Sun Tunnels Educational Backpack
Course Project for UMFA
Context
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To support family interaction with art, the Utah Museum of Fine Art designs family backpacks which can be checked out free of charge to be used inside the museum or at outdoor artworks, such as Sun Tunnels art installation in Utah's west desert. Our team was tasked with creating activities parents may guide their kids through to further their understanding of Sun Tunnels.
Details
As a team, we first brainstormed a wide variety of potential activities in topics related to the sun, astronomy, color, and art. After narrowing the list, we each chose activities to focus on individually, tested them on learners, and then combined them into a cohesive collection. My contributions are as follows.​
Color Catcher​​
To mimic the reflective concrete of Sun Tunnels at sunset, learners assemble this light box and place it in front of a colorful light source (such as a printed transparency lit by a window or flashlight, or a cell phone display) to view its separated color palette. ​
Paper Sundial
As the artist intended, viewing Sun Tunnels at different times of the day results​ in various angles of shadow and sun. To better investigate the movement of the sun, I designed an accurate sundial learners can assemble using only paper and a drinking straw.
In addition to these activities, I also contributed photography and document layout skills to this project.
Insights
Because of my background in elementary teaching and tutoring, this project felt intuitive to me. I was very pleased our team could deliver the kind of hands-on and engaging activities the client was looking for.