Activity: Twenty-First Century Object

How might you reimagine an object for the twenty-first century? 

1. Begin by looking at a series of objects from the Fielding Collection of Early American Art.

2. Have students start with a short brainstorm about their objects to think about how they might reinvent them for the twenty-first century using the planning sheet. 

• What is this object meant to do? What makes it work this way? 
• How could you improve the way it looks or the way it works? 
• How might you focus on an emotional connection? 
• How might you focus on a particular part of the object? To make it bigger or smaller? 

 3. Students can then draw or build their new object with provided materials. 

 Materials: handouts, pencils, construction paper, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, tape, glue sticks, cardstock, yarn, crayons, markers, cotton balls