Ben: Wind Chime Blueprint

Ben's schematic for his park's wind chime.  Picture taken and shared by Ben.

Here are my blue prints for my wind chime.  Unfortunately, the wire I used for the chimes wasn't strong enough because the first time I tapped it, I ripped two chimes off.  I replaced the chime with a log to tap.  Next year, I plan to construct the chimes with stronger wire.

FINAL: Jonathan - Geometric Designs, Exhibit, and Portfolio

Jonathan did not relent in the final months of school.  By systematizing those conditions that allowed him to develop his artistic eye and organizational system, he assured himself a strong end to an already productive year.  

After attending One Spark and co-writing a blog post with the IP faculty, he began to conclude two of his pursuits:  his geometric drawings and his photography.  Regarding the former, he produced such designs by secluding himself within "The Makers' Space" for hours on end.  As his art teacher and IP advisor Ms. Charlap remarks:

It was fascinating to watch him engage in his process of activating a picture plane with thoughtfully chosen geometric forms created along a horizontal grid.  His approach was organized and systematic, yet he managed to produce images that felt intuitive and organic. Each drawing became the catalyst for the one that followed. He sought out and was open to critiques of his work, taking in outside opinions while ultimately trusting his judgment.

Jonathan produced this series deliberately and precisely, and we hope that he will continue to expore his geometric sensibilities - as well as his need for precision - as he enters college.

On his own initiative, Jonathan also spent significant portions of time cataloguing and organizing his photographs.  He demonstrated his interest in that process throughout the year, tirelessly combing through - and editing, where appropriate - shots that he had taken the previous day or week.  Now, however, he found additional reasons to conduct such work.  First, he organized photographs for a one-man exhibit in "The Makers' Space" during Founders' Day.  Although he was unable to attend the event, students, family, friends, and faculty responded to his work positively.  In addition, he selected and sequenced photos to create an online portfolio via Blogger.com (@Blogger).  This portal will allow future peers, employers, and any interested individuals to appreciate some of his most representative work without the restrictions of location or time.  To check out these pieces for yourself, please click here.  Be sure to check back, as Jonathan will doubtless expand the page in the months ahead!

The Edge /​ IP faculty are proud of Jonathan for his gains in organization and maturity, and we are inspired by the effort he exerted - and continues to exert - in preparation for his freshman year at Columbia College Chicago (@ColumbiaChi).  We invite you to celebrate his work with us by posting in the comments section below.

Description of image:  Top left, a photo of one of Jonathan's geometric drawings.  Middle right, a screenshot of Jonathan's online portfolio (jonathanevansphotography.blogspot.com).  Kildonan and its Edge /​ IP program claim no ownership over the graphics above.

FINAL: Piterson Completes a Half-Skeleton

Piterson began to feel the effects of senioritis as winter gave way to spring.  He was visiting his skeleton less frequently, so he saw his sculpting progress begin to slow.  He was cognizant of this change, too, for he spoke of it during one of his many check-ins with the IP faculty.  "OK," the team responded.  "What do you feel like you still need to accomplish while here? How do you want to leave?"

This moment of guided self-reflection proved the necessary component to spur Piterson.  Immediately following this conversation, he renegotiated his IP work schedule in order to grant himself time to visit his skeleton every day.  Soon we saw very little of him at all, for he began to spend several hours of the morning as well as the entire afternoon in "The Makers' Space."

Piterson made tremendous strides with his newfound discipline.  At one point during the spring, he approached the IP team because he was having difficulties with the smoothness of a portion of the pelvis (although he did not know the name of the bone, he was referring to the lilac fossa).  We suggested posterboard material, but Piterson configured an inventive (and more aesthetic) workaround using a variety of materials.  He bent supple twigs gradually in order to form a curved frame; using this piece as an outline, he then mapped and cut plywood to form the lilac fossa.  He glued this to the outline and repeated the process for the second half of the pelvis.

Throughout his process, Piterson launched intensive research with a heightened sense of precision. He evinced exemplary visual acuity and engineering by translating a 2D image into a 3D piece.  Perhaps he best applied these skills while wrestling with the textures of the spine.  Using various computer programs to project and rotate images on a large flatscreen TV, he noticed that the posterior view revealed two different shapes.  Although he did not know the names "cervical vertebrae" and "thoracic vertebrae," he concluded that the top bones (the former) were flatter and more rectangular while the bottom bones (the latter) were shaped almost like "W's" or teeth.  The top bones, too, appeared darker for their close approximity to one another.  Piterson therefore went about creating these two bones, using a dull cardboard for the top bones and a lighter plywood for the bottom.  He produced and connected his spine to the pelvis, creating a piece that startled the IP team for its beauty.


