Hello, there! 
Did you attend our Patterns in the Park with Beautiful Symmetry workshop on August 12th? We’d LOVE to see your nature-inspired creations here! 
Also, if you weren’t able to attend the workshop, you can see the slides we used here!
1 Like
Here’s my digital creation from today! The whirligig beetle in action! 
3 Likes
I made a peanut pattern out of my lunch, then just spun it around in GIMP. Thank you all for a fun workshop!
4 Likes
This came out beautiful! It looks like a cloth pattern.
1 Like
This is gorgeous, Zeb! Love the colors 
This was what we had set up for our symmetry in the park day and it went pretty well.
Lessons learned
- Try to print everything before you put them on the table. The pine cones were so underwhelming.
- Stamp pads are messy and color contamination is a thing… can you clean them?
- For the littles we just let them make prints we let them play and tried to explain symmetry as best we could. For the bigs I gave them challenges and tasks to create symmetry (of course I didn’t get a picture of that part of the display)
- HAVE WIPES HANDY!! Both for you, your patrons, and general ink messes (see the stamp pads are messy … 'cause I still have stamp ink on my fingers)
Overall we had about 200 (or more) people visit and I feel it was a successful program.
3 Likes
Seeing this setup is so helpful! I have a ton of ink pads from a few years ago, and sketchpads. And I just had a conversation about bringing an [undefined] activity into an underused space in my building. This would be a really fun one where people could get a little messy and creative and then be on their way.
1 Like
@Chris_Dorman This part is not clear to me though, when you say “try to print everything” you just mean get a test print to see if it’s interesting enough?
2 Likes
Yes. I thought the pine cones would look soo much cooler than they actually did after printing. So I would suggest test printing with your items BEFORE the event rather than at the event itself. It was a lot of fun and the students were using the materials in ways I NEVER would have thought of.
3 Likes
Hello! I learned a few years ago during a printmaking class (for working with children), that an alternative to stamp pads is to take the lid of a container and insert a piece of felt cut to fit. Then add liquid watercolor or thinned paint to the felt just until it is coated. When the colors are contaminated, you just replace the piece of felt and add more paint. The one thing I learned when using this with a program is that you need to control the paint. Nannies and Grannies like to add too much paint onto the pads.
5 Likes
@hardingn Genius!!!
LOL nannies and grannies
Just starting my Beautiful Symmetry Remix for February Black History Month. I am going to focus on African American quilts. I will put together a lesson, book list, and simple take-home materials. I will post soon. Using this sample of Underground Railroad patterns as a starting point.
4 Likes
Hi there! Was wondering if you posted your completed BHM Symmetry Remix. I love your starting point idea. Am curious to see your take-home materials!
1 Like
#activities:beautiful-symmetry
Hi @EYV_RIOS , Here are some photos of the project. I left that branch not too long afterward, and I don’t know if I have photos of more completed projects. But here is what I have.
I cut up a bunch of black construction paper squares. I chose black because it can sometimes look more dramatic to have things on a black background and it didn’t disappoint. We used all scrap paper materials, and someone donated a bunch of cloth materials which we trimmed into smaller pieces. We put everything in little folder pouches, including glue sticks if needed. Instructions were included because it ended up as more of a passive activity throughout the month. We put up a piece of butcher paper backing and added all the quilt squares as they came in. I left before they finished, but it was getting pretty full.
I had put out some Faith Ringgold books and images of her quilts as well, although they’re not so geometric. Ringgold’s work is a part of the quilting tradition as well.
Here are jpegs of the instructions (sorry the file conversion messed up the formatting a bit):
Here is a link to a Smithsonian Learning Lab collection of Gee’s Bend Quilt examples: Search | Everything | Smithsonian Learning Lab
These are good examples of quilts with geometric patterns: Collections :: Gee's Quilts | Smithsonian Learning Lab
This is a very nice slideshow with accompanying text about the quilts from the National Endowment of the Arts: The Quilts of Gee's Bend: A Slideshow
And here are a few pics, the samples were made by me and some of the library staff:
2 Likes
@JacquiV Thank you for sharing the pictures and resource links. I imagine the completed quilt looked amazing. I look forward to trying this. Thanks again!
1 Like
