Elon students enrolled in a unique Winter Term course spent their January weaving words with artwork, producing a quilt they hope will inspire a generation of young students to learn the joy of reading.
Art 277, “Story Magic: When Word Ignite Images,” gave students the chance to learn what it takes to produce two things from scratch: an interesting story and a sturdy quilt. The finished product is a 3’x12′ quilt depicting a story titled “Alphabet Allergy.” The class gave the quilt to the Hemphill Branch Library in Greensboro in March for permanent display. The library, which opened in November, is located at the corner of West Vandalia St. and Osborne St. in Greensboro.
In the collaborative class, students worked individually and on teams to produce different parts of the quilt. “Alphabet Allergy” tells the story of Reid, a little boy who has trouble reading because he hasn’t yet learned the joy of reading. He develops an allergy to the alphabet which causes his hair to grow “W’s” and his face to break out in letters, until Nurse Paige shows him all there is to learn through reading.
Adjunct art instructor Peg Gignoux taught the class, along with visiting artist and writer Susie Wilde.
“One of the delights of this class has been working with this level of students,” says Wilde, whose participation in the class was made possible through a James H. McEwen visual arts grant. “They’re devoted, hard-working and they have taken a lot of responsibility for this project.”
Ironically, most students in the class had little or no previous experience with quilt making.
“I had never done any quilting before,” said Emily Dillard, a sophomore from Winston-Salem, N.C. “We just jumped in and started, some of us doing fonts, dyeing the background of the quilt, making letters. I learned a lot about teamwork, as well as writing children’s literature and developing the writing process.”
Dillard says she is particularly excited that the quilt is on display at the Hemphill library.
“I think it’s so important, because who would see it if it just stayed in this classroom?” said Dilllard. “I hope it will inspire children who might be having trouble with reading.”