Third Space was designed to temporarily disrupt the school environment and the traditional learning experience through the installation of transformative works of art. The week-long exhibits use the arts to set the stage for students to engage in authentic and meaningful learning. 

Arts for Learning partnered with four Indianapolis metropolitan area public schools over the course of the 2019-2020 school year to interject art not only into the physical space, but also into the curriculum. After pausing during the pandemic, the programming picked back up in 2022. At each school, an artwork created by an established local artist was on display for one week and served as provocation for students to discover, uncover, and construct their own meaning.

12 Stars Media had the distinct pleasure of documenting this collaborative process for each school. For each of these short documentaries, we spent time with the artists, digging into what their work means to them, and hearing what they hoped the students would take away from it. The schools’ teachers and visiting teaching artists also weighed in on how impactful these interactions have been on their classes. Most importantly, though, we heard from the students themselves. Their reactions to the artwork and reflections on the conversations that were sparked from the interactions showed just how meaningful the experience was.