Candy Mosaic Making – Art for Blind and Visually Impaired Students

VSA Arts is a national organization that provides art opportunities for people with disabilities. They recently received a grant from CVS Caremark Pharmacies. This grant had two parts. First, teaching artists worked with children with disabilities between the ages of 5 and 15 to create works of art using materials found in CVS pharmacies with a “dream” theme. Second, two pieces from each state will be chosen for display in Washington, DC in May 2008. Finally, 10 students will be invited as guests to the opening reception on Capitol Hill.

VSA Arts of Tennessee asked me to design a project for the Tennessee School for the Blind. 11 students between 8 and 15 years old were chosen by the school to participate. Approximately 50% of the students were totally blind, while the other 50% had vision problems. I decided to title our project “Sweet Dreams” and use sweets as our main element to create a mosaic image.

I developed several criteria when buying candy. I immediately eliminated the chocolate, due to its instability. I wanted a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, textures, scents, and flavors. This would create a multi-sensory experience for the children. The bright colors of the candy would provide high visual contrast for visually impaired students. In the end, the sweets I thought of included Skittles, Red and Black Twizzlers, Big Red Cinnamon Gums, and mints. As an added touch, I decided to frame the photos with coffee grounds.

supply list

Blank Elmer’s Foam Board

Duncan Tulip Gellies Dimensional Fabric Paint in Clear

Crafters Pick “The Ultimate” Sticker

Checkered Clear Acrylic Sealant

String

Bowling game

Twizzlers

big red gum

pepper mints

coffee grains

Instruments

small brush

foam brush

Ruler

darning needle

cups for glue

There was a fair amount of preparation involved before starting the project. Due to the weight of the materials I decided to build the projects in foam board. I decided on white to increase the contrast with the caramel. Since this is a wall mounted project. I attached a cord for hanging. This was accomplished by threading a bold needle and drawing the bold needle through the foam board near the top edge and tying the thread tight to create a hanging loop. Using a ruler, I outlined a 1 1/2-inch border on the foam board. I highlighted this border with dimensional fabric paint. When dry, this paint provided a clear raised line that the students could follow by touch as they made their drawing. Because the paint was transparent, it did not interfere with the integrity of the design.

On the first day, I presented the project to the students. They were very excited about the idea of ​​working with sweets. I oriented them toward your foam-core work surface by pointing to a dangling cord and raised edge. Telling the students that the theme was sweet dreams, each of them immediately had an idea of ​​what kind of drawing they wanted to do. The images included an angel, a house, a campground, an RV, a flower garden, a piano, a boat, a car, and an ATV. Students were instructed to work with the candy to develop their design. Once they were satisfied with the basic composition, the students were given glue to stick those elements together. The first day was two class periods. By the end of the first day, the main design elements had been outlined.

We started the second day by having the students review the previous day’s work to see if it had good adherence. The students spent the rest of the class adding details to their drawing. On the third day, the students finalize the details and begin to complete the background.

The last day we framed the photos in coffee grounds. The adhesive was thinned slightly to aid in spreadability and applied to the outer edge of the foam core with the foam brush. Coffee grounds were then sprinkled over the wet adhesive and pressed into place. Once the adhesive was dry, the excess coffee grounds were shaken off and the work was sprayed with acrylic sealer. Note: We initially tried instant coffee, but the crystals dissolved into the glue creating a smooth, shiny surface instead of the textured surface we wanted.

All the students really enjoyed participating in this project. The added element of entering the contest and possibly winning a trip to Washington, DC only added to her excitement. The teachers involved in this project expressed that the results far exceeded their expectations. As for me, I really enjoyed working with this group of exceptional students.