CASE Partners with Nashville Public Library for Creative Learning

The level of concentration tangible art projects can elicit from middle schoolers is unparalleled. Students remained fully engaged in their tasks without a single complaint or request for breaks.

Who’s your perfect couple? Is it Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce? I’ll tell you who it is for me: The Nashville Public Library and CASE afterschool program. NPL is starting off this year strong by facilitating an art project that ‘Pays it Forward’ at various public schools around Nashville. This project requires students to use recycled resources to bring a random prompt card to life. At the heart of this activity is the lesson that limitations do not have to squash creativity, in fact, creativity often thrives within defined parameters.

Students created their respective artistic pieces that answered prompts such as, “make a vehicle, create a machine, and build your favorite food.” Their creativity surged and brought life to random objects like discarded 3D printing pieces , feathers, and fabric scraps. The “Pay it Forward” aspect comes in when students document their final masterpiece. Students take a picture of their 2D collage, which the NPL staff will later turn into a wearable pin for students at future school visits. This cycle of “Paying it Forward” gives each student a unique piece of art, created out of similar materials, limitations, and answering similar prompts.

These two students had so much to say about their projects. They far exceeded the expectations of their prompt by sharing complete narratives associated with their 2D collage.

My students at DuPont Hadley Middle wholeheartedly embraced this activity and loved hearing about the opportunities the Nashville Public Library has to offer. The room buzzed with excitement each time a student discovered how to incorporate another oddball object or found a listening ear to hear the story behind their picture. Initiatives like this foster a sense of enthusiasm for problem-solving, shifting the focus from stress to excitement. In turn, they encourage peer collaboration, fostering an environment where ideas are freely exchanged, and diverse perspectives are embraced.'

CASE is a program of the Nashville After Zone Alliance. The Nashville After Zone Alliance is a network of coordinated after school programming for Metro’s middle-school students. NAZA is a partnership among the Nashville Public Library, MNPS, and other existing youth-serving groups. It is modeled on successful efforts in other cities and is organized around geographically-defined zones.