Critical Intervention/ Personal Voice Action plan
Art, Spirituality, and "The Way"
Incorporating art throughout campus to inspire spiritual growth in a Catholic School environment.
Incorporating art throughout campus to inspire spiritual growth in a Catholic School environment.
Final Action Plan
Action Plan Art, Spirituality, & "The Way" | |
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*Scroll to the bottom to see pictures of our campus.
My Blog:
Day 1: Coming up with a plan
Behind the Plan:
In April 2008 I began my work at Marist School. My first impression of the campus was that I was in amazement of how beautiful the campus was. I can remember driving through the main entrance, down the main drive, and under the large trees that weep over the road. The spring day intensified my experience and made me excited to see more of the campus. This campus is off the beaten path of the busy city life. Miles up the road is one of the busier areas of town. I had lived and attended college in Brookhaven, a small suburb of Atlanta, for over four years and had not stepped foot on Marist's campus up until that point.
On that day I was interviewing for a position for a summer job, running the Day Camp for the Faculty and Staff. Little did I know that I would find myself working at the school in a different role months down the road. One of the main things I noticed first was the brick architecture and the open fields that ran along the main drive. There was so much green space! When I walked up to the school I was intrigued by the construction of the building, it looked like it was held up by the pillars that lined the open area. At the time I was so enamored with the size of the school that I missed the one thing that I always look for in a building. The school lacked art! The building, the landscape, and a few statues were all that there was in terms of aesthetic value.
Once I was blind but now I see:
After four and a half years of working for Marist, I have decided to do something about it, using my personal voice. Here at Marist we live under a dynamic range of values, known as The Marist Way. These values are grounded in the Catholic faith. Over the years I have heard much discussion over the lack of color in the hallways and the lack of art present in the school. Traditionally since my arrival, the student artwork tends to stay in the art hallway, the show case in the main office, or in the library. It is rare to see art anywhere else. Around campus we do however see some symbols and words, which are representational of the Catholic faith or the Marist Order. We have the Marist crest located in several places and a total of four religious figure statues spread-out throughout campus. At the size of this campus it seems sad that little attention is paid to such a crucial part of human culture.
At Marist we pride ourselves on our mission and our commitment to serving others. It is through words and prayer that we find the message of what it means to be Marist. Many years ago Marist built a new athletic building, in the process, the school decided to post these words and phrases on the walls of the building for all to see. These words spell out what we are all about and how our mission plays into our athletics. This simple message is a reminder to our students, faculty, and parents about what we would like to represent and live out in our every day lives.
The Marist Way:
The Idea:
I think this is important to note that I am not a teacher here at Marist, but I work in the Dean's Office. I do however, have a lot of contact with the students and have attended numerous religious retreats.
When given this assignment I began talking it over with my boss. I wanted to come up with something that would make a lasting impression, and would make for a powerful message that would help change culture. I had no idea where to start or what location I would use for this assignment.
In our conversations, he started to remind me of times when I have expressed concern over the lack of art in the school. On numerous occasions we have spoken about the Arcade (see below for details) and how it really needed to be a place for students to explore their faith and the mission of the school. We discussed the words of The Marist Way and how it is through these words that we live out the mission of the school.
It began to make me think... could I use Marist as my location for my Intervention Assignment? If so I needed to figure out what questions I would need to address and how I would begin to address the issues in the school. With a small amount of time I knew I needed to act fast if I were to get this assignment done in time. I continued the conversation with my boss, who gave me his complete support. I then went on to discuss my ideas with the Director of Campus Ministry - who was thrilled with the idea, and then I spoke to the teacher of The Marist Way. All three individuals were in agreement that this project could benefit the nature of the school and could promote the mission in which we stand by. Before moving forward I addressed the questions I needed to have answered before going to the top for final approval on my plan. For years people have tried in some way to add aesthetic value to the campus and the plans have never gone passed conversations. This time I knew I needed to make sure that my idea would not get tabled.
