Laura believes in the transformative potential of creating a 3D object from the imagination. Through her years at high-needs schools, she has received training in trauma-informed care, responsive classroom, restorative justice, and most importantly, how to adapt plans on a moment’s notice. As an EL teacher, she has co-taught in a variety of subjects and is comfortable incorporating math and science standards into every project. She is interested in how the process of art-making builds self-confidence and how making things by hand builds community, making it easier to have honest conversations. Through her residencies, she uses art-making to create other ways for students to learn and engage with the curriculum. For students learning English as a Second Language, it is especially important to create a safe environment in which to take creative risks. To accomplish this, Laura uses collaborative play as well as storytelling and aims for each participant to walk away learning and believing something new about themselves.  

Sample Programs: Customizable To Site’s Needs

Virtual / Remote Programs

Art Kit

Crankie Boxes - Make your own crankie box! A crankie is a visual storytelling device with rich and whimsical roots. These mini theaters are created by winding a long, illustrated scroll around two spools. When it’s time to perform, one spool is “cranked” to reveal the story in the box. This kit comes with everything you need to create a box and story of your own and learn the history of crankies, how to design and construct your own box, and how to construct a compelling story.  

Residencies

Cranky Boxes

Participants will work collaboratively or individually on creating their own boxes and illustrate story scrolls with the possibility of creating an original soundtrack with puppets.  

In this residency we will start by exploring the history of these 19th century storytelling devices. We will watch original shows and look at a variety of boxes to feed our inspiration. Then we will work to create stories. These can range from personal narratives, reimagining folk tales to investigating local history. The possibilities are endless. We will talk about what makes a story compelling and how to use artistic elements to convey our meaning. We will create a story map, learn how to thumbnail our ideas, design boxes, and perform. Possibilities for adding in puppets and music are dependent on age and timeline. We will culminate the residency with a crankie “film” fest.  

Note: Crankie boxes work best as an extended residency, please allow two weeks to complete the project.  

Comic Books and Zines

Students will learn how to publish a story of their own from start to finish with this unique DIY art form. We will start by looking over different examples for inspiration, come up with our own ideas, work on page layouts and thumbnailing and how to self-publish. The entry points are endless even for the reluctant artist or fearful writer. Possible add-ons include artist book binding with older students.  

Cardboard Cities

Students become city planners in this creative reuse residency. We will learn the basics and more complicated cardboard engineering techniques while we create a collaborative community. We will start by looking over different types of buildings and structures then dreaming up a utopian city of our own creation. Each participant or pair will be in charge of creating a structure for our community using recycled materials. Throughout the week as our city evolves we will continue to adjust. Possibilities include people, moving cars, and map making.  

Shadow Puppets

Students will create collaborative shows. This residency allows students to learn puppet mechanics and engineering. It’s a great residency to investigate different science concepts such as animal behavior and ecosystems as well as folk tales. Students start by investigating the silhouettes, movements of animals or people to design their puppet. Then we work on creating a soundtrack for the project. The residency culminates in a performance.