Projects:
Info:
Rooted in curiosity, care and attentiveness to diverse histories and voices, the collective offers open-ended impulses that anyone can adapt, question or extend across a growing constellation of educational hubs.
© 2025 Emerging Space Collective (CC BY‑NC 4.0)
Each entry provides an A5 print-and-cut card (more on the way) and a concise note that outlines its capacity to foster critical making, place-based imagination, and more-than-human sensibilities, as well as the risks it may pose if used without care.
Every assignment is context-responsive: feel free to adapt, remix, or invert it to match your own artistic language, cultural grounding, and ecological realities. Authors and influences are fully credited and linked so the exchange of knowledge remains transparent.
Step inside, listen to both human and non-human collaborators, and let these wicked arts assignments evolve through the hands that rework them.
Disclaimer: the printable reflection-card templates are still in development.
Visually map past, present, and future safety to deepen collective understanding.
-
Rapid Drawing (10 min):
On three small sheets, sketch without overthinking—let your hand follow your sense of safety.
-
Past: a symbol or scene that made you feel secure as a child.
-
Present: what you need in this seminar to feel at ease.
-
Future: how you hope to create a safe space for your future learners.
-
Past: a symbol or scene that made you feel secure as a child.
-
Gallery Set‑Up (3 min):
Move into the corridor. A long table (or floor line) is divided into three sections—Past, Present, Future. Place each sketch in its matching zone.
-
Silent Walk‑Through (5 min):
Stroll along the table, noticing patterns, contrasts, and unique stories. No commentary yet—just observe and breathe.
-
Voluntary Sharing (7 min):
Anyone who wishes may stand by one of their sketches and briefly explain the feeling or idea behind it. Listening is active and non‑judgmental; passing is always okay.
Cultural, Contextual & Polyvagal Sensitivity:
Safety cues vary across cultures, identities, and nervous‑system states. Invite multiple modes of expression (images, words, colors), honour boundaries around what is shared, and recognise that stories of security and vulnerability are deeply personal. Focus on mutual respect and collective learning rather than comparison or evaluation.
Assignment: Future Self Dispatch
Envision a message from 2035 to your present self—selecting strengths and competencies as gifts for your journey ahead.
-
Card Selection (3 min):
Browse the deck on the table and choose two cards. Imagine it’s the year 2035, and these cards represent the skills or qualities you’d send back as resources to your current self.
-
First Exchange (5 min):
Pair up. Share which cards you picked and why. Discuss: “Which competencies would best equip me for upcoming challenges?”
-
Second Exchange (if time, 5 min):
Find a new partner and repeat the exchange—encouraging fresh perspectives and deeper reflection.
Cultural, Intersectional & Polyvagal Sensitivity:
Competencies are shaped by cultural values and lived experiences. Honour diverse strengths by inviting multiple interpretations of each card. Recognise that nervous-system states influence readiness to imagine the future—offer quiet pauses, grounding gestures, or soft-focus options for those needing extra regulation. Prioritise voluntary sharing, respect personal comfort with vulnerability, and centre mutual support over comparison.
Assignment: Collaborative Sketchnote Ensemble
A three-stage design reflection that surfaces diverse visions of ideal visual-arts instruction—honouring multiple ways of knowing and valuing every voice.
-
Solo Sketchnote (5 min):
On A4 paper, create a sketchnote visualizing your vision of an ideal lesson. Combine keywords, icons, and simple diagrams to convey your core criteria. Use any pens or markers available.
-
Speed-Talk Tandem (4 min total):
Pair up. Each person has 2 minutes to present their sketchnote and explain one key insight or priority. Listen actively without interrupting, honouring each presenter’s unique perspective.
-
Group Collage (15 min):
Form groups of three. Lay your three sketchnotes side by side and weave them into a single collage that integrates all your shared “quality criteria” for strong art/design teaching. Include printed portraits from Step 2 in the corners to acknowledge each voice.
-
Gallery Share (15 min):
Each triad presents its collage for 5 minutes, highlighting how the combined insights offer a richer, more inclusive blueprint for creative learning environments.
Cultural & Contextual Sensitivity:
Recognize that visual symbols and teaching ideals are shaped by cultural backgrounds and identities. Encourage freedom of expression; word, image, or color—and ensure every participant’s interpretation is valued. By weaving individual sketchnotes into a collective tapestry, we model an intersectional, decolonized approach to co-designing art education.
Assignment: Campus Conversation Intervention
Overview:
A field exercise for educator–students to engage their community in meaningful dialogue on a chosen educational topic.
-
Clarify Your Purpose (5 min):
Decide why you want to speak with strangers—what teaching or learning question drives your inquiry? Draft a clear research objective and a thematic focus.
-
Prepare Your Prompts (5 min):
Write 3–5 open-ended questions that invite reflection (e.g., “How do you feel when learning takes place outside the classroom?”).
-
Design the Intervention (10 min):
Choose a respectful attention-getter—table display, topic cards, simple sign, or wearable cue—so passersby know you’re welcome to chat. Ensure your setup feels inviting rather than intrusive.
