Tape Murals

This year we moved into a brand new building, gleaming and beautiful - and full of white, empty walls. I thought about how we could fill them, to start to make our new space feel more like home, and decided on collaborative tape murals. Working with painters tape is similar to drawing, because pieces of tape are essentially lins, but it's also incredibly engaging because of the large scale and ease of working with a group on a wall size canvas. However, the best part is the connection it creates between the students working and the community who look, appreciate and ask questions during the work. 

 I had six rolls of painter's tape and a combination class of 20 beginning and advanced students, almost all seniors, so I planned what I thought would be a one day experience.  On the first day of class I introduced the concept of tape art by showing a short video clip of Darel Carey at work, then walking around the school with the class to identify good spots for our murals. Groups and ideas formed organically, then students  got to work. I supported students in developing ideas by having conversations with each group as they worked, asking questions and answering any they had. 
 
* If you're reading this and looking for more structure, check out this lesson plan I wrote a few years ago for AOE, or this book I keep hearing great things about. 

Some students decided to work alone, some in groups of varying sizes. Since the tape is totally removable, I don't normally ask approval before starting, but I was a bit curious about what my new principal would think of our work, so I was delighted when I saw her taking pictures of the the process and sharing them on twitter.

A few groups decided to work on a much larger scale than I expected, and I had to get more tape, which is the best of problems to have! Four of the groups ended up working for multiple days, which gave me lots of valuable information about the personality of this group, many of whom seem to really enjoy collaborating. In total, the group used 11 rolls of tape, though 5 of them were use on the large stairway mural. 

This ended up being such a positive experience for my students, who loved the process and for our school, which now feels a bit more like ours. 

 Check out some of their work below.