PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION...

Your patience is appreciated.

CREDITS and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for this PROJECT

This project really began with the removal of some nasty hedges in Spring 2003...

The extremely prickly hedges were planted by the original landscapers in 1997. 

The horticulture program replaced the hedges with two colors of decorative rock.

However, the rock proved difficult to maintain as foot traffic often messed it up...

In Spring 2004 students began playing with ideas for the space and removing

all of the decorative rock.  In conversations with the instructor, sketches for a more

permanent, low-maintenance and site-specific idea for the space emerged.

By summer break, all of

the decorative rock was

removed.  This was done

by art and horticulture

students, and by students

who passed by on their way

to the student parking lot

and offered to grab a

shovel and help out.

September 2004.  Inspired by films shown in class about Christo, Mr. Wegener makes a sketch (above)

with input from students.  Since Fall 2001, one of the "project options" in Wegener's classes was 

creating public art proposals, working solo or in a team, and pitching the proposals at critiques.

September - December 2004.  Wegener enlisted students from each period to help create a

three-dimensional maquette (above) for the proposal.  2-3 students experimented with concrete

recipies and forms to make the letters...  2-3 students recorded, checked and re-checked measurements... 

2-3 students built a planter/box to resemble the actual space...  2-3 students found stones and

dirt to create the final miniature arrangement...  This work went on while other students worked on

suggested assignments or individual projects of their own design.  Work (finished or unfinished)

on projects of all sorts was presented regularly at scheduled critiques - about every 3 weeks.

January 2005.  Tyler Glover combined two photos taken from approximately the same camera

position to create a single picture of what the finished project would look like.  This photo was the

culmination of a semester of work and it completed the proposal package.  The proposal was then

pitched to administration (esp. Mr. Chris Cain) who approved saying, "We hope it will turns out as

good as it looks in the picture!"  Upon approval, Wegener circulated the proposal photo via school

email.  Upon seeing the emailed picture, several staff members stepped outside to see if the

letters were actually already there!

January - February 2005.  With the approval of students, staff and administration, digging began.

Each class period, there were always a few kids happy to dig and haul dirt for their art class.

The proposal helped recruit assistance from the Horticulture and Construction programs as well.

Students and staff from those classes came to help and offer their resources and advice.

Richard Granlund (construction) and Roger Bessey (horticulture) and their students were welcome

collaborators.

February - April 2005.  Granlund's construction students made the the plywood "letter" forms.

Art students ruled the inside of the forms to show what part would be above ground for decorations

to show.  The "A" was chosen to represent Visual Arts.  The "R" was Music, the "T," Theatre and

and the "S," Dance.  Decorations were to be the fundraiser to help pay for construction materials. 

Anyone who wanted to leave a decoration or embossing in the concrete paid $1 per square inch. 

Hundreds of pieces of blockprinting rubber and sheets of "meat tray" foam were prepared for sale.

Although there were many patrons, it was very slow, and concrete was scheduled to be poured

by Spring Break in mid-April.  Eventually students decided to just "get the job done" themselves by

filling up the spaces with whatever they found or created.