Piterson strove to complete the skeleton before he left.  The year ran out before he could target the skull, however, so he was only able to complete half of the skeleton.  True, he did not finish the project that he set for himself.  However, that fact does not, of course, invalidate the project that he did create or the process in which he engaged.  As the IP faculty and students cleaned up "The Makers' Space" at year-end, we happened to put together the parts of Piterson's skeleton in order to approximate its shape.  The finished piece was even more awe-inspiring than we had anticipated.  In that moment, as this humanoid figure taller than 6 feet was erected before us, faculty and students alike grasped Piterson's true progress.  These products transcended the definition of the "models" as which they were originally conceived; they now constituted true works of art. No less importantly, although Piterson did not know the names of every bone he handled, he nevertheless came to understand them - their shape, their relationship to the bones around them - for having fashioned them himself.

Piterson created a multi-faceted sculpture, but he also laid the groundwork for an anatomical knowledge that he will inevitably call upon as he pursues personal training in the future.  We are proud of his progress and maturation this year, and we invite you to celebrate his work with us by posting in the comments section below.

Description of images:  All photos taken by the IP faculty.

Micki's Growing Installation

Since securing her installation space, Michaela has spent little time in the IP building.  Instead, she has frequented her studio.  She has repurposed existing pieces, explored artists such as Henri Matisse, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, and Judy Pfaff, and experimented with motifs and styles.

Michaela has produced truly thoughtful work, and it is to protect her process and build suspense that we refrain from saying more.  Kildonan community members - and otherwise interesed readers - may view her exhibition during its May unveiling.  In the meantime, please enjoy the indistinct snapshots and the "cryptic" updates that follow this post.  We hope that we have whet your appetite.

Description of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd images:  ?.  Photos taken by Michaela.

P.S. For more on Henri Matisse, check out his Artsy page here!

Yusuf: Science Fiction Novel

Due to last week's unconventional structure, the IP team was privileged to meet with new (albeit temporary) iPeople from grades 8 to 12.  One of the students who graced our building was freshman Yusuf K.  A polite and quiet young man, Yusuf came to us desiring to work on a science fiction (#scifi) novel.  He informed us that his course load does not permit him much time to work on the piece, so he wished to capitalize upon the week's freedom in order to generate substantial material.

After reading several of his drafts as well as discussing the writing with the artist, I am convinced that Yusuf holds immense promise.  Without giving too much away, I wish to share some details of his story.  Through the narrator's commentary, the reader learns of a mechanized planet that resembles something of District 13 of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games Trilogy.  Barren at the surface, yet a highly developed military complex beneath, Siferith is an enormous planet that is said to dwarf galaxies.  One product of this civilization is the Tribulis, a horrendous machine stolen from the narrator and insidiously reappropriated.

Yusuf weaves strong visual descriptions throughout his prose, evoking images of plants and landscapes that are perceived holistically and felt immediately.  He is no novice of lore, for while editing, he constantly spirals back to earlier pieces in order to thicken the soup, to add events and details of his world's history.  To continue his expansion as a writer, he would benefit from an in-depth exploration of punctuation and may want to consider the "show" vs. "tell" rule.  He and I began this work with me modeling the process.

Of course, this partnership lasted for but an instant.  The drawback - no...the necessary product - of explorative, innovative periods such as last week's is the residual questions that remain suspended, tantalizingly, in front of the mind.  What if this week's structure became the modus operandi for a school-wide curriculum? What if this freshman-soon-to-be-sophomore continued this intensive work by joining IP?

What if...?

What do you think of Yusuf's work? Do you have a question for him? Please post in the comments section below.

Description of 1st image:  A graphic of Cyberton of The Transformers:  The Movie (1986), a mechanized planet not unlike Yusuf's.  Picture located at www.ign.com.  Kildonan and its IP program claim no ownership over the image above.

Khaled: Alisa Kwitney &​ Graphic Novel Writing

To hone his writing abilities as he generates content for his graphic novel, Khaled (known as "K.") has enlisted Kildonan's Literature teacher Alisa Kwitney (@akwitney) as his advisor.  Kwitney is no newcomer to the genre.  Author of more than six books, former full editor at Vertigo (@vertigo_comics), and former editor at DC Comics (@DCComics), Kwitney continues to maintain an active presence in the world of comics and graphic novels even today.  She approaches her professional relationship with K. with an indefatigable sense of humor and a stress upon endurance.  No less importantly, she has given K. a new framework in which to write.  Below she discusses the mindset with which a writer must approach that structure:

When you're writing a comic book script, you're writing with a very specific reader in mind -- the artist. The artist is your first and probably your most careful reader, because she or he will have to go back over your panel descriptions again and again. Your artist will have to study your words until he or she sees them from all angles and can draw them on the page. So, in order to write well for the artist, the writer has to become the artist.

Before his advisorship with Ms. Kwitney, K. composed his graphic novel using typical prose.  His narrative consisted of long, descriptive paragraphs that encouraged the reader to generate, in his/​her mind's eye, every image.  Since his working relationship with Ms. Kwitney, however, K. has learned that images place certain constraints upon his writing, for better and for worse.  He has abandoned his uninterrupted prose for an organizer that allows him to think in shots, in panels, and in pages (not unlike a cinematographer).

