Process: Vision 2020
December 2, 2020Note: Please refer to the blog post “Vision 2020” to learn more about this event.***
This post is dedicated to sharing the exciting process I had in building and working on this pop-up experience! Also, I’d like everyone to meet my boyfriend, Devin. Devin also happens to be a skilled carpenter, and he loves Jesus :) He agreed to help me and teach me how to build the walls on his time off. So every weekend for about six weeks we spent time out at camp, just building. And let me just say, OH how I needed this time out in such a peaceful place.
Along with Devin and myself, Mrs. Molly Glath, Mrs. Jennifer Clark, and Alison Tugwell each poured in so much work and time into this experience. This experience was actually two projects being worked (in unison) on a part from one another, which in the end, we brought together into one fully dressed, pop-up museum experience! The first half was building the walls; the second part was research, writing, production, and printing.
BUILDING UPDATE 1: Devin Demonstrates How to Build the First Wall
On Sunday (9/20), Devin and I built our very first 12’ wall in my parents’ garage in Swartz, Louisiana. It was really fun to learn how to build a wall (“without sheetrock”) from Devin because he has an eye for excellent and honest craft, and he always knows the best technique to get any job done. The next weekend, (9/27) Devin and I made our first of many trips out to camp (located in Mer Rouge, LA) to come measure the gym. It was my first time at camp in a little over a year, so I was itching to watch a sunset while we were there. It was so incredibly beautiful!
BUILDING UPDATE 2: The Experience is Stood Up
This past weekend (10/3/20), Devin and I transported and set up our previously-built 12’ wall to camp safely. We also brought with us all of the material we needed to begin building the experience, starting from the center of the structure.
There was still MUCH for Dev and I to do, but I was so excited to just see the bones of the project standing! I also created a calendar to help communicate our daily goals and to keep us on schedule.
BUILDING UPDATE 3: Reusability is Key
This past weekend (10/11/20), Devin and I made a trip out to camp for just a couple of hours and continued our building process. We were so thankful to arrive on campus and see our structure still standing, despite the hurricane! The structure suffered minor, superficial injuries on one wall, the original 12’ wall we transported from Swartz. Devin suggested we simply replace the top coverings (gray decking) on that one panel wall if we decide to do so (p.s. Devin was right). I say let it dry and let’s see how it looks! We also brought with us enough studs to finish building the last four wooden walls and built three 6’ panels (stacked on top of one another in the third photo). Devin also showed me how to create the ‘bracket’ pieces that I’d need to make in order to attach the four 6’ walls (panels 1, 8, 9, 15) to the entire structure securely.
On Tuesday (10/13), I built the last 6’ wall. I also built and installed the brackets which will be used in each of the four corners to attach the four 6’ walls to the currently-standing structure. On Thursday (10/15), I began sealing up the “history side” studs + plates using Kilz paint. Painting the studs will prolong + preserve the life of each one of the wall panels upon attaching the wall facings (plywood sheets) in order to promote reusability of the wall panels after deinstallation.
BUILDING UPDATE 4: Halfway Point
On Saturday (10/17), Devin and I stood up the four 6’ walls (panels 1, 8, 9, 15), and we attached plywood coverings to the entire front of the experience, as well as a few to the back of the experience. We also purchased and delivered the studs + plates for the remaining six walls (panels 2, 3, 7, 10, 11, 14). On Sunday (10/18), we built and set up the three walls on the “present side” (panels 2, 3, 7). We also laid out panels 10 and 11 for the history side, and we added all of the ceiling boards for the “present side” and front wall. On Monday (10/19), Devin and I finished building and setting up the last three walls (panels 10, 11, 14). Devin also installed all of the ceiling boards throughout the experience, and we then squared/leveled each wall. I also picked up a paintbrush and began sealing up the “present side” studs + plates. Because there were 30 wall facings total, I labeled each wall panel according to the top down layout document, so that way we could begin becoming familiar with the name of each panel before the event.
