FOX THEATRE DEVELOPS FOX IN A BOX
The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) has launched Fox in a Box, an interactive school exhibit focused on how important events in the theater’s timeline intersect with key classroom learnings, from American history and the Civil Rights Movement to economics and the importance of communities.
“Fox in a Box challenges elementary students to think about how communities come together to share an experience and to protect what’s important to them,” said Carmie McDonald, FTI’s Community Engagement Manager. “The exhibit illustrates how art, culture, and humanity connect to create a better community and better reality for our world. As we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Save the Fox campaign, our goal is to teach students about the role that the people of Atlanta played in saving the Fox, showing them that anyone can make a difference in their community.”
The traveling exhibit sits atop a 24’x24’ carpet with an 8’ tall frame and takes approximately four hours to build. (Click here for a time lapse video of construction.) The structure is comprised of an aluminum frame with images and relevant captions printed on fabric panels and interactive elements, such as an introductory video, images presented on flat screens, and a photo wall for students to take pictures with their classmates.
The Fox Theatre sponsored a 10-week Interior Design class at SCAD Atlanta to research and develop innovative design concepts for Fox in a Box. SCAD students were asked to design a didactic, educational pod that would be transportable and showcased in schools, theaters, and other locations. Local design firm, Station16 Creative, built on SCAD’s vision, working with curriculum team Verbaleyze to bring Fox in a Box to fruition.
Lee Barry Todd, Director of Sponsored Projects with the Collaborative Learning Center at SCAD’s Atlanta campus, said, “This project was an amazing opportunity for SCAD students to collaborate with the Fox Theatre and contribute to the legacy of an Atlanta landmark. SCAD is excited to see the Fox in a Box come to life and bring the history and mystery of the Fox Theatre to schools and organizations statewide.”
The exhibit’s Student Guide first asks students to analyze a real or replicated object from the Fox archives and create a field report. Next, students are asked thoughtful questions that correspond with each of the exhibit’s panels. Topics include how the theater helped initiate the preservation movement across the country during the Save the Fox movement in the 1970s.
Finally, the post-exhibit activities relate to the Atlanta Zoning Map of 1922, which illustrates how the city was segregated, and how Georgia Law articulated how physical spaces should be segregated. Students can imagine experiencing the venue in different roles, such as a young child seeing a movie for the first time or as someone who built the Fox Theatre.
Fox in a Box made its debut in December at The Museum School in Avondale Estates. Principal Katherine Kelbaugh said, “Our students thoroughly enjoyed the informative and interactive Fox in a Box experience. Students had the opportunity to witness standards and curriculum in an authentic real world setting. Fox in a Box truly brings history to life.”
To request Fox in a Box at a metro-Atlanta elementary school, please contact FTI’s Community Engagement Coordinator Maggie Fuller at 404-881-2023.