Upper and middle school students explored the art of cyanotype printing from Monday, December 4, to Friday, December 8, with visiting artist Leah Caroline, culminating in a large-scale installation in the Performing Arts Center.

Cyanotype is a nineteenth-century photographic printing technique originally used for recording natural elements. In this process, plant materials, found objects or film negatives are placed on chemically treated paper or fabric, exposed to sunlight, and then developed in water. This development process transforms the paper from a bright yellow-green to a brilliant Prussian blue, leaving the unexposed areas white. 

During the week-long residency, students used a combination of found objects and imagery printed on acetate for their negatives. Bringing individual objects and imagery to the project allowed students to connect more personally with the work and engage in collaborative decision-making, enhancing the aesthetic quality of the finished product.

Middle school students focused on outdoor work, experiencing the immediate effects of sunlight on their cyanotype fabric hangings, while upper school students worked both indoors with a UV lightbox and outdoors. Upper school art was further embellished with various techniques, including collage and painting over the developed cyanotypes. 

Advanced Placement (AP) students delved even deeper, experimenting with exposure times and refining their negatives while also incorporating personal themes into their artworks. 

“The project at King School most closely resembles my series ‘I have come to my garden,’” wrote Carline. “A collection of cyanotype ‘scroll journals’ containing Hebrew texts from Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs), Hasidic commentary, and my pregnancy writings.”

Following the residency, Caroline arranged the student work to create a large cyanotype scroll on the walls of the lobby in the Performing Arts Center. The piece will remain on display through the end of January.