Media Series
Mr. G.
James “Mr. G.” Garrison is a passionate elementary teacher and explorer of Chicago Architecture