Second Graders … or Interior Designers?

After studying Henri Matisse, second grade students tried out interior design as a viable career option. Well, not really. But, they did design their own interior spaces using printmaking and collage. Following a presentation closely looking at Matisse’s interiors, students began tackling this project in many stages. From the wallpaper to the window treatments, every element in the interior space was created with originality and skill. One of my favorite parts of this project is that each room ends up taking on the personality of individual students. Take a tour of each room below. Be sure to take a close look at the windows, specifically the views outdoors.

Frank Lloyd Wright Art Glass Window Collages

In fifth grade, students explored the exceptional architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. It was fun to take a closer look at an influential architect with such a familiar name. We looked into his life and work, and focused heavily on the artistic and abstract stained glass windows. Similar to Wright, students looked for inspiration in their home state. Students chose a flower or plant native to Illinois as the subject for their own art glass window design. Students first experimented with several ways to abstract their plant. Second, they created a final sketch using the abstracted version of their plant. I asked students to design their window using a symmetrical or asymmetrical design. To create the final collage, students chose between 3 and 5 different colors of construction paper. Below are a few examples of the art glass window collages.