Questions to be addressed:
Behind the Plan:
In April 2008 I began my work at Marist School. My first impression of the campus was that I was in amazement of how beautiful the campus was. I can remember driving through the main entrance, down the main drive, and under the large trees that weep over the road. The spring day intensified my experience and made me excited to see more of the campus. This campus is off the beaten path of the busy city life. Miles up the road is one of the busier areas of town. I had lived and attended college in Brookhaven, a small suburb of Atlanta, for over four years and had not stepped foot on Marist's campus up until that point.
On that day I was interviewing for a position for a summer job, running the Day Camp for the Faculty and Staff. Little did I know that I would find myself working at the school in a different role months down the road. One of the main things I noticed first was the brick architecture and the open fields that ran along the main drive. There was so much green space! When I walked up to the school I was intrigued by the construction of the building, it looked like it was held up by the pillars that lined the open area. At the time I was so enamored with the size of the school that I missed the one thing that I always look for in a building. The school lacked art! The building, the landscape, and a few statues were all that there was in terms of aesthetic value.
Once I was blind but now I see:
After four and a half years of working for Marist, I have decided to do something about it, using my personal voice. Here at Marist we live under a dynamic range of values, known as The Marist Way. These values are grounded in the Catholic faith. Over the years I have heard much discussion over the lack of color in the hallways and the lack of art present in the school. Traditionally since my arrival, the student artwork tends to stay in the art hallway, the show case in the main office, or in the library. It is rare to see art anywhere else. Around campus we do however see some symbols and words, which are representational of the Catholic faith or the Marist Order. We have the Marist crest located in several places and a total of four religious figure statues spread-out throughout campus. At the size of this campus it seems sad that little attention is paid to such a crucial part of human culture.
At Marist we pride ourselves on our mission and our commitment to serving others. It is through words and prayer that we find the message of what it means to be Marist. Many years ago Marist built a new athletic building, in the process, the school decided to post these words and phrases on the walls of the building for all to see. These words spell out what we are all about and how our mission plays into our athletics. This simple message is a reminder to our students, faculty, and parents about what we would like to represent and live out in our every day lives.
The Marist Way:
- Hidden and unknown
- Being instruments of mercy
- Discipleship
- Trust in God
- "Tasting God"
- Doing "the wok of Mary"
- Saying no to greed, pride, and power
- The spirit of Nazareth and Pentecost
- Being called by "gracious choice"
- Ardent love of neighbor
- Union with God
- Self-denial
- Humility
- Hospitality
- Inclusiveness
- Serve
The Idea:
I think this is important to note that I am not a teacher here at Marist, but I work in the Dean's Office. I do however, have a lot of contact with the students and have attended numerous religious retreats.
When given this assignment I began talking it over with my boss. I wanted to come up with something that would make a lasting impression, and would make for a powerful message that would help change culture. I had no idea where to start or what location I would use for this assignment.
In our conversations, he started to remind me of times when I have expressed concern over the lack of art in the school. On numerous occasions we have spoken about the Arcade (see below for details) and how it really needed to be a place for students to explore their faith and the mission of the school. We discussed the words of The Marist Way and how it is through these words that we live out the mission of the school.
It began to make me think... could I use Marist as my location for my Intervention Assignment? If so I needed to figure out what questions I would need to address and how I would begin to address the issues in the school. With a small amount of time I knew I needed to act fast if I were to get this assignment done in time. I continued the conversation with my boss, who gave me his complete support. I then went on to discuss my ideas with the Director of Campus Ministry - who was thrilled with the idea, and then I spoke to the teacher of The Marist Way. All three individuals were in agreement that this project could benefit the nature of the school and could promote the mission in which we stand by. Before moving forward I addressed the questions I needed to have answered before going to the top for final approval on my plan. For years people have tried in some way to add aesthetic value to the campus and the plans have never gone passed conversations. This time I knew I needed to make sure that my idea would not get tabled.
Questions to be addressed:
- In what ways could I use art to speak to the virtues of The Way?
- How will the use of art impact the students and the community?
