The objective of Whisper Down the Lane is to pass along a secret message amongst a group of people without distorting the original phrase. However, we all know there’s no fun in that. The thrill of the game is rooted in the surprise, and identifying how and when mistakes were made.
What happens when we build this practice into the existing frameworks and curriculum of the art room?
To be brief, we end up fostering an student culture that embraces revision, iteration, and mistakes as essential parts of the artistic experience.
This practice of building intentional gaps within the curriculum trains art students to act like their professional counterparts developing bodies of work, pulling inspiration from other art forms, and working in response to the challenges set before them.