Thanks to Ilaria Costa, Executive Director at Italian American Committee on Education, and Lisa Ackerman, Executive Director at the Columbus Citizens Foundation, for giving us this opportunity and for all of the help along the way.
This summer WHSAD students had the opportunity to design and create centerpieces displayed at the Columbus Citizens Foundation’s 80th Annual Gala last weekend. The goal was to design the centerpieces based off of landmarks in New York City associated with Italian Americans. The pieces were then auctioned off at the gala, raising money for charity. As part of the project, the students had the chance to attend the event, and were interviewed by ABC News in a segment that aired last Monday in the Columbus Day Parade. The Columbus Citizens Foundation is an organization that aims to preserve the heritage of Italian Americans, and the students worked hand in hand with them to complete the project.
To start off this several month process, the students went out with Ms. Ilaria to visit several of the sites. They learned how the Scholastic Building was painted in red white and green to express Italian pride, how the Wall Street Bull was installed illegally overnight, but is now an adored landmark, and how the Piccirilli brothers carved the lions at the New York Public Library, but receive little credit for them. Afterwards, the team settled on five landmarks: the Wall Street Bull, New York Public Library Lions, Whitney Museum, Verrazano Bridge, and the Scholastic Building.
From here the students had to figure out a concept for the centerpieces. They already knew a 3D model would represent each of the landmarks, but the models are small, so they needed to come up with an idea of how to display them. Eventually, they landed on putting the models in a clear plastic box, engraved with images and the names of each landmark, and to make them really pop in the dark of the room, they added color-changing lights to the bottom of each. However, when they built their first prototype model, they realized their design was far too small to be noticed on the large tables, and they couldn’t figure out the best way to add the lights in. They needed something battery powered, easy to replace when the batteries ran out, and could fit at the bottom of the box. Eventually, they found these round remote controlled lights that fit perfectly into the bottom of the structure, and after upscaling the size of the centerpieces, they had their final design.
This began the longest part of the process: assembling the models. Each structure had to be rendered in AutoCAD, 3D printed, and handpainted. The walls of each box had to be individually cut and engraved, and then all the pieces had to be glued together in painstakingly accurate manor. Creating fifty models in two months with two printers can be a stressful and daunting task. Nevertheless, the reward was worthwhile. “My favorite part of the project was putting the boxes together and realizing like ‘Woah, this is actually possible.,” said WHSAD Junior, Matthew Wintje.
Throughout the process, students learned not only about the history of our city, but how to work in the real world, use advanced drafting software, design a concept from scratch, and work through troubles along the way. “As Project Manager I got to indulge more into the business side of the project. I communicated with the adults in charge to understand what needed to be done” said WHSAD Senior and Project Manager, Alexa Kinlaw. Students not only had to work with their peers but also had to report to stakeholders and learn how to communicate effectively in the professional world.
On the morning of the gala, October 12th, the students came to the school bright and early to put finishing touches on their creation. After a few hours of work, they returned home to get ready for the event they’d all been waiting for. Cipriani on 42nd is an impressively spectacular venue. From the incredible food, to the beautiful architecture, the students were entranced by the new world they stepped into. After setting up the models on all the tables, they had the opportunity to network with the fellow attendees, enjoy the performances, and sip on Shirley Temples. And of course they got to see the models they worked on all summer being admired and auctioned off for charity.