-
Engage & Gather (15 min):
Position yourself in a well-trafficked campus spot. Invite people to share their thoughts, listening actively and without judgment. Record quotes or quick notes on index cards.
-
Integrate Stories (5 min):
On a portable board or digital canvas, pin or list each new insight as it arrives, visibly growing your collective narrative in real time.
-
Debrief & Reflect (10 min):
Back in your seminar space, review collected stories. Discuss patterns, surprises, and questions that emerged. Consider how these real-world voices can inform your future teaching designs.
Cultural & Contextual Sensitivity:
Community members bring varied cultural backgrounds and communication norms. Invite consent before conversation, honour diverse ways of expressing knowledge, and ensure your intervention feels safe and inclusive. Focus on listening and co-creating understanding rather than extracting data.
Inspired by Emiel Heijnen and Melissa Bremmer
Assignment: Memoir in Micro Sketches
Overview:
Future educators condense their entire school journey into twenty three-word “chapters” and translate each into a concise visual icon, building a personal iconography of learning.
-
Three-Word Chapters (15 min):
Reflect on your schooling from first grade to now. Write twenty sentences of exactly three words each that capture pivotal moments, feelings, or lessons (e.g., “Lost voice, found confidence”).
-
Iconic Translation (30 min):
For each three-word chapter, sketch one simple drawing, abstract or representational, that conveys its essence. Experiment with line, shape, and symbol to honour your unique experience.
-
Display Assembly (10 min):
Arrange your twenty sketches in a chosen format (grid, arc, or accordion fold) on a board or large sheet, leaving space for notes.
-
Small-Group Dialogue (20 min):
In trios, present your micro-memoir display. Peers offer descriptive feedback, what imagery resonates, what cultural or emotional nuances emerge—and pose questions to deepen understanding.
-
Collective Reflection (10 min):
Reconvene, noting shared themes and surprising divergences. Discuss how these personal iconographies might inform empathetic, culturally responsive teaching design.
Cultural & Contextual Sensitivity:
School experiences are shaped by culture, identity, and access. Use imagery and words that feel authentic and honour your background. Respect each person’s pacing and comfort with self-disclosure, and value all visual languages as valid expressions of learning journeys.
Inspired by Emiel Heijnen and Melissa Bremmer
Assignment: Future Teaching Manifesto Spread
Overview:
Students create a two-page spread for a collective “Future Teaching Manifesto,” blending abstract graphics with clear content or emotion-driven visuals to articulate their visions for tomorrow’s learning environments and methods.
-
Concept & Research (10 min):
Reflect on emerging educational needs—accessibility, cultural relevance, ecological stewardship—and gather keywords or phrases that capture your manifesto’s core messages.
-
Layout Sketch (10 min):
On two adjacent sheets, roughly map where text, visuals, and white space will live. Decide if you’ll foreground abstract shapes, typography, color fields, or emotional imagery.
-
Graphic Development (20 min):
Using markers, collage materials, or digital tools, render bold, non-literal forms that evoke your teaching ideals—fluid pathways, network motifs, or cyclical symbols. Ensure visual flow across the gutter.
-
Content Integration (15 min):
Layer concise statements, inspiring questions, or poetic lines that ground your spread in meaning. Position words to complement, not overwhelm, your graphics.
-
Peer Review & Polish (10 min):
Swap spreads with a classmate. Offer feedback on clarity, inclusivity of tone, and cultural resonance. Refine color balance, legibility, or visual metaphors as needed.
Cultural & Contextual Sensitivity:
Honour varied visual traditions and languages by inviting diverse motifs and typefaces. Choose recyclable materials for physical drafts and ensure your manifesto is accessible—legible fonts, high-contrast palettes, and multilingual captions where relevant. Embrace respectful co-creation: your spread speaks not just for you, but with all learners in mind.
Assignment: Temporal Teacher Self-Dialogue
Overview:
This reflective exercise guides future educators through three stages of their teaching identity, childhood aspirations, early-career hopes, and seasoned expertise, by “interviewing” yourself across time.
-
Phase 1 – Meet Your Inner Child (10 min):
Imagine yourself at age 8, dreaming of becoming a teacher. Choose 5 prompts from Set 1 (below) that feel most resonant, and “ask” your child-self those questions in writing or sketching. Briefly note your imagined responses.
-
Phase 2 – Early-Career Reflection (10 min):
Now picture yourself at the start of your teaching journey. Select another 5 prompts from Set 1 and explore how your motivations, challenges, and values have evolved since childhood.
-
Phase 3 – Expert Perspective (10 min):
Envision your wise, future self at least 20 years into teaching. Again choose 5 prompts from Set 1 and record what your expert-self would advise your younger stages.
-
Across-Time Insights (10 min):
Finally, use Set 2 (questions A–E) to elicit cross-stage wisdom, e.g., “Which early-career fears did I outgrow?” or “What core teaching passion remains unchanged?” Pose 3 lettered prompts and jot the collective insights.
