Blocks Tell a Story: Creating Narratives in Space and Time
Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 1:00–2:30 p.m.
The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building
Led by toy designer and educator Karen Hewitt of Burlington, Vermont–based Learning Materials Workshop, these two workshops and drop-in activities invite visitors to channel their inner sense of creative play to design their own stories and reinvent their urban landscapes with building blocks.
Workshops begin with a brief visual tour of the history of building blocks as a learning tool from the 1850s to the present—from Friedrich Froebel to computer Smart Blocks. Participants then create narratives using only blocks. Without the aid of figurative miniature objects, the blocks can become symbols for objects, people, and animals. Participants’ narratives will be documented and shared.
In conjunction with the exhibitions MoMA Studio: Common Senses and Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900–2000
Drop-in and workshops, open to ages 5 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Workshops are free, but tickets are required and are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Cullman Desk in the Education and Research Building as of 12:00 p.m. on the day of each program. Participation is limited to 25 people. Each workshop runs for 90 minutes.