"We are..."

During Spring 2009, three U.S. History classes researched and prepared found art projects for the period 1970-90. The theme was "We are..." - the cultural impact on American history. Student worked in small groups to develop their projects. They collected items from their homes, museums, and neighbors to create the found art pieces. The completed projects were displayed in the school library.

Students were also required to do a self-evaluation of their projects and to give advice to next year's classes.

JP's Mom - New Blog Author

Greetings! I have invited JP's mom to join the D-period blog. She wants to view his work. As an author she will have access to all the class postings. She may also post things on this blog. Mrs. Blanchard wrote me a very nice message in which she thanked us for the sympathy cards and money for the animal shelter.

I hope that your summer is peaceful and fun. Get some rest and come back to us in August ready for senior year.

Best wishes to all,

Ms. Sanderson

Watergate Scandal

Watergate was caused by many things. Watergate picked close, loyal people for his inner circle. In their time in the administration, Nixon and his advisers slowly got the idea that they were above the law. These reasons led to the Watergate Scandal. Later, a group of people connected with Nixon attempted to burglarize the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex. As investigation continues, many member's of Nixon's staff were accused. Nixon then started to fire many of his staff. Nixon then began a very arduous task of trying to keep the taped Oval Office conversations under control. Finally, after many attempts to get the tapes, Nixon released an edited version of the tape. The house then wanted to impeach him on charges of obstruction of justice, contempt of Congress, and more. Near the end of the trails, Nixon resigned when it was too late. To represent the Watergate Scandal, my group had each side represent a different process of the Watergate Scandal. The break in side had flashlights, wires, locks, and other objects that were used to break in. Our next side related to the cover up, which included hush money, edited tapes, and other items. We had many photographs to show images in which normal everyday items would not have, such as pictures of Nixon's staff. The next side was dedicated to the fight for the tapes. This included a picture of the white house recording machine, as well as the stack of edited tapes that Nixon spent a good amount of time editing. Finally, we had our last side dedicated to the resignation of Nixon, including a printed copy of his letter of resignation as well as his farewell speech.

If I could repeat this project again, I would definitely spend more time assembling the box because the entire day was very rushed. I would advise incoming classes to make sure they know exactly what they will do the day of the assembly.

-Lawrece

Fast Food Nation

Group Members: Victor Zhu, Tiffany Chen, Jay Dubashi

For our final project, we researched the development and rise of the fast food industry in America.
We looked mostly at advertising, and their methods of giving out information about their products. We also looked at the spread of franchise locations over time. We chose to do fast food, because it is present in every American life. Advertising is everywhere, 'restaurants' are everywhere.
We used three main items:
- Timelines: We created timelines chronicling the development of three franchises, KFC, Wendy's, and McDonalds
- Slogans: We found the most used marketing slogans from the 1970's through 90's
- Maps: We created maps that show the spread of the franchise locations over 20 years.

We tried to make our project box look like a fastfood container, like the ones McDonald's uses. We organized the timelines into 'Hamburgers' The hamburgers have many sources of information on them. We included information on Menu's, food choices, advertising campaigns, and restaurant design. We discovered that fast food ads have changed from appealing to mostly adults, to trying to get children. We placed the slogans on the outside of the box, and the maps and timelines on the inside. Most of our visual aids were found on the internet, and we bought supplies.

I reccomend next years students do something they are passionate about. It will make the work much easier

- Jay Dubashi

The Watergate Scandal

For the Found Art Project, my group chose to cover the infamous Watergate scandal. We found this topic to be intriguing because it is an important part of American History in that it is the only time a president has resigned, and also because we found this topic interesting.

When we chose the specific pieces of found art for this project, we wanted the items to either be directly related to the topic(i.e. a tape recorder and tapes) or to be indirectly related to the topic via some sort of symbolism(i.e. a magnifying glass to represent investigation). In the end, we had many different pieces of found art, and in fact, more than we could fit on our boxes.

When allocating our found art pieces, we found that the majority of them could be found right in our own houses. I personally found five pieces of relevant found art just searching through my garage. When there was anything we couldn't find at our own houses, we were able to secure it at relatives' houses too. The only problem was that it was sometimes hard to find some of the more uncommon pieces of found art we needed(such as lockpicking tools).

If I could do something differently with my Found Art Project, I would have tried to find more found art earlier because our group had to rush a little bit during the last week of the project to ensure that we had an abundant supply of found art pieces.

If I could give advice to the next group of students to do the Found Art Project, I would advise them to A) pick at topic that interests them and is not too ambiguous or unknown and B) make sure the final product is visually appealing and can relate to the chosen topic.