Bonus: while I was busy sealing studs, Devin finished the ceiling boards and decided to make a work table from his scraps. I looked back and he finished it in 30 minutes, wheels and all….this man is amazing! Go Dev!
Tuesday (10/20) morning, I painted the front of the experience and sealed the “history side” studs + plates with paint. I also designed the type and printed (by tiling as best I could on 4 sheets of very large paper) the first individual sign from Mrs. Molly’s history text document and taped it up on my apartment wall to physically experience the scale + readability of the printed paragraph. I also asked a friend to stand in the photo beside my print example for scale. Then on Thursday (10/22), Mrs. Jennifer and Taylor Hebert came out to camp to catch up and help me paint! Mrs. Jennifer FaceTimed Mrs. Molly while walking around the experience, and they labeled panels with what content would be placed on that panel. Taylor and I did a little painting, but we used most of the day to get better organized, purchase the projector + projector screen, and talk final materials, and schedules.
BUILDING UPDATE 5:
Devin finished applying the 46 plywood sheets to the inside of the experience with a little help from Isaac and myself. Mrs. Jennifer also sent out two volunteers, as well as Taylor Hebert! Alison and Mrs. Jennifer came out to help me paint the walls with Kilz and after it dried, we began painting the history side with the dark purple paint. And on Sunday (10/25), Devin finally finished building everything! He finished covering the outside of the experience completely with the ⅜” Lauan plywood sheets (21), and we also added a tiny sliver of the ¼” plywood to cover the four corners brackets of the main “I” structure (panels 1, 8, 9, 15), so the walls would wrap at the corners, instead of being broken up by a stud at each of those intersecting points.
Monday (10/26/20), I painted one more thick, patient coat of dark purple on the history side and it is finally even! I also painted half of the present side with one thick coat. I picked a dark purple that was true to the original King’s Camp purple for the history side; and for the present side, I picked a light purple that is almost a middle-value purple, to stand out against the white text panels. The purples will look different in various settings and times, it all depends on light! On Tuesday (10/27), the Lord sent me some unexpected, but greatly needed help! Mrs. Jen came over and finished painting the present side with the light purple completely! She lined everything–the corners, the tops and bottoms–all with one good, patient coat! I got working on the titles, painted some light purple, sketched layouts, and helped resolve spacing issues with a little help later in the day. My mom and my cousin, Max, came out to help that afternoon and put up a notecard to represent every single sign with its measurements and a 3” margin all around the experience based off of the history document. They were my council team who walked around helping decide what made the most sense based off of those conditions.
VISION WEEKEND:
On Friday (10/30), the imagery got moving and Mrs. Jennifer and I painted the six sequential illustrations throughout the experience to push the Isaiah 61 imagery and add more visual personality to the narrative. I absolutely loved collaborating on all of these ideas, it was so inspiring for me to learn and grow from all of these little breakthroughs! Katelyn Keller also came out to help paint “Share Your Story” on the entire back of the experience. I am so thankful for the patient painters that the Lord sent me during this project.
I want to say thank you so much to each of you who volunteered or came out to help in any way. The Lord made it very obvious to me that even if just one of my volunteers had not showed up, it would not have turned out the way that it did. So many people put their hands on this large project, and that was such a humbling and joyful honor to witness God’s faithfulness, provision, and steadfast love once again. I’ll just say this, the God I serve is the God Who comes through. He is always faithful to His people and to complete the work He started in us. He is the God Who never fails; and with Him, nothing is impossible. So my greatest praise I lift up to the Lord: for He has overflowed my cup again and again and again.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness and delight; Come before His presence with joyful singing.
Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.
For the Lord is good; His mercy and lovingkindness are everlasting, His faithfulness to all generations.
PSALM 100
To see the full PDF, please click the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SFhAsZ5WSaOJcR2NlfTERSRHV0T9KyOM/view?usp=sharing