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Manitoga: Bringing Design to Life |
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Posted by Christina Connors
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on June 27, 2011 |
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 In May my consumer science class and Ms. Rosenkamppf’s art class visited Manitoga: The Russel Wright Design Center in Garrison. We had a fabulous time. Everyone’s favorite part was taking off socks and shoes to walk on the moss “carpet.”
Later, back at Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School, students came up with project ideas related to Wright's aesthetic. Household furnishings they came up with included a moss bath mat, bamboo and moss beds, and a lamp made from a tree stump.
Most kids drew their prototype, but one group constructed the lamp pictured below. This photo doesn't really do it justice.
I’m sure Linda Richards, Manitoga's educator, will recognize the materials students used to create the lamp -- a plastic tube as the base and some sort of flexible wooden material for the shade's frame.
To make the shade itself they used a low-temp iron to seal lighting gels into excess plastic from a laminating job. In their presentation they explained that the lighting gels were a stand-in for beach glass.
Last fall Linda facilitated "Inside/Outside, Outside/In! Design with Russel Wright in Mind." The THV-sponsored workshop introduced me to Manitoga and gave me new ideas for materials to use with students. I was so taken with Wright that I applied for a THV Explore Award so I could take my students there.
Back to those students – before the visit we learned about Russel Wright’s life and work. Kids were
surprised that someone so well known had a home less than 20 miles from our school. Once on-site, students started off with a guided tour of the property; we had learned about the importance of “placement” in Wright's design approach and were able to see it in action so to speak.
Inside the house and studio, there were lots of envious oohs and aahs. Experiencing firsthand the visual effects Wright created was invaluable. Students were impressed with how modern and forward thinking Manitoga is despite its having been designed several decades ago.
And, there was a quantitative payoff. This spring we gave a test on interior design and housing. Not surprisingly, experience really does facilitate remembering. The test questions on Russel Wright were among the few that EVERYONE got correct.
Contact me. E-mail Linda Richards.
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