- How will the use of art inspire spirituality?
- In what ways can I continue the traditions of the school without changing the traditional quality of the school?
- Finally, will the art serve our community for a higher purpose?
Day 2: Defining locations for my action plan to take place
Location: Marist School, Atlanta GA
School Website
School Description:
Marist School is a medium sized Catholic school in Atlanta, GA. The Ashford Dunwoody campus was founded in the early 1960s as a military boy's school. In 1976, the school was converted to a co-educational school - after the move to the Perimeter area from downtown. The architecture of the campus is primarily brick with white trimmings. The campus is very traditional in style and resembles a college campus. The lower level of the main building (the Chanel Building - named after the founder of the Marist Order) is an open air space and is known as the Arcade. This is the area that the boys use to march in to avoid the heat of the summer. Today, this area serves its purpose as the student bag drop area and a place for social gathering. The long corridor is lined with white square pillars against concrete slabs and white ceilings. Above the arcade sits the student classrooms. On either ends of the arcade houses the cafeteria and the main office. Behind the Chanel Building and up a small hill is the home of the Marist Priests. This is also the location of the newly renovated Chapel and school garden. To the right of the garden sits two additional buildings for classes. The campus contains multiple buildings which house the student athletics: 3 gyms, a pool, and the athletic offices and weight room. Surrounding the buildings are multiple fields for athletic events. You can also access the other side of the campus by crossing over the pedestrian bridge to get to student parking and additional practice fields. Surrounding the entire campus is a 3 mile cross county trail.
Areas I am looking at for my plan:
Location: Marist School, Atlanta GA
School Website
School Description:
Marist School is a medium sized Catholic school in Atlanta, GA. The Ashford Dunwoody campus was founded in the early 1960s as a military boy's school. In 1976, the school was converted to a co-educational school - after the move to the Perimeter area from downtown. The architecture of the campus is primarily brick with white trimmings. The campus is very traditional in style and resembles a college campus. The lower level of the main building (the Chanel Building - named after the founder of the Marist Order) is an open air space and is known as the Arcade. This is the area that the boys use to march in to avoid the heat of the summer. Today, this area serves its purpose as the student bag drop area and a place for social gathering. The long corridor is lined with white square pillars against concrete slabs and white ceilings. Above the arcade sits the student classrooms. On either ends of the arcade houses the cafeteria and the main office. Behind the Chanel Building and up a small hill is the home of the Marist Priests. This is also the location of the newly renovated Chapel and school garden. To the right of the garden sits two additional buildings for classes. The campus contains multiple buildings which house the student athletics: 3 gyms, a pool, and the athletic offices and weight room. Surrounding the buildings are multiple fields for athletic events. You can also access the other side of the campus by crossing over the pedestrian bridge to get to student parking and additional practice fields. Surrounding the entire campus is a 3 mile cross county trail.
Areas I am looking at for my plan:
- The Arcade
- The Classroom Hallways
- The Meditation Garden
- The Pedestrian Bridge
- The Cross Country Trail
Day 3: So what shall we do with the spaces?
So far I have come up with a place, a theme, questions, and locations around campus that I would like to infuse art into. Now to address my ideas for these spaces. Being that Marist is a Christian organization I feel that it is very important to look at what the school represents. I have already shared what it means to be Marist, The Marist Way. However, those words are not enough to explain the extent in which this school becomes a community of students, faculty, staff, administration, parents, family, friends, and neighbors. Our community is important to the success of the school.
Infusing Art into spaces:
The Arcade - the pillars in the arcade are reminiscent of the history of the school and of the faith on which we stand on. So the arcade should demonstrate the values in which the school was founded. I would like to see the words that we see in the athletic facility spread into the heart of the school - the arcade. This idea has been something countless people have explored but the administration has turned it down because it would become a permanent fixture to the school. After speaking to the head of Campus Ministry he has suggested that I try to find a way that we can rotate the messages throughout the year so that the students are able to connect with each Way. I thought that was a fantastic idea! Why not make each week of the school year represent each virtue of the Marist Way.
