Have you noticed the latest installation in Mitty’s hallways?  Inspired by Keith Allen Haring, a prominent pop artist, Ms. Lemak’s Period 7 2D-3D Design class made the multi-part piece proudly displayed outside of the admin office.  Haring, a pop culture icon, started creating his work in the subways of New York through a unique medium: graffiti.  As his works became more recognizable and grew in popularity, Haring continued to develop his signature style through commissions and more.  Even today, his designs are present in multiple modern-day collaborations in fashion, for example, with famous brands like Adidas and UNIQLO.

Through a collective collaborative effort, Ms. Lemak’s class was able to create the piece.  The students started the process by studying Haring’s works, drawing designs on paper in order to practice incorporating his style.  While planning the piece, they cut out each individual drawing, putting them together in attempts to ensure they had a cohesive sculpture.  After creating  an initial blueprint, the 2D-3D Design class began constructing each piece with hollow cardboard, routinely compiling the parts and verifying they fit together.  Next, the students went through the painstaking process of assigning colors, preventing repetitiveness by taking care to guarantee contrast while maintaining a delicate balance between the hues.

The cumulative process was not without challenges, though.  Initially, some of the class felt unsure if undertaking the process would even be possible—however, the students achieved small victories, gradually approaching their goal.  For example, Ms. Lemak recalled the first time the class tested if the sculpture would stand up when put together, recounting the cheers and goosebumps many felt when it did.  Another setback was when they attempted to glue the separate pieces together—as they were about to place the last piece, the heart, a student realized it would not fit through the door.  As a result, they had to change the original arrangement, moving around some of the parts.  Through their hard work and perseverance, however, the students emerged victorious.  Clearly, their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Multiple people, myself included, still admire the art piece as I walk through the hallway.