographical maps. The sculpture also celebrates the beauty of the man-made with references to the architecture of the nearby Barclays Center, artifacts of the Lenape tribe and the elegant choreography of Alvin Ailey dancers, who perform at the nearby Brooklyn Academy of Music. “Everything at Once” offers surprising visual combinations that show the joy of discovery and learning across different subjects.
Everything at Once
Art on Paper
My Ideas:
For this project, I would like to make a sculpture for the elementary school I attended, where my mother also still works. The specific site in question is the cafeteria of Southside Elementary School in Powell, Wyoming. It has a wide, high vaulted ceiling, which is the perfect space for a hanging sculpture for the students to look at during lunch. Right now, it is just a blank, empty space despite being an area where parent and student events are held and being centrally located. This area could benefit from having a lively sculpture because artwork in schools can enhance creativity within students, improve the school's aesthetics and pride, and boost student morale and motivation to learn. By installing a sculpture here, my hope is that students have another element of their school to engage with and enjoy. The Powell High School is full of large installations within the hallways that the students would work on each year. I remember always staring at them as I walked in the hallways or during break times in class. They made me want to build larger sculptures myself and made me even more interested in our school's art classes, which in turn led me to where I am today. Making a sculpture for the elementary school would not only be giving back to the community that supported me, but would also unify the schools within Powell and inspire future creatives.
I would like to make a sculpture that is inspired by Wendy Letven's work, where she uses bright colors, layered materials, and abstract forms to fill a space. Southside's school colors are blue and yellow, and their school mascot is the sun, so I would like to design motifs that are abstractions of the mountains that surround our town, that include other elements of the local flora as well as that of the sun. I like the idea of having a design that mirrors itself on the other side, possibly having an abstract representation of a sunset and sunrise. I want to play with color and shape with this project to mirror the never-ending energy of elementary school children.
The full sculpture would be made of thin sheet metal and rod, which are each painted a different flat color. The installation would be installed into the ceiling with bolts and a metal chord to ensure they never fall. To mimic this within my maquette, I will laser cut the designs from chipboard because of its similar properties at a small scale. The rod will be mimicked with wire, and all pieces will be painted with acrylic paint.
My mom will be sending me some images and measurements of the space so I can prepare for class on Tuesday and start making files for the laser cutter.
Here us my sketch for my idea. I am using the school' colors to make bright curling forms that are reaching out to connect with eachother. The yellow swirl and circle on the ends are a little nod to the school's sun mascot while the forms of the sculpture are little whisps, reminiscent of the crops that grow in the nearby fields.
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