In partnership with Young At Art Museum, artist Haiiileen led the Light Theory Workshop (2018) — an interactive educational experience accompanying her solo exhibition LightScapes.
Designed to engage children and families in the science and spirituality of light, the workshop explored the relationship between color, vibration, and perception through hands-on experiments and creative play.
Title: Light Theory Workshop (2018) — Young At Art Museum x Haiiileen
Artist / Instructor: Haiiileen
Hosted by: Young At Art Museum, Knight Gallery
Program: LightScapes Educational Workshop Series
Medium: Educational Workshop | Interactive Light Lab | Community Engagement
Date: August 2018
Location: Davie, Florida
Description
This workshop allowed participants to build their own light-based art experiments using acrylic prisms, mirrors, LED circuits, and pigment diffusion. Haiiileen guided attendees through activities that revealed how color frequencies interact with surfaces — a playful approach to understanding how light becomes a creative medium.
“I wanted to show kids that light is alive — that color is a language they already speak.” — Haiiileen
The session connected art, physics, and imagination, reinforcing the educational mission of the LightScapes exhibition: to awaken a deeper understanding of the natural world through the lens of creativity.
Conceptual Framework
- Light as Language: Introducing children to the idea that light communicates energy and emotion.
- Synesthetic Learning: Encouraging cross-sensory engagement — seeing sound, feeling color, hearing shape.
- STEAM Education Through Art: Merging artistic creativity with scientific exploration.
- Empowerment Through Play: Using art to help young participants recognize their own potential for innovation.
Workshop Components
- Demonstrations on color blending, refraction, and reflection.
- Hands-on mirror maze and prism activities.
- Introduction to LED circuit assembly and kinetic color fields.
- Creative discussion on how artists use light and geometry to express ideas.
- Interactive group installation, combining each participant’s experiment into a collective glowing sculpture.
Artist Reflection
“Teaching this workshop reminded me that education is just another form of art — it’s about designing moments of discovery. I wanted every child to leave believing that science and imagination are the same thing.”
The LightScapes Workshop became an essential part of Haiiileen’s ongoing commitment to arts education, accessibility, and empowerment through sensory learning.
Archival Significance
- Companion educational program to LightScapes (2018–2019) at Young At Art Museum.
- Established Haiiileen’s reputation as an artist-educator specializing in STEAM-based art learning.
- Introduced a generation of children to synesthetic light theory and creative sustainability.
- Expanded institutional outreach and community engagement within South Florida’s arts ecosystem.
- Serves as a model for future artist-led educational initiatives.
Archival ID: H2018-YAAWKSP
“Kids naturally understand light — they live in color without trying. My job was just to remind them that it’s a kind of magic we all share.”