A First Flight Centennial Commission endorsed project
Project Director: June Guralnick
"Success…four flights
Thursday morning…average speed through air thirty one miles…inform press…"
(Orville Wright telegram to his father, Dec. 17, 1903)
"We are such stuff as dreams are made of…" Shakespeare
Tanglewood Elementary students create Dreams-of-Flight books!
 | PROJECT DESCRIPTION |
Since the beginning of recorded history, human beings have dreamed of flying.
This longing to defy gravity and escape the limitations of our earth-bound bodies has
transcended ethnic, geographical, and cultural boundaries. Fittingly, the realization of this ancient quest was achieved at the turn of the 20th
Century, not by a famous scientist, powerful king, or intrepid explorer, but by two
plain-spoken bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio.
Dreams-of-Flight (Parts I and II) is a community-based arts project developed in
celebration of this amazing feat, and in honor of the centennial
anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic 1903 powered flight. The project
involved over 1000 children across North Carolina and Ohio learning about,
and creating art work around, the theme of flight.
Part I: "Web of Dreams" entailed children and teachers:
Creating
poetry, stories, dramatic scenes, and visual art exploring history, ideas,
science, and personal visions of flight. Paintings
and poems were exhibited (and published) locally, and also selections were
included as part of the kick-off celebration for the North Carolina Museum of
Art international exhibition, "Defying Gravity".
Participating in both a
web-broadcast program about flight and an Electronic Field Trip to the
International Space Station, sponsored by Partners-in-Flight and the 2003-2004
TechKnow Savvy Teacher Series.
Partnering North Carolina and
Ohio classes in an arts collaboration and educational E-Forum Dialogue
discussing topics such as “how has flight changed the world in the last 100
years?”
Engaging in a
curriculum-based “Earning Your Wings” learning incentive program.
Building and flying planes
for a Design-a-Glider competition!
Designing
www.dreams-of-flight.com, a
website showcasing students’ creative efforts and providing links to various
historical and information sites pertaining to flight.
The culminating event of
the project (Part II) centered around the creation of a play for young people.
Also entitled Dreams of Flight, the work incorporates motifs
derived from Part I and is authored by June Guralnick.
Please click here to learn more about this story of metamorphosis,
flight, and hope.
| FUNDING SUPPORT |
Dreams-of-Flight gratefully acknowledges the support of the following sponsors:
|
First
Flight Centennial Commission |
Robeson County School System |
|
North
Carolina Arts Council |
Orange County Arts Commission |
|
Exploration
Station |
Asheville-Buncombe Arts Council |
|
North
Carolina Museum of Art |
Carolina Civic Center (Lumberton) |
Additional
thanks to:
| SELECTION |
Reborn
By
Rafferty
R., 5th
grade Southeast
Academy |
|
| PUBLIC & MEDIA RESPONSES |
“Your unique contribution truly helped make this the ‘Event of the Century’…. You can take pride in a job well done and in the significant historical moment of which you were an integral part.”
Kim Sawyer, First Flight Centennial Commission Program Administrator
“…thank you for the opportunity to exhibit your students’ works from the Dreams-of-Flight project during the Defying Gravity Family Festival. The display of paintings, drawings, poems, and origami butterflies were a wonderful addition to the day’s events.”
Diana S. Phillips, North Carolina Museum of Art
“We had a really good time with this program. The kids did a lot of research on the Internet to find out as much on the Wright brothers as they possibly could.”
Eustacia Lowery Jones, Robeson County public school teacher.
“My poem was about how do I get to a place with no wars and pain. You can’t walk there, but I think you can fly there…”
Jessica L., Orrum Middle School student.
| PHOTOGRAPHS |
We must imagine before we can endeavor. Dreams-of-Flight inspired children to explore their own creative spirit while learning about one of the greatest of human achievements. These seeds of thought and expression will flower, one day, into wonderful new discoveries and inventions that will better the world and enhance all our lives. Please click here to view slide show capturing some of the students’ explorations!