Those panels that an audience finds visually stimulating are quite surprising.  A panel in which a character walks down the street or engages in a prolonged car chase is frozen (unlike in a movie).  The image, despite its narrative potential, is unexciting for its repetitious visuals.  A panel in which a character busts through a wall executes an abrupt action that does not repeat.  The image is exciting AND possesses narrative potential.  Ultimately, K. continues to experiment with this "visual writing" by playing with silences.  He is starting to explore what an image can say without the accompaniment of words.

What do you think? Do you have a suggestion or question for K.? Please post in the comments section below.

Description of 1st image:  Alisa Kwitney, pictured.  Image located at www.alisakwitney.com.  Kildonan and its IP program claim no ownership over the above photo.

Description of 2nd image:  A draft of a comic book in-progress.  Image located at www.wikihow.com.  Kildonan and its IP program claim no ownership over the above photo.

Jonathan: Alejandro Cartagena &​ Snow Series

Though he does not like to admit this himself, IP has changed Jonathan.  Although he began the year uncertainly, skimming the surface of various topics and feeling unsure of how he might direct his focus, he has gradually become a veritable workhorse.  Having carved out a corner niche for himself in the upstairs studio, he spends most of his time taking new photos, combing through them using a television positioned on his worktable, and manipulating the photos' finer details using Adobe Photoshop.

Currently, Jonathan is working on two projects.  First, he has found a new mentor in Alejandro Cartagena.  Born in the Dominican Republic and now working in Monterrey, Mexico, Cartagena creates photography series that "employ landscape and portraiture as a means to examine social, urban and environmental issues. His work has been exhibited internationally and is in the collections of several museums..." (passages taken from the Bio of Alejandro Cartagena's website).  Jonathan finds himself particularly fascinated with Cartagena's Carpoolers series.  While analyzing the photo at right, for instance, he noted an interesting contrast:  American pedestrians would suffer a ticket if they hitched a ride in the back of a truck, while for Mexican residents, this practice is a normal and accepted part of life.  Jonathan is engaging Cartagena's work not only on an artistic but also on a cultural level.

Jonathan has also capitalized upon the many snowstorms still sweeping through the Hudson Valley by developing a photography series focusing on snow.  During the past several closures, Kildonan community members have frequently seen Jonathan scaling snow drifts for the perfect shot, a scarf wrapped protectively around his camera.  His photos are evocative of rich textures and the muffled stillness of a storm.  Those that resonate most with me, however, succeed for their peculiar capacity to capture the paradox that is Nature:  its orderliness and chaos, its wildness and delicate beauty.

What are your thoughts? Do you have insights on Cartagena or Jonathan's snow series? If so, please post in the comments section below.

Description of 1st image:  Two pieces within Cartagena's Carpoolers series.  Photo located at inhabit.com.  Kildonan and its IP program claim now ownership over the above graphic.

Description of 2nd and 3rd image:  Original images belonging to Jonathan E.'s "Snow" series.

Rachel Smith: "Drawing in class" @ TEDxUFM (2012)

Senior Consultant and the Director of Digital Facilitation Services for The Grove Consultants Internationa in San Francisco," Rachel Smith is a visual facilitator, has led her own graphic design company, and continues to explore the intersection of education and technology (passages taken from the description of Smith's TEDx Talk).  As such, she proposes that visual note-taking - a record system consisting of pictures in addition to words - is an important learning tool...not for dyslexic students but for all children.  Smith elaborates upon her thoughts in a talk given at TEDxUFM (@TEDxUFM) called "Drawing in class":

Visual note-taking opens the door for more playful connections between information, for students to use their imaginations in an activity that can often be very passive (note-taking).  It also helps students to create a personal visual memory aid that they can study from later, that they can look at and [use to] tell themselves the story again.  When a teacher is teaching, what they're doing, really, is telling a story about something they're passionate about.  And when a student takes visual notes, what they're doing is making that story visible.

We're going to go over three simple steps that will get you set on this road, get you started.  And the first one is to choose a tool that works for you.  The second one is to start building up that mental library of images (that I talked about).  And the third one is to really practice listening and capturing the key points.

When you've done visual notes, the way that you tell if you did it right is if you can look at your notes and tell back the story that you heard from that speaker.  Then you did it right.  There's all there is to it.  There's no more than that.  Can you look at it and recall the story?

What do you think? Do you employ visual note-taking? Please post in the comments section below.

Description of 1st image:  A sample of Rachel Smith's visual note-taking strategies.  Photo located at nsanc.org.  Kildonan and its IP program claim no ownership over this picture.

Trey: Sound Design

Bull: The Abyss of Knowledge

Ned: Automotive Studies

Tim: Drones & Computer Programming

Brad: Environmental Advocacy Business

Marcus: Game Design & Computer Programming

Piterson: Personal Training

Jonathan: Psychology of Photography

Micki: Cosmology & Art

Max D.: Magic & Illusion

Paige: Dyslexia & Education

Misha: Real Estate & Land Development