Our third collaboration with the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) brought excitement and laughter as we were in person celebrating the world of Van Gogh. Peter H. Reynolds and FableVision Learning teams’ time at the DIA in November included a visit with students followed by a PD day with teachers, as we connected the dots between digital storytelling, creativity and STEM.

Kicking off the event, eager Detroit-area students filtered into the DIA’s gorgeous, vintage theatre to spend an hour with Peter H. Reynolds. The room was filled with delight as Peter shared one of his most recent books, Our Table. Then, the students surprised him with a book they had created, inspired by his art and stories! 

Peter drew his favorite characters on large easel paper and passed them out to each class, and then the students got a turn with the microphone to ask questions. To everyone’s surprise, the question-and-answer time turned into a joyful singalong! Peter’s message to the students and teachers was encouragement to be brave, create, and never stop. The unanticipated message from the students ended up being just as important: a reminder that collaboration and creativity are always there, waiting to be uncovered, and that amazing things can happen when we are together.

The following day, despite the cold and snow, over 70 teachers came to participate in workshops aimed at creativity and digital storytelling, with the backdrop of the DIA’s new Van Gogh exhibition providing lots of inspiration along the way!

In the Animation-ish workshop, teachers were inspired to use animation as a new and motivating way for students to express themselves and show what they know. Teachers got to dive right in and create their own animations and experiment with ways to bring stories and concepts to life in the classroom.

The Creative Classroom workshop challenged teachers to think about creativity outside of the realm of art. They engaged a creative mindset, practiced creative skills, and learned creative tools to bring out the best in their students. The group collaboratively brainstormed ways to use the “5 magic words of possibility thinking” to foster divergent thinking in the classroom, no matter the subject, and they also played games and drew some silly pictures along the way!

Fortified with paper, glue, and digital fabricators, teachers joined the FabMaker Studio workshop to create a magical 3D world of art and engineering. Using the online, STEM tool, they designed 3D objects inspired by Van Gogh’s work and discovered the brain benefits of seeing objects with an engineer’s eye. Teachers left with tons of ideas for bringing hands-on creation into the classroom.

It was a great day, but don’t take our word for it! Here are some comments from participating teachers:

“What a very enjoyable and creative day we had together. Thank you for sharing your new inspirations and ideas for our classrooms and even our personal growth.”

“Thanks so much for the inspiration yesterday! I had so much fun.”

“I liked that the workshop introduced many new ideas but we also had time to talk to others, relax and create.”

“It was the most fun and useful PD that I have ever attended!”

Interested in bringing a dash of creative PD to your school district or program?

Contact the team at info@fablevisionlearning.com.

About DIA

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the top 6 museums in the USA, has an absolutely amazing collection of works and currently has a magnificent Van Gogh exhibit on until January 23, 2023. They also have a fantastic educational program providing professional development for teachers and trips for students.