We are trying to be a tolerant America. [Blog #4]

1- The theme of our "we are..." project was the gay rights movement of the given time period. We focused mostly on Harvey Milk and his story, along with Dan White, Anita Bryant, Mayor George Moscone, and Senator John Briggs. We also focused on three major events; the Briggs initiative, the killings of Moscone and Milk, and Milk's election.
2- The items we chose mostly represented the feelings of the pro-gay community. They included slogans such as "Keep Hope Alive". These items give off an impression of what the urgency of the matter was in the time.
3- To obtain the items, we went up to San Francisco in the Haight and Ashbury and going to Castro Street areas. The support in those areas was overwhelming and helped us succeed the project in a much better fashion.
4- If I could do anything differently, I would have wanted to spend more time in San Francisco getting the objects. If we had spent more time there, we could have maybe been able to find a bigger spectrum of objects.
5- As advice to other classes doing this project, I would tell them to really enjoy what they are doing and to delve into the subject as much as possible and immerse themselves into it. If they focus well on the project with a clear theme and calendar, it would be very fast project to complete.

Emily B.

Found Art Project: AIDS

For the found art project my group decided to do AIDS and AIDS awareness as our theme.  We wanted to show the fight against discrimination and awareness for the disease.  To demonstrate this theme we used different medical paraphernalia like condoms and pill boxes to show ways of prevention and to illustrate the treatment given to AIDS patients.  We also obtained a couple of movies which had a central theme of AIDS to show public education and information shown to the public to increase awareness.  To obtain these items we asked our parents for any suggestions or ideas on items.  Also, we looked around our house searching for different movies and items that would demonstrate the struggle of AIDS patients.  I would probably plan out the box layout better so I wouldn't be so stressed out the day of assembling the box.  Some advice I would give for next years history class is to make sure you have an abundance of items before committing to a theme.  If you don't have enough items it will cause a lot more unnecessary stress.

-Katie

Watergate Scandal

My project is Watergate: Burglary, Scandal, and LIES!!! Our project is about the Watergate scandal and the people who are involved.
We had a lot of pictures and quotes of the event, a wrench (which is a plumbing tool), a phone, and a cassette tape. The plumbing tool represents the plumbers, which is the name of the burglars. The phone represents Deep Throat, which is an informer who released information to the press. Finally, the cassette tape represents all the incriminating records of the event.
The objects are common household items, except for the fact that they are old. They were found with other stuff that we don’t use anymore.
If I were to do this again, I would’ve done another topic. Watergate doesn’t cover a long period of time. I would rather do something that’s like the evolution of some technology over time.
My advice for people who will do this next year is that they should start early. Also, they should decide on a topic that’s interesting to them.

Bonan

Found Art Project - Watergate

Our group's project focused on the Watergate scandal and those involved. Some of the more famous people included President Nixon, Woodward and Bernstein, John Dean, the "plumbers", and Deep Throat.

Our items included a telephone, wrench, cassette tape, pictures, and quotes. The telephone is used to represent the conversations between Deep Throat (the informant) and Woodward (Washington Post). The phone can also be used for the phone calls done by the president with his staff. The wrench signifies the "plumbers" who broke into the Watergate complex to plant listening devices for spying on the Democratic party. The cassette tape represents the recorded conversations Nixon had in the Oval Office that revealed his part in the scandal, and his vigorous effort to keep them away from the public. Pieces of tape are cut off and strewn over the box we used to show the parts of the tape that were edited out, most likely by President Nixon. The pictures and quotes show people who had a major impact on the scandal or who made lasting remarks about Nixon's actions.

The telephone we used came from my own house (one we weren't using anymore). The wrench also came from my house, while the tape came from Bonan. The pieces of tape placed over the box came from a tape I brought. Both Bonan and I brought pictures, quotes, and articles related to Watergate.

If I were to do this project again, I would have tried to get more color or actual items to put on the box.

Advice I would give to next year's class is to not slack off and choose a topic interesting to that group.

-Andrew Hwang

Blog #4: Found Art project

The project assigned was to make a "podium" with objects and writing explaining your theme. Our theme was Gay Rights in the 1970's. We included information and pictures of Harvey Milk, Moscone, and the people that were against it like Anita Bryan and Dan White. We picked items like stickers, rainbows, peace signs, and hearts. Basically the 70's was freedom and hippies, so it seemed appropriate to put happy thoughts on to it. The stickers say things like "Keep your laws off my body" and "Keep hope alive". We also included a patch with the Gay flag on it. There are also lots of quotes that explain the situation in the 70's.

We figured the best place to get the items we wanted was to go to Haight Street and Castro Street in San Francisco. Castro street was a historical place for gay supporters. Now a days they sell great items for what we needed. 

I think we did a good job, but if I hate to do something different I would have spent more time in Castro! Also to have painted the box because there are some areas that show the cardboard. But asside from that, everything is just the way we wanted it to be.

