We Are Ypsi
We Are Ypsi introduced, or reintroduced, two words to students: abstract and perception. After a brief discussion, each student was given what appeared to be a worksheet composed of abstract shapes and lines (seen below). They were then asked to populate their worksheet any way they would like, using the provided markers, colored pencils, and crayons. They were also responsible for choosing the paper’s directional orientation.
At the end of the class, they were told that the worksheets were actually maps of the community that makes up Ypsilanti Community Schools. The landmarks present on the page are the Huron River, Ford Lake, I-94, the City of Ypsilanti’s boundary, West Willow, and the boundary between Ypsilanti Township and Superior Township.
The takeaway was simple: no matter what they put on the page, and no matter which directional orientation they chose, their papers were correct. Each student IS Ypsilanti and each student IS the future. Although it is common to see maps with north at the top of the page, placing other directions at the top is equally acceptable. Students were reminded that there is no up or down in space and asked to consider why most maps look the same.
The blank map can be downloaded for reproduction here.
Each link below corresponds to the work created at that school for this project.