Set 1 (select any 5):
- What first made you love learning?
- How did you imagine your classroom as a child?
- Which challenge at the start felt most daunting?
- What early success gave you confidence?
- Which student need did you yearn to meet?
- How have your teaching values shifted over time?
Set 2 (choose any 3):
- Which childhood hope still guides me?
- What blind spots did early-career me overlook?
- Which expert habit most strengthens student trust?
- Where should I focus more/less to honour diverse learners?
- If I could whisper one teaching truth across time, what would it be?
Feel free to mix and match or add your own lettered prompts to tailor the exercise to your context.
Assignment: Collective Creative Assembly
In this collaborative art project, each team member crafts foundational elements from sustainable or recycled materials—then exchanges them so everyone builds a personally meaningful creative work using peers’ fragments. The goal is to deepen trust, social competencies, and co-creative confidence.
1. Element Creation (15 min):
- Each participant selects consumable or recyclable scraps (cardboard off-cuts, fabric remnants, bottle caps, paper pieces).
- Without consulting others, they transform these into 2–3 small “creative fragments” (folded shapes, textured swatches, collaged bits) that reflect something of their teaching identity or cultural perspective.
2. Anonymous Exchange (2 min):
- Fragments are placed—face down—in a shared basket.
- Each person draws 3–4 random fragments, preserving surprise and equity.
3. Personal Assembly (15 min):
- Using only the drawn fragments (plus minimal connectors: tape or string), each educator assembles a two-dimensional or small 3D composition that feels meaningful to them.
- Focus on how others’ contributions inspire new narratives and teaching metaphors.
4. Gallery Walk & Story Share (10 min):
- Display all assemblies. In a silent gallery, notice patterns of form, texture, and color.
- Then, in a circle, each creator names one inspiration they drew from peers’ fragments and how it might inform their classroom design.
5. Team Reflection (8 min):
- Discuss: How did working with unfamiliar materials build trust and agility? What communication strategies surfaced as you negotiated visible narratives? How can this dynamic inform collaborative lesson planning?
Cultural & Contextual Sensitivity:
Invite use of regenerative, locally sourced or fully recyclable materials. Honour varied crafting traditions—offer alternatives for different physical abilities and aesthetic preferences. This decolonial, intersectional approach models how diverse voices and resources can converge into richer, more respectful learning designs.
Inspired by Kirsten Busse
Assignment: DIY Zine Creation
Overview:
In this self-directed project, you will design a mini-magazine (“zine”) on any theme that inspires you; experiment freely with visuals, text, and layout to express your unique ideas and perspectives.
Materials & Tools:
Use any available resources; paper, collage scraps, digital templates, drawing tools, printed worksheets, or recycled materials. Feel free to adapt prompts from provided worksheets or invent your own.
Child-Friendly Adaptation (Cycle 1 Focus):
As you design, consider how your content and aesthetics could be transformed for young learners (ages 4–8). Note which themes, images, or interactive elements might spark children’s curiosity and support their emerging visual literacy.
Additional Prompt:
Create your zine at an adult level, then sketch one or two sample spreads showing how you’d simplify or reframe the content, through color, symbols, or storytelling, for a Cycle 1 classroom.
Reflection:
After completing your zine, write brief notes answering:
-
Which sections can be directly shared with young children?
-
Where would you need to adjust language, imagery, or activities for accessibility and age-appropriateness?
Cultural & Contextual Sensitivity:
Embrace local and regenerative materials; whether handcrafted papers, digital tools, or found objects. Honour diverse voices by inviting multilingual captions or community stories into your zine. Design with respect for differing abilities, backgrounds, and learning styles, ensuring your creation can be an inclusive, decolonized bridge between adult insight and child-centered exploration.
A portable record player in public spaces to spark “warm data” exchanges.
1. Setup (Duration 30–45 minutes):
Place a portable vinyl player on a bench, table or blanket in a park or plaza. Select one record that carries historical or political resonance, for example Manuel González López’s “El Guerita”.
2. Play & Observe:
Start the music at a comfortable volume. Notice passersby: their pace, expressions and proximity. Allow the record’s crackle and melody to invite curiosity.
3. Engage & Prompt:
If someone approaches, greet them and offer one of these discussion starters:
- What memories or emotions does this song awaken for you?
- How might the record’s age and medium speak to our relationship with history?
- In what ways can music serve as a form of political storytelling or protest?
- How do public soundscapes shape community and belonging?
4. Self-Reflection:
If no one engages, journal on these questions:
- What thoughts or feelings arose as I played music in this public space?
- Did I feel visible, vulnerable or empowered—and why?
- How did the choice of song influence my willingness to connect?
- What might I try differently next time to invite dialogue or deepen impact?
5. Closing Integration:
Pack up and review your notes. Choose one insight to share in your next class or workshop. Reflect on how portable music can activate hidden narratives and relational accountability.
Sensitivity Note:
Be mindful of consent and noise ordinances. Honor the cultural origins of your music selection and remain open to diverse responses.
Inspired by Áurea Domínguez