In 2016, I collaborated with art teacher Mrs. Adrienne Day and her fourth graders at West Greene Elementary Center near Waynesburg, the county seat of Greene County, in rural southwestern Pennsylvania. We created a hanging curtain of metal charms that was installed in the entryway of the Elementary Center.

Students learned about properties of different metals including copper, brass, aluminum, and steel and manipulated pieces of each using pliers, hammers, anvils, shears, and letter stamps. The fourth graders also applied color with vitreous enamel and got to observe the mini-kiln in action during the 1500°F fusing process.

Creative writing had a role in the process as well as students brainstormed words to represent something important to them in the present and something they hoped for the future. By stamping their words into the metal pieces, the fourth grade created a group list poem that serves as a monument to their spirit, their collaboration, and their hopes and dreams.

In 2023, I returned to work with K-12 WGES teacher Casey Robinson thanks to a Moonshot Grant with IU1. It was a joy to see our piece still hanging in the front entryway, and I hope that it continues to inspire the students, faculty, and families as they enter the school each day.