About the Program
The “third space” project enhances the school environment and elevates the learning experience by showcasing large-scale art installation from a professional local artist. Art is integrated into the curriculum and the physical space of a school.
About the School
IPS James Whitcomb Riley School 43 is known for its dedication to effective instructional practices that align with Indiana Academic Standards. By promoting critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning, the school prepares students to be future leaders and global contributors.
About the Artist
Ash Robinson, the professional artist selected for James Whitcomb Riley IPS School 43, is an African American artist and designer based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended Herron School of Art & Design, where she received her BFA in Furniture Design.
About the Program
See. Think. Wonder.
The “third space” project enhances the school environment and elevates the learning experience by showcasing an art installation from a professional local artist. Art is integrated into the curriculum and the physical space of a school.
Lasting for an entire semester, the project incorporates an approach to teaching that helps to improve learning and develop a student’s thinking skills. In addition, students and viewers are encouraged to reimagine school environments as dynamic learning spaces and the role of the arts within them – to see, to think, and to wonder.
Students engage in collaborative sessions so that each work of art emerges as a combination of both a student’s thoughts, experiences, and ideas and the artist’s fine art practice.
This particular project combined elements of Arts for Learning’s Fresh StART program. One primary objective of Fresh StART is to strengthen a community’s sense of pride by stabilizing and improving an underused area, within or around the school, through the installation of a permanent, public work of art inspired by ideas generated by students.
This project is made possible by Indianapolis Public Schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund.
Educational Basis for third space
In a third space program, students experience their school, as education philosopher Maxine Greene explains, “as if things could be otherwise.” View a 1998 presentation about the importance of imagination by Maxine Greene on YouTube.
Greene advocates for positioning students as explorers who use their imaginations to envision new ideas and patterns emerging from the world around them (Releasing the Imagination: Essays on Education, Art, and Social Change (1995)). They gradually align their natural curiosity with their interests.
According to her research and that of numerous other scholars, such as Christopher Garrett and Alice Pennisi, students not only thrive in environments that promote student-centered inquiry and expression through the arts, they also retain more information and are more motivated to continue learning.
The project also uses thinking routines from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education called Project Zero. The thinking routine for third space uses “see, think, and wonder” to develop student observation and describing skills for creative and critical thinking.
Collaborative Student Sessions
Session 1
In session 1 with students, Arts for Learning team members and the project artist engage students in learning what they THINK, FEEL, and CARE about in their school community. Students at James Whitcomb Riley overwhelmingly said they care about their peers, feeling valued, and having access to opportunities.
Students then participated in a theatre-based activity, where each was given a word and asked to present to the audience for 30 seconds their thoughts about, associations with, and personal meanings of that word. Examples of words include “wonder,” “risk-taker,” and “freedom.”
“I belong. Here, as this person.”
– A student at James Whitcomb Riley IPS School 43
Session 2
The second collaborative session is led primarily by the project artist. The artist engages with students about what was learned in Session 1 about what students THINK, FEEL, and CARE about. Topics included identity, authenticity, and pride. After sharing her work history and conceptual interests, the artist led students in an exercise based upon her work, encouraging them to create a portrait of themselves or another student using simplified geometric shapes.
“I see it!”
– A student at James Whitcomb Riley IPS School 43
The Role of the Artist
Following the collaborative sessions with students, the artist creates proposals for both a large-scale, temporary installation (third space) and for a permanent artwork to be gifted to the school as a legacy to the project (Art for Learning’s Fresh stART program).
The artist’s conceptual drive for these works is derived from the intersection of the artist’s own fine art practice and history, and the students’ thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
“It’s important for schools to be a refuge for positive self-expression and aspirations. Staff and students from James Whitcomb Riley 43 are creating this refuge … that ensures students feel valued, supported, and empowered.”
-Artist Ash Robinson, about the large relief she created with bold, playful personas to showcase the cultural identity and experience of the students. The theme reflects what the students most cherish: friendship, love of afterschool activities, and a love of self.
The Art Exhibition
The large-scale art installation remains visible for two weeks while the permanent legacy piece remains with the school.
During the school day, students encounter and interact with the art.
Arts Integration Workshop for the School’s Teachers
Teaching with original works of art can be a rewarding way of engaging in conversation about any topic; however, the challenge of such discussions can feel intimidating, and planning can seem overwhelming in an already busy schedule. In this workshop, select teachers collaborate with a curriculum specialist from Arts for Learning to integrate the third space works of art into lessons they already have planned.
Art Exhibition Open House
James Whitcomb Riley School 43 hosted an open house for students, their families, and community partners.
16 Questions to Ask Yourself When Viewing the art installation
We encourage the viewer to use these questions to encourage students to make careful observations, thoughtful interpretations, explore curiosity, and inquire more deeply.
What do you see? ¿Que ves?
What is going on in this artwork? ¿Qué está pasando en esta obra de arte?
What do you think? ¿Qué piensas?
What do you see that makes you say that? ¿Qué ves que te hace decir eso?
What do you wonder? ¿Qué te preguntas?
What is mysterious about this artwork? ¿Qué tiene de misterioso esta obra de arte?
What materials did the artist use to make this artwork? ¿Qué materiales utilizó el artista para hacer esta obra de arte?
What kind of work would you make with these materials? ¿Qué tipo de trabajo harías con estos materiales?
What story can you tell about this artwork? ¿Qué historia puedes contar sobre esta obra de arte?
If this artwork were music, what would it sound like? Si esta obra de arte fuera música, ¿cómo sonaría?
What title did the artist give this artwork? What title would you give it? ¿Qué título le dio el artista a esta obra de arte? ¿Qué título le darías?
Put your body into a pose like some element of this artwork. How does it feel to be in that position? Pon tu cuerpo en una pose como un elemento de esta obra de arte. ¿Cómo se siente estar en esa posición?
What do you want to remember about this artwork? ¿Qué quieres recordar sobre esta obra de arte?
If this artwork could talk, what do you think it would say? Si esta obra de arte pudiera hablar, ¿qué crees que diría?
If you could ask this artwork a question, which question would you choose? How do you think this artwork would answer? Si pudieras hacerle una pregunta a esta obra de arte, ¿qué pregunta elegirías? ¿Cómo crees que respondería esta obra de arte?
How does this artwork make you feel? ¿Cómo te hace sentir esta obra de arte?
James Whitcomb Riley School IPS School 43
James Whitcomb Riley School IPS School 43 is a dynamic center of academic excellence that fosters character-building, resilience, and social responsibility. Led by Principal Crishell Sam, the school creates an inclusive environment that nurtures the individual talents and growth of each student.
The school is known for its dedication to effective instructional practices that align with Indiana Academic Standards. By promoting critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning, the school prepares students to be future leaders and global contributors.
Facility upgrades for the 2024-25 school year will enhance the school’s vibrant arts and academic programming, providing state-of-the-art spaces for creativity and exploration.
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About the Artist
Ash Robinson, the professional artist selected for James Whitcomb Riley IPS School 43, is an African American artist and designer based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended Herron School of Art & Design, where she received her BFA in Furniture Design.
Informed by functional objects, she attended San Diego State University for graduate school and began experimenting with a wide range of mediums and concepts. Robinson considers her multi-media approach as a representation of the eclectic black society.
She has been featured in numerous exhibitions including Cause & Æffect: Art that Speaks Out, Indiana State Museum, The Simplicity of Being: Identity & Personhood in a Complex World, New Delhi, India, as well as the Butter Fine Art Fair held in Indianapolis, IN.
Among her top accomplishments are The Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship and the Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Ash is capable of working in any medium, which sets her apart from her peers.
