Blueprint Activities
Coaster Making
Within the Truman Symposium: Create class, a group named the Blueprint Campus Events (BCE) organized a coaster-making activity on the quad. This group was focused on event planning and fostering opportunities where students and others could both bring out creativity and learn new skills. The event hosted was a culmination of their ideas and goals. Set up in the Truman Quad, the BCE had materials available for students, staff, and passerby to create a cyanotype coaster.
These miniature works of art provided a unique way for the participants to do something creative. The process begins with designing a coaster by placing various objects on the treated coasters. Some of the options included textiles such as lace, ribbon, and flowers, objects like buttons, letters, rocks, even styrofoam cut-outs. The lace and stars seemed to be a popular choice.
After covering the designed coaster with a sheet of plexiglass, the participant would then leave their work in the sun for 20 minutes. Many used this time to converse with fellow students and friends and some used it to catch up on homework. Since many had not heard of cyanotyping before, the results were new to them. While rinsing their finished coaster, some did not turn out quite how intended. But nevertheless, most still liked their creation and enjoyed the process. After many weeks in school with no breaks, students need a way to interrupt the repetitive cycle of school and homework. This event provided a fun, simple, and creative opportunity to accomplish this.
Mask Making
In the lobby of Ophelia Parrish the Blueprint Campus Events group (BCE) organized another entertaining event for Truman students and community members to participate in. This time, instead of coasters, participants were given treated masks to develop into a unique cyanotype. In light of the current COVID-19 conditions, masks are now an essential part of daily attire. This event allowed students to use something that probably isn’t a favorite item and turn it into something a little more positive.
There were three different mask stations scattered around the lobby allowing students to maintain social distancing practices. In ideal conditions, cyanotyping involves the sun but since the October weather was not being cooperative, the event was moved indoors. In its place were two UV light stations. After participants designed their one-of-a-kind mask, they were placed under the UV light for twenty minutes. This was followed by a rinse in a wash out station revealing their miniature works of art and halting the chemical process.
Although this event was rescheduled and then moved indoors, the organizers of this event were well prepared. The BCE group set-up and put together an activity in less than ideal circumstances and ended up with a substantial number of participants. Some of the other TRU 100 classes came to partake as well, leaving the event well attended.
Sometimes art projects can leave someone less familiar with making art a little overwhelmed or maybe even uninterested, but this experience was an excellent outlet for students and others to tap into their creative side. And as an added bonus, people were hopefully able to catch a little breather from the stresses of life.
