Monument Lab Field Trip: Monuments
Introducing the Monument Lab Field Trip, a 10-page hands-on activity guide created in partnership with Philadelphia based public art and history studio, Monument Lab, as a tool to explore, engage with, question, and examine public monuments.
Created in the summer of 2020, during the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic, this project was initially developed as a learning tool that could be used within the confines of lockdowns, social distancing, and online learning. It was also made to expand beyond this early use in classrooms or in groups.
Free and downloadable, this guide is thus designed to be used by any age in any location or online using search tools.
One of the key features of this 10-page guide are a series of visual organizers designed to encourage users to slow down, use observation skills, drawing, critical analysis, historical thinking, and creative thinking and design skills to learn more about monuments in your any community, ask questions about art and justice in public spaces, and propose alternative ideas for a monument.
The resulting design was developed with input and consultation of scholars and artists at Monument Lab. Some key features of the Field Guide include:
A bold design clarity that utilizes black, white, and red colors for a sense of directness and legibility even if printed in black-and-white
Pages focusing on themes of history, place and community, power, equity, art and justice
Spaces to both imagine and draw your own proposed monument
This project was made in partnership with Monument Lab and funded with their support.
To learn more about the second project in this series, focusing on Museums, visit here.