The advice that I would give is follow all the milestones for the total credit. Do things early so you're not left with lots of things to do in little time. Also, make sure that the whole group works together and its not every man for himself or only one person working. 

Found Art Project

I did my found art project on the evolution of women's rights. I wanted to show how women have gained more rights in the United States from the 1970's to the 1990's.

My group decided to use real artifacts to make the viewer feel like they were in that time period and facing the same struggles of women in the 1970's-1990's. We used a lot of quotations to show how women felt and pictures of women who were influential to the women's rights movement. One item we used was a point shoe to show that women were given the right to play sports because of Title IX. We also used covers of CD's and movies to show that women gained their rights to be a part of the entertainment industry.

We got our items by equally assigning the items we wanted to use to every member of our group. We used household items and quotations and pictures from the internet.

If I were to do this project again, I would have brought more three-dimensional items to make our project more interesting. Other than that, I would not have done anything else differently.

To next year's class, I would reccomend that they start in advance and make sure that everyone is on the same page about the project. I would also reccommend that the group meetings held outside of class included everyone in the group so that the work can get done faster. I really enjoyed this project, and I think it is a good substitute for a final exam.

We are... Aware of Aids

For our Found Art project, my group chose the topic of Aids. We chose this topic because it is an extremely important issue- worldwide, and we wanted to learn a little bit more about it. In America alone, Aids has taken the lives of tens of thousands of people. Our items varied from medical equipment to movies, to informational posters. The medical equipment was used to represent how Aids has become a huge health issue here in America. We used a pill box, a stethoscope, and gloves. One of our informational posters was a poster from the era that targets women telling them not to sleep with a man who shoots up. The poster provides information about how he can give you and your baby aids. We also put red ribbons on our box because the red ribbon, similar to the pink ribbon for breast cancer, is a symbol for the fight against aids. To obtain our items, we looked around the house and used the internet for information and pictures. We also asked our parents for items and information. I think our group did the best we could so I would not do anything differently. We did all our work on time and we found some really great items. Also, I am very happy with how our project turned out. The advice i would give to next years students would be to pick a topic that interests you, and that you know you can find a lot of items and information for. If you pick a topic that bores you, the project wont be very much fun.

By Jennah

Blog #4: Final Project

1]The theme my group and I did for our "We are..." final project was the Gay Rights movement, mostly in the 1970's. We mostly focused on San Francisco, which is still known today for it's overwhelming history of gay pride and support.

2]For our found items that we used on our projects, we had pictures of riots, significant people, rainbow flags and peace signs, support bracelets, and other items that signified the unity of the gay America. We picked three bumper stickers the read, "Keep hope alive", "Keep Your Laws off my Body", and "Equality." These were all part of the small culture that San Franciscans in these areas live with and understand.

3]We obtained these items by going up to Haight and Ashbury, and Castro street in San Francisco. We also found items in each of our three houses that we could use to display the meaning of our project. The three of us took a Saturday to go up to the city and find our "found art." We went into all the small stores and found items that represented gay rights.

4] If i had to do something differently, i probably would have spent more time on Castro street. We didn't have time to stay for a long time, so if i had stayed i possibly could have found some more found art items. Overall though, i think the project went really well, and there isn't anything else i would change.

5] My advice to next years class is to definetly think of ideas and artistic ways to represent your theme, before the day it's time to put it together. The outline is important, and actually put effort into it. Also, follow theschedule, you don't want to miss little points just by forgetting a really small milestone.


Zoe Rose

Technology

We chose technology during 1970-1990. We made this decision because technology is major part of the lives of all Americans. Americans use various forms of it, and each decade it improves exponentially. As we approach the present time, technology is increasingly important to society.
For items, we chose different sorts of technology. We had toy cars to represent the vehicular advances in that time. We have pictures of the first computers and other influential devices to show the beginning of the computer age. We have some gameboy games, because although originally made in japan, video games heavy influenced the American market. We added an Indiana Jones Movie Box to show effects used in movies. To decorate the box, we covering some of the boxes with aluminum foil to make it look like metal and put many floppy disks on the top to show one of the leading forms of media storage. We added many light bulbs to our project to represent the ideas that created all technology.
We acquired many of our objects in our history class magnanimously from Ms. Sanderson. The rest we got from our old homes from old technology we had laying around the house. I brought the gameboy games and several other objects. I feel we achieved the perfect amount of items.
If I could, I would plan ahead and get objects earlier. While we got what we needed on time, it was stressful in the last leg of the project. On the assembling day we only had one box and we had to scavenge for the last two. Planning ahead would give us more time to perfect our project.
For next year's class, I suggest they enjoy it and have fun with it. Chose a theme that interests you and do your best. Never give up and don't do a difficult theme.

