History from a Different Perspective

The first box I created represented the 1940s and I made it last year mostly during Spring Break. I remember we were staying at our beach house and all I had with me was a small toolbox with some wood stain, a dremel, a soldering iron, and the bare essential electrical components to make the record spin and play music. But despite the lack of tools or knowledge on electrical work, I fell in love with the project. I learned about the music and culture of the 40s, how in 1941, in the middle of a world war, the Captain America comics were invented showing this superhero who saved America from the bad guys. 

A few weeks later the Inspired Learning Summer Grant was announced at Morning Meeting and immediately my mind started thinking about what I could create with the grant money. Then, to my excitement, I was selected for one of the grants. After establishing the concept for my project, the first step I took was obtaining the proper tools — and then I jumped headfirst into the project. One of the boxes that I made was for the 1960s in which I created a working electric guitar within a box I purchased from Micheals. Another one I made was a functioning clock that represented the 1920s. 
 
While the subject and approach for each decade varied, a consistent part of my project was taking a photograph for each one. This involved photographing a person dressed in a historically accurate outfit and was taken with a camera from that specific decade. Another important part of the process was documenting my work, hence I created a website for it. I made this from scratch, learning how to code and gaining an understanding of the elements that make up a website along the way.
 
This project certainly taught me a lot. First, and most obviously, I learned quite a bit about history, gaining a completely new perspective that really allowed me to better understand what happened at different points of the 1900s. Beyond that, almost every box required me to learn a new skill. Rather than going into the project thinking about what I was capable of doing, I just let my mind run wild and work from there. This pushed me to adapt my skills to my ideas, like learning how to build a small FM radio or programming a small video game on a raspberry pi. Not only are these valuable skills to have, but I think learning how to adapt to new situations was what I learned most. I had to get creative and try new things, and often started with an idea that I had absolutely no idea how to make real. I would look online, go to the library, or just experiment around with these new concepts. 
 
This fall, I am in the second semester of my Artist Portfolio class. Right now I am trying to put the finishing touches on my Inspired Learning Summer Grant project. It is an integral part of my Fine Arts concentration, and I will be displaying this in its entirety during Art Week in the spring. At that point, people will get the chance to come see the boxes and press the buttons, play the games, and really engage with each one. That’s the ultimate goal, that people can interact with my project and see history from a different perspective.