So how do we do that? My idea is to have banners that contain these words or typography spread throughout the corridor of the arcade. On opposing pillars, I would like to hang student works of art and writings to demonstrate each meaning in visual or written form to communicate the message. Every week this message will change in order to engage the students with the mission of the school.
Classroom Hallways - the classroom hallways continue the theme of the exterior, brick... yes other than the brick walls, gray floors, white ceiling and two rows of blue lockers, there is little to nothing in regards to art. This needs to change, this is a school and I would like it to seem more inviting for our students and our families.
Our classrooms are lined with windows along the tops of the classrooms. Our middle school homerooms hang their banners there to represent their homeroom names. My idea is to use the windows above the doors to display student Mandalas or stain glass designs. Students will have to come up with the themes of each hallway to represent Christ and the mission of the school. I would like the students to come up with these themes and create their designs on paper to be chosen by the admission team. Once chosen I would like the students to create a stain glass fixture to hang or be adhered to the window. I am not sure how this is done but I will do more research. Stain glass is very important to the Catholic faith and is seen in churches and chapel all over the world. I would like to bring this colorful and traditional aspect into the halls of the school.
The Meditation Garden - currently this garden is known as our organic garden. Over the last few years our students and teachers have tended to this space in order to share and donate the fruits of their labors to local food banks. At the beginning of this school year the decision was made to remove the organic garden and replace it with a meditation garden. The reason for this is due to the completion of the Chapel renovations. Now the Chapel overlooks the garden and the priests would like to see the space through the windows as a meditative space. No plans have been shared with the employees, but I have some ideas of my own!
I would like to see a place for an outdoor chapel, a place that welcomes prayer, and allows students to connect to their natural environment. In part of the garden I would like to see wooden benches made from trees, lined as if they were pews. At the front of the 4 to 5 rows I would like to see a large cross. We do not have a visible cross on campus and I think it will send a powerful message to the students. Throughout the garden I would like to see prayer stepping stones made from mosaics, and would like the garden filled with flowers. Currently we have a few picnic tables in the space. I would like to see these tables remain. What I would like to chance about them is to allow students to write messages of faith. I would like the community to view these tables as a place for students to express their love of God and to record inspirational messages for those who read them. Our students use these tables to study, hangout with their friends, and to eat their lunches. I want this space to remain open for the students to visit.
The Pedestrian Bridge - This bridge is what connects the Cross Creek Property to the main campus. Our juniors and sophomores park on the Cross Creek Property. Every day they walk across the bridge to come to school. As they walk across the bridge I would like them to read the prayers in which we recite at church. I would like these prayers laid into the cement that they walk upon. So as they enter each day they see the words that mean so much to the faith of the Church and to the school.
The Cross Country Trail - in addition to the rigorous cross country trail I would like to see the trail as a place for meditative walking. Throughout the trail I would like to see statues, benches, and artistic symbols of the Church. Each place will serve as a prayer station and will have some type of student art present: such as recycled windows made into stain glass - hung from the trees, student made crosses, statues that are symbolic of Catholic saints, and more.
Tomorrow I meet with the seniors who are taking the Mary and the Marist Way class. I will gather my thoughts and ideas tomorrow and share what I come up with from the students.
So far I have come up with a place, a theme, questions, and locations around campus that I would like to infuse art into. Now to address my ideas for these spaces. Being that Marist is a Christian organization I feel that it is very important to look at what the school represents. I have already shared what it means to be Marist, The Marist Way. However, those words are not enough to explain the extent in which this school becomes a community of students, faculty, staff, administration, parents, family, friends, and neighbors. Our community is important to the success of the school.
