Emily Clabbers

S TA R T

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HOW CAN SPACE TRIGGER IMAGINATION? Crafting an immersive experience for creating art to bring to youth around the community

ABSTRACT As schools around the country continue to cut creative arts programs from their budgets and curriculums, fewer young minds are being exposed to these important subjects. The arts are crucial to childhood development and can provide new ways of thinking applicable to any path one chooses.

How can we reverse this trend and make sure as many children are experiencing creativity as possible? How can we design a space tailored to bringing arts-related workshops to youth around the community in order to create the most impactful experience?

How can space trigger imagination?

By transforming a box truck into a mobile site, the arts can be transported to schools around the city. The truck features customizable elements that encourage youth to stretch their minds and think imaginatively – not only through crafting their projects, but also by crafting the environment they are learning in.

There is space to inspire, think, create, and reflect upon each project given to the students, along with a balance of stimulating elements appropriate for each step of the journey – such as access to views, color, light, sound, movement, group size, and flexibility.

Through digital or physical form, the students can take their experiences and what they created and share it with their teachers, their peers, family, and friends and...

bring the arts back to everyday life.

Steady decline in # of students taking creative arts classes in schools since the 1980’s due to shift in political movements, 16% decrease between 2002-2008

Federal funding of arts / humanities programs hits approximately $250 million, compared to the $513 million the National Science Foundation recieves

In the No Child Left Behind program, subjects like math and reading are emphasized and standardized through testing, the creative arts difficult to test therefore left behind In countries with the highest test scores in math and science (like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherlands) art / music programs are mandatory and emphasized within school systems to help develop the mind

AWARENESS OF SURROUNDINGS

FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE SUCCESS EMOTIONAL RANGE

STIMULATES BOTH SIDES OF BRAIN

EXPRESSION & COMMUNICATION

SELF-ESTEEM

FINE MOTOR SKILLS

CREATIVE PROCESS

1

INSPIRE

2

THINK

3

CREATE

4

REFLECT

DRAWING

PAINTING

ARCHITECTURE

INTERIOR DESIGN

STIMULATION STRATEGIES GROUP SIZE

1

4

4

bright 2 3 zone

2 3 zone

4

DIGITAL DESIGN

2 3 zone

4

FLEXIBILITY high

loud 1

1

4

SOUND

quiet

med

med

FASHION DESIGN

4

low

2 3 zone

1

avg

high

high med low

2 3 zone

MOVEMENT

ACCESS TO VIEWS

1

dark med

neutral

low 2 3 zone

1

2 3 zone

4

PHOTO / VIDEO / ANIMATION

low

high med

high med low 1

LIGHT

COLOR saturated

ENERGY

1

2 3 zone

4

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

DISCOVER

TRAVELING TRUCK

N Cincinnati Public Schools District Elementary Level Schools

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

EVANSTON ACADEMY

WESTWOOD SCHOOL

FOLD SCALE: 1/4” = 1’-0”

UNFOLD SCALE: 1/4” = 1’-0”

FOLD SCALE: 1/4” = 1’-0”

UNFOLD SCALE: 1/4” = 1’-0”

INSPIRE

THINK

CREATE

REFLECT

TRANSFORM

S TA R T