“How does art make you feel?”
That question sparked a creative journey for fourth and fifth graders in Punahou Summer Programs’ Art Masters Remix class as students explored self-expression through reflective writing, design and origami.
Art Masters Remix is one of many hands-on enrichment classes offered through the Punahou Summer Programs. Throughout the course, the students draw inspiration from Takashi Murakami, Katsushika Hokusai, Wayne Thiebaud, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo and Henri Matisse while experimenting with painting, drawing, printmaking, collage and ceramics.
Students began by brainstorming words in their sketchbooks, generating responses such as proud, expressive, passion, mindful and imaginative. They then selected a word that resonated with them and considered how its meaning could be brought to life visually.
A student who chose “joy,” for example, might have drawn bouncy letters that danced across the page and added a smiley face to the letter “o”. The goal was to think beyond the definition of a word and explore how color, line and design could communicate an idea or feeling.
Working on a folded square of paper, students created designs within a single quadrant before using a window as a light source to trace and mirror their artwork into the adjoining sections. As the designs expanded across the page, symmetrical patterns emerged, transforming a single word into a kaleidoscope or mandala-like composition.
As layers of color were added, the mirrored designs came to life. The finished compositions revealed intricate patterns and unexpected symmetries, turning a single word into a colorful visual expression of each student’s ideas and personality.
Students also learned about Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl who developed leukemia after being exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima atomic bombing. While hospitalized, she folded paper cranes inspired by the Japanese belief that folding 1,000 cranes could grant a wish. Today, her story continues to inspire people around the world and has given special meaning to the tradition of folding paper cranes.
As the final step of the project, students folded their completed designs into origami cranes. The transformation brought together each stage of the lesson – from brainstorming a meaningful word to creating a colorful symmetrical design – while connecting students to a symbol of hope, resilience and human connection. What began as a simple idea evolved into a personal work of art that reflected each student’s imagination, creativity and perspective.
