Little Red School House
and Elisabeth Irwin High School

A Pre-K-12 Progressive Education

Our Mission in Action

Monuments and Memorials

Middle School Principal Ana Chaney
 
 
The eighth graders have conceived, designed, and built models of their own monuments and memorials. Each one represents a person or issue that is meaningful for that student and the design of each tells a symbolic story. In their artist’s statements, the students describe their motivation behind the design of their memorial or monument and how the language of location, size, scale, material, and other symbolic elements create the desired experience for visitors.

The idea for the project was born from the Monuments and Memorials Unit from the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior and the eighth grade trip to Washington, DC, where the class visited many memorials and monuments. In addition to experiencing and enjoying each of these, the students learned to “read” them for intended purpose. Rohan, the eighth grade art teacher, collaborated with the Humanities teachers, Sarah and Momii, to give students the opportunity to consider what they might memorialize and how they would go about using the design of their monument to tell a story.

The eighth grade team used last week’s “Big Time” - our weekly long block of flexible programming time - to complete this project. This included taking their plan from a two-dimensional sketch to a three-dimensional reality, as well as re-visiting and adjusting their use of materials, and workshopping their use of symbols with teachers. The classroom was humming with action when I stopped by. Everywhere students were deep in thought, measuring and taping, adjusting, or in thoughtful conversation with each other.

The list of memorial and monument subjects selected by the students (below) is its own impressive artifact. Each student, in their artist’s statement, expressed their choice eloquently, and described their aesthetic choices with seriousness and clarity.  I have included some excerpts below.
This undertaking showcases so much of what we - teachers and students alike - do well every day. We take risks and act boldly on new ideas. We are unafraid of what is hard, or sad, or complex. We work together, weaving in the best of many disciplines. We make plans, act on the plans, adjust the plans, and share and critique their outcomes. Just today, the students did a museum walk-through of the monuments. Each artist had the opportunity to speak about his or her final piece and to hear questions and feedback from their peers.

Congratulations to the eighth grade teachers and students for entering into this impressive project together with such gusto. I hope you, as parents, make time to talk to your own child about his or her own experiences during “Big Time”. May the photos and excerpts here give you a small taste of the scope of this class’s work.

A selection of excerpts from Artist’s Statements:

“Visitors would start by walking through the structure with water cascading down it. This symbolizes the storm the boycotters had to go through to get to where we are now with non-segregated buses, as well as the way we are still struggling to get equality for all.” - Dakota (Montgomery Bus Boycott Memorial)

“The statues will be life size and people will be able to walk right up to them. When people view this memorial I want them to see that learning is about being in the world, not about being in a classroom. I want them to feel that there are different ways to see things and that everyone has something to offer.” - Jacquie (Elisabeth Irwin Memorial)

“Walking through a seemingly normal forest you see a feather rise up above the trees; you can follow a path to the monument, you look up and see a giant bronze feather. This feather represents the Chief Joseph, the Chief who made the necessary sacrifice to get some of the group to Canada; this feather doesn’t just represent Joseph but also the Nez Perce Nation as a whole. Below Joseph’s feather is the quote “Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” quoted from Chief Joseph himself, this quote shows how the Nez Perce never wanted to fight and were forced out of there homes, and chased over 1000 miles across America. surrounded by trees on each side of you, you can look into the distance and 400 feet from you you can see a wall, made of white granite facing Canada. You can’t see the detail from the Chief Joseph tribute, but on the wall are 800 names written. These names are the names Nez Perce, both their Native American names and their European names. “ - Graham (Nez Perce Memorial)

“My monument is to the American Dream. It’s something that everyone has heard of, but no one can achieve, unattainable. Something we aspire to have, but nowhere is it recognized. Something we wish were true, but we have lost faith in.” Brianna (American Dream Monument)
“The visitors walk on an elevated catwalk parallel to the memorial. It is elevated to show that you are a privileged person as opposed to the people who are metaphorically trapped in the memorial… The second door has a key that is too high for one person to reach. It symbolises that physical freedom can only be achieved by working together.” Aditya (Monument for Colonized Peoples)

List of Eighth Grade Monuments and Memorials
Monument to the American Dream
Memorial for Ledell Mulvaney and Sue Young
Monument for Colonized Peoples
Monument to the Butterfly Effect
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 Memorial
Al Selven Memorial
The Thomas Mueller Memorial
Breast Cancer Memorial
Civil Rights Memorial
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak Monument
Jaques Cousteau Memorial
1963 Birmingham, Alabama Church Bombing Memorial
The Perspective Monument - for people killed by the police
Knocking on Heaven’s Door - a memorial to my grandfather
Oppressed Animals Memorial
Monument to the Homeless in America
The Racial Brutality Memorial
Teachers Monument
The Fight to Survive Monument
Memorial to those who died climbing Grand Teton
The Underground Railroad Supporters Monument
The First Lady Memorial
Monument to those who have died from illness
Montgomery Bus Boycott Memorial
Celebration of Unrecognized Fighters for Human Rights
The Nez Perce Memorial
The Trail of Tears Memorial
The Fred Hampton Memorial
The K-9 Memorial to dogs who fought for our country
The Hunger Project Monument
The Breast Cancer Monument
Lou Gehrig Memorial
Stephen Hawking Monument
Memorial to the Sandy Hook School Shooting
Salem Witch Trials Memorial
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