RAIDER SPOTLIGHT!
STEAM Innovation
Center & Makerspace
“Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children”
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible”
“First, think. Second, dream.
Third, believe. And finally, dare”
“All of our dreams can come true, if we have
the courage to pursue them”
Do you know who stated these quotes? The answer is Walt Disney, and what a creative and innovative thinker he was! The Benjamin Logan Middle School is daring to dream big as we begin to transform our current media center into a community STEAM Innovation Center & Makerspace. The transformation began last year by way of TeachArtsOhio grants from the Ohio Arts Council. Guest artists Dr. Jan Fedorenko and Bev Finkel shared STEAM activities with the art students and the classes created artworks relating to concepts in STEAM (STEM with the arts connection). Projects that could move and/or made sound were created, such as mobiles and wind chimes. Large group projects were also created while utilizing 21st Century Skills (Creativity, Communication, Collaboration and Critical Thinking). 5th and 6th graders created large scale “chandeliers” made from plastic bottles and tomato cages. The students found inspiration for their “chandeliers” from glass artworks by artist Dale Chihuly. The beautiful artworks were colored brightly with Sharpie markers and were cut in a spiral fashion. The 7th and 8th graders created mobiles from wire and metal objects, finding inspiration from mobile artist Alexander Calder. Sharpie was added to the metal objects which resulted in stunning metallic colors. The mobiles were then connected together resulting in two large scale metal sculptures. The BL maintenance department assisted with the installation of the sculptures. Thank you John Forrest! Be sure to visit the current media center for a view of these spectacular sculptures made by the 2nd semester art students during the 2017-2018 school year.
By way of yet another generous TeachArtsOhio grant from the Ohio Arts Council, BLMS is blessed to welcome mosaic artist Vicki Murphy back again. The art students will be creating artworks for the STEAM Center during the 2018-2019 school year. Art instructor Mrs. Jennifer Davis and guest artist Vicki Murphy will be creating ceramic and mosaic artworks with the art classes. Students will design and create ceramic gears that will adorn the walls in the STEAM Center. Grade levels will work in teams to design and create inspirational word mosaics, also incorporating a gear/mechanical theme. The art room welcomes any donations of gears and small mechanical parts that can be incorporated into the ceramic and mosaic projects. Please contact Mrs. Davis at davisj@benjaminlogan.org if you can donate gears or mechanical parts to the STEAM Center art projects.
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