Infusing Art into spaces:
The Arcade - the pillars in the arcade are reminiscent of the history of the school and of the faith on which we stand on. So the arcade should demonstrate the values in which the school was founded. I would like to see the words that we see in the athletic facility spread into the heart of the school - the arcade. This idea has been something countless people have explored but the administration has turned it down because it would become a permanent fixture to the school. After speaking to the head of Campus Ministry he has suggested that I try to find a way that we can rotate the messages throughout the year so that the students are able to connect with each Way. I thought that was a fantastic idea! Why not make each week of the school year represent each virtue of the Marist Way.
So how do we do that? My idea is to have banners that contain these words or typography spread throughout the corridor of the arcade. On opposing pillars, I would like to hang student works of art and writings to demonstrate each meaning in visual or written form to communicate the message. Every week this message will change in order to engage the students with the mission of the school.
Classroom Hallways - the classroom hallways continue the theme of the exterior, brick... yes other than the brick walls, gray floors, white ceiling and two rows of blue lockers, there is little to nothing in regards to art. This needs to change, this is a school and I would like it to seem more inviting for our students and our families.
Our classrooms are lined with windows along the tops of the classrooms. Our middle school homerooms hang their banners there to represent their homeroom names. My idea is to use the windows above the doors to display student Mandalas or stain glass designs. Students will have to come up with the themes of each hallway to represent Christ and the mission of the school. I would like the students to come up with these themes and create their designs on paper to be chosen by the admission team. Once chosen I would like the students to create a stain glass fixture to hang or be adhered to the window. I am not sure how this is done but I will do more research. Stain glass is very important to the Catholic faith and is seen in churches and chapel all over the world. I would like to bring this colorful and traditional aspect into the halls of the school.
The Meditation Garden - currently this garden is known as our organic garden. Over the last few years our students and teachers have tended to this space in order to share and donate the fruits of their labors to local food banks. At the beginning of this school year the decision was made to remove the organic garden and replace it with a meditation garden. The reason for this is due to the completion of the Chapel renovations. Now the Chapel overlooks the garden and the priests would like to see the space through the windows as a meditative space. No plans have been shared with the employees, but I have some ideas of my own!
I would like to see a place for an outdoor chapel, a place that welcomes prayer, and allows students to connect to their natural environment. In part of the garden I would like to see wooden benches made from trees, lined as if they were pews. At the front of the 4 to 5 rows I would like to see a large cross. We do not have a visible cross on campus and I think it will send a powerful message to the students. Throughout the garden I would like to see prayer stepping stones made from mosaics, and would like the garden filled with flowers. Currently we have a few picnic tables in the space. I would like to see these tables remain. What I would like to chance about them is to allow students to write messages of faith. I would like the community to view these tables as a place for students to express their love of God and to record inspirational messages for those who read them. Our students use these tables to study, hangout with their friends, and to eat their lunches. I want this space to remain open for the students to visit.
The Pedestrian Bridge - This bridge is what connects the Cross Creek Property to the main campus. Our juniors and sophomores park on the Cross Creek Property. Every day they walk across the bridge to come to school. As they walk across the bridge I would like them to read the prayers in which we recite at church. I would like these prayers laid into the cement that they walk upon. So as they enter each day they see the words that mean so much to the faith of the Church and to the school.
The Cross Country Trail - in addition to the rigorous cross country trail I would like to see the trail as a place for meditative walking. Throughout the trail I would like to see statues, benches, and artistic symbols of the Church. Each place will serve as a prayer station and will have some type of student art present: such as recycled windows made into stain glass - hung from the trees, student made crosses, statues that are symbolic of Catholic saints, and more.
Tomorrow I meet with the seniors who are taking the Mary and the Marist Way class. I will gather my thoughts and ideas tomorrow and share what I come up with from the students.
Day 4: Getting Input
I had the opportunity to meet with two groups of students today, a handful of eager freshman and 18 upper classmen. Each group had positive feedback about my action plan and really seemed excited about what my goals are for the school. I explained to both groups that my goal of infusing art into the campus was to mirror the mission and faith of the school. This experience really gave me the opportunity to connect with the students and to engage them in active planning.
