The Hexagon Project at Wyoming Seminary

By Lanie Fenster ‘20

 

Wyoming Seminary’s Kirby Center for Creative Arts has been brought to life with a new imaginative project that brings artists and scientists together.

This collaboration, known as The Hexagon Project, according to the official website, “…invites young people, adults, and communities worldwide to realize social and global challenges facing the world today and use art as a vehicle to reimagine how these challenges can be addressed through critical thinking, research, and creative expression. The project illustrates the connections between the society, economics, and the environment in the solution to the problems created by local abandoned mining operations.”

The idea of the project is simple yet creative. As the name suggests, students used their talent to design individual hexagons to highlight one aspect of the nature of the local community and the impact of abandoned coal mines. Once this step was completed, they composed their work into one cohesive design meant to tell a story that words would not do justice.

Dr. Andrea Nerozzi, teacher, Science Research Group Coordinator, and former Science Department Chair, established the idea at SEM after a positive experience visiting the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation on Service Day this year. She encouraged her STEM program students to take part in the inspiring project and ultimately coordinated the production and development.

The students involved also had a great experience participating in the project. Emily Urbanski ‘20 contributed immensely to the project. “Making the hexagon was a really cool experience because I got to use paint with the iron pigment from the mines,” Urbanski remarked. “I liked how all the hexagons from the students came together into one cohesive exhibit.”

The surrounding school community is greatly appreciative of the project. Kirsten Kizis ‘20, a student who observed the exhibit on its opening night, provided her opinion on the exhibition. “I decided to go to the opening of the Hexagon Project, and I am so glad I did. The project is so creative and informative, and everyone who worked on it is really talented.”

The Hexagon Project truly opened up a conversation that did not exist at SEM before. It brings people from different backgrounds and interests to talk about important aspects of Earth science, historic preservation, and creative arts. The Eastern PA Coalition will further use the display for Abandoned Mine Reclamation in their educational programs.