Found Art Project: Technology

1) Our theme was the advancement of technology from 1970-1990. This included advancements in automobiles, computers, the internet, and multimedia. We looked at various inventions created through this era and studied how they affected American society and science.  We tried to show how such inventions status's changed over time and how they affected the American life.

2) We chose our items to complement the different sources of technology: automobiles, computers, multimedia, and the internet. We chose VHS tapes, floppy disks, certain quotes, and toy cars to convey the image of such advancements. The VHS tapes showed advancements in multimedia as the American people quickly made it a popular and crucial part of their lives. The floppy disks showed advancements in computers as they allowed for a convenient way to transfer data between computers. The toy cars represented advancements of the automobiles, which were became seen in every house because of the freedom and enjoyment that it gave to the American people.

3) We obtained some of these items through our benevolent teacher, Ms. Sanderson. She provided these items by passing around a box throughout class. We also found art from our homes, parents, and other sources. 

4) If I could do this project again, I would give more focus on how our items affected the American Society. I would also add more variety in my box items. I would also do the outlines and other turned in paperwork with excellent quality the first time so I would not need to resubmit work.

5) To next year's class, I would advise them to gather found art early and map out exactly what the project would look like. I would also advise to bring more construction supplies for the box so that you would be able to finish on time.

-Zack 

Technology

Theme: Technology
Group: Jonathan Anker, Erik Contreras, Zack Wu, and Michael B. Chun

Our theme is the development and influence of technological advancements in America during the 1970’s and 1980’s. We explored the various inventions created throughout this time period and how they affected American society and science. We tried to convey the growing and ever-changing status of American technology and how it affected American lives.

The items we collected came from various sources of technology; multimedia, computers, Internet, and automobiles. For example, we have on our box VHS tapes, floppy disks, and even toy cars to represent all aspects of our theme. The VHS tape comes from the media aspect; they became a major part of the American lifestyle, and were the most quickly adopted piece of technology in history. The floppy disks revolutionized computers, as they provided new, convenient ways to transfer data through removable data storage devices. The toy cars are used to represent the automobiles of the 1970’s; during this time period, many new models were released and pushed forward the development of mainstream vehicles.

Our main source of our archaic items was our charitable teacher, Ms. Sanderson. She periodically passed around a box throughout the class with various items from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and we picked out the relevant items for our theme. We also found supplies from home; our parents and grandparents still had some devices from that time period, and we were able to “borrow” them for this project. Most of our items were easy to find, but we struggled mainly with thinking of items to represent automobiles. In the end though, we collected enough.

If I could do one thing differently on this project, I would prepare our resources and documents earlier for proofreading. I would especially double-check our outline and refocus more on American influence on the first time around, and not have to redo it.

To next year’s class, I would suggest bringing your own supplies to the assembly day and to not procrastinate in general. I found that many people were fighting over tape and scissors on assembly day, and having your own supplies would relieve a lot of the stress. Also I noticed that some groups only found their found art the day or two before. There is ample time to find items, so use it! You only need a minimum of 10 items and there are two whole weeks, so finding items gradually is a lot easier and a lot less stressful.
~M.B.C.

We are... Connected Through Music

The theme for my Found Art project was music of the the 1970's-1990's. We choose this as our theme to show how music was influenced during that time period by what was going on throughout the country. We chose items that we felt represented our theme and showed how meaningful music can be, like quotes from popular artists and lyrics from some of the most influential songs. We also included old record covers, CD albums, and newspaper articles to represent how well known these artists were and the pictures associated with their influences. Obtaining our articles was probably the hardest part of this project, but we managed to get them through the internet and searching through our houses and our parents old music collections. If I were to re-do this project I probably would try to find more items that represent our bands besides just albums and quotes, but things like posters and T-shirts that were popular during that time period. For next years class doing this project my advice would be to start looking for items early on so you'll be more likely to have some great/rare finds.

-Mina

Technology

When completing this project depicting the advancements of technology in the United States from 1970-1990 we compiled a large amount of items to visually show these advancements on our final project. In this project, we used a ubiquitous amount of model cars to show the advancements of technology in the automotive industry. We also, used old computer parts including wiring, floppies and light bulbs to symbolizes the rise of computers and the silicon valley. Other objects, such as VHS tapes and cell phones complete the technology spectrum of 1970-1990.

Our primary means on aquiring this found art was finding these objects in the confines of our homes. The other way we got our found-art was from the generous donations we received in class such as the VHS tape and floppy discs.

If I would have done this project again, I would come more prepared with our found art items and quotes. Although we did finish the project on time, it was quite stressful when assembling it. Other than that, our group preformed very well when completing this project.

Advice I would give next years class is to plan ahead on their project and know where to look when finding found-art. It saves a lot of time when you know where to look. When working on this project, one should think of it as a scavenger hunt when finding found art and enjoy this project.

-ERIK CONTRERAS