After speaking with the students I have processed what they had to say. They had a lot of great ideas and expressed great interest in utilizing mosaics and stain glass to connect with the Catholic traditions of art making. They also brought up some more ideas that really inspired my idea. Other than the Chapel we do not have a visible cross on campus. They also informed me that there is another area on campus that they would like to see enhanced. The area is a meditation garden at the front of the campus near the tennis courts. I knew I had to check it out.
Something that I forgot to mention earlier is that the school will be going under major renovations. We will be replacing one of our gyms and will be converting the gym into a classroom building as well as a gym space. We are hopeful that addressing some of these issues now will get the administration thinking about ways we can incorporate art into the school.
Students ideas:
I had the opportunity to meet with two groups of students today, a handful of eager freshman and 18 upper classmen. Each group had positive feedback about my action plan and really seemed excited about what my goals are for the school. I explained to both groups that my goal of infusing art into the campus was to mirror the mission and faith of the school. This experience really gave me the opportunity to connect with the students and to engage them in active planning.
After speaking with the students I have processed what they had to say. They had a lot of great ideas and expressed great interest in utilizing mosaics and stain glass to connect with the Catholic traditions of art making. They also brought up some more ideas that really inspired my idea. Other than the Chapel we do not have a visible cross on campus. They also informed me that there is another area on campus that they would like to see enhanced. The area is a meditation garden at the front of the campus near the tennis courts. I knew I had to check it out.
Something that I forgot to mention earlier is that the school will be going under major renovations. We will be replacing one of our gyms and will be converting the gym into a classroom building as well as a gym space. We are hopeful that addressing some of these issues now will get the administration thinking about ways we can incorporate art into the school.
Students ideas:
- Outdoor school murals reflecting the schools mission - possibly utilizing icon figures, saints, stories from the bible, etc. They would like to see these murals in the lower cafeteria or in the junior/senior plaza near the Early Learning Center on the stone walls.
- A permanent exhibit of the Stations of the Cross - we have a temporary exhibit that is on display during Lent. They would like to see this on the Cross Country trail
- They would also like to turn the open spaces at the end of the hallways into stain glass so that when the light shines through the hallways the light reflects the colors of the glass through the windows and doors, adding color to the halls.
- They would like the meditation garden that is over grown to be re-purposed to be an outdoor chapel.
- They would also like student artwork displayed in the arcade to represent the theme of the week. They believe this could be incorporated into the curriculum in art class, or a class could be created to work on art that is reminiscent on the Catholic faith and school mission.
- Students also expressed that they would like to see photographs of the school's history on display. They would like to see class composites as well. They suggested the bottom floor of the library. They believe the school should embrace their legacy so that they will have the ability to share their experiences with their children some day, as their parents have done with them.
- In addition to the Stations of the Cross, they would also like to see wooden signs with the words of the Marist Way on them spread throughout the trail.
- They would also like to see the arcade as a place for students to find self-expression. There were several art students in the room who felt the school did not appreciate their talents because their work is kept in the art building. A building that is not traveled through unless you have a purpose to be in there.
- The students would like each student that goes into the Marist Way class to create a Mandela that can be put on display somewhere around campus, in the gardens, on the cross country trail or in the common spaces. They would like to leave something the represents not only them as an individual but something that will reflect their spirituality. These small
Day 5: Visualizing Campus
Luck has it that the faculty and staff received an email today that the final plans for the meditation garden near the Chapel is going to begin its re-purposing. So I think I am going to focus my plan for the outdoor Chapel to take place near the tennis courts. So today I walked around the campus to get a better feel of the space and to see if I could address spaces that I had not considered before. I took photographs to show the school's traditional style and to show how the presence of art in the school is very limited.
Luck has it that the faculty and staff received an email today that the final plans for the meditation garden near the Chapel is going to begin its re-purposing. So I think I am going to focus my plan for the outdoor Chapel to take place near the tennis courts. So today I walked around the campus to get a better feel of the space and to see if I could address spaces that I had not considered before. I took photographs to show the school's traditional style and to show how the presence of art in the school is very limited.