Projects:

Stories in a Box (Miniature Dioramas)

I chose to follow prompt #1, which was a personal memory. Through the process of a

mind map, I decided that I wanted to recreate the memory of my first CSUN art exhibition,

which was the Painting Guild’s “Emergence After Isolation,” exhibition that was held in the

West Gallery. I selected this memory to represent using visual narrative because it showed me

how much I enjoy seeing my work being viewed, absorbed, and discussed in a gallery setting.

My diorama is categorized under mixed media with its combination of wire, watercolor

materials, model magic, acrylic paint, foil, and paper. I chose these materials because they were

all things I could find at home or the classroom, and I want to plan projects with materials that

are easily accessible for my future students. I recreated many of the paintings that were also at

the same exhibition in simplified lines and colors using watercolor pencils, paper, and pens. I

intentionally wanted to make the amount of paintings in the gallery symmetrical with two papers

on each wall. To create a unified design, I also added a few extra features that were not from the

memory, like a wheel thrown ceramic bowl shape, and a coil built ceramic sculpture in the

middle of the room in the diorama to add more variety of depth and three-dimensional objects. I

also chose to add an imitation of a bench I saw in the larger gallery for more variety and to add

interest to the space. I used a color pencil to add a shadowy look on the walls for more value

since the gallery walls are a plain white color. Lastly, I made adjustable miniature light fixtures

on the interior lid of the Altoid container using model magic, foil, and wire to decorate the lid.

To support the process of planning and creating my mini diorama, I drew a mind map to

generate ideas about what elements to add and what feelings went along with the memory

because I wanted to choose a positive scene. When it came to feedback, Sophia recommended
that I adhere the model magic light fixture with hot glue so they would be sturdy. Shayla

suggested that I add moss on the outside for more dimension. Marley added that I could make

another feature like a bench for more visual interest. Lastly, but not least, Kristina suggested that

I add plaques on the walls to accompany the paintings. I decided to use hot glue because it would

be strong in holding up the lights even when the lid is closed. I did not add moss because I like

that the outside designs are flat to balance the three-dimensional aspects inside. I made a bench

for the inside like Marley suggested because I would want spectators to have a place to sit and

reflect. Finally, I chose not to add plaques on the walls because they would be too small to read

and might make the walls look busier than I wanted.

The most successful part of this whole project for me was generating ideas because the

memory is so vivid in my mind, and I had many photos to refer to of the exhibition from a year

ago. The sketches helped me to plan out the dimensions and placement of the objects. The padlet

for peerfeedback helped me be inspired by the wide variety of processes and approaches to the

same assignment. The most challenging part of the project was keeping everything neat because

working at such a small scale required me to keep my hands extremely steady and focused. If I

were to change anything, I would go back and make the lights all the same size, since being the

main aspect of the interior lid makes their slight variation noticeable. Overall, the project went

well and successfully captured a miniature display of a large memory in my mind.

Planning, Process, and Final Product Pictures:

Three planning sketches and mind map:
 Process photos:

Final mini diorama: