Ashley Butler

Art Education / Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

School of Art Education

The image created for this curriculum is of a hallway at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Florida Southern Campus is best known as “Child of the Sun,” the largest single-site collection in the world of exquisite architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright himself provided the nickname for the campus when, during its creation, he proclaimed that the buildings at Florida Southern would “…grow out of the ground, and into the light, A Child of the Sun.” Although Wright worked on the campus for over twenty years, only half of the planned construction was completed. Florida Southern College is a work in progress hoping to one day complete the vision that was left behind by Wright.

Florida Southern College was named the fifth most beautiful campus in the United States by the Princeton Review. There is not a space on campus that is not influenced by design and beauty. Each building holds its own distinct design, generating hours of discovery and observation. Sharp lines and geometric shapes are offset by soft natural light, colored glass, and organic features. Trees, plants and water features create a fluid landscape between the organic and man made structures. Details and magical moments of new discoveries within the buildings are rampant, creating a space that encourages learning, observation, and curiosity. The enhanced environment fosters scholastic study but also peace and a spirituality between design and nature.

Having spent four years in this collegiate wonderment, I truly learned first hand how important the educational environment is for growth personally and academically for an embodied learning experience. Now as an Art Educator I strive to create classroom opportunities and environments that impact my students through creating calming beautiful spaces where children can learn, grow, and explore.

The drawing of a hallway on Florida Southern campus is based on one of the many images that have adhered to my memory from my college days. This drawing was made for an assignment on one point perspective of a school hallway. While most of my peers picked a typical locker flanked dark school hallway, I chose to highlight what campuses can be when blending structural design with the natural landscapes. Creating the drawing only helped me understand and appreciate how truly sophisticated and complicated Wrights designs are.

Sharing this drawing and scholastic experience in this lesson with my students connected my love of Florida Southern College (Go Mocs!), beauty of blending the natural and manufactured, and of course art and education. I enjoy and strive to connect with my curriculum on a personal level and showcase real life experiences and artwork with my students to inspire and educate simultaneously. As Florida Southern continues to foster Wright’s legacy and learnings, I also encourage the future of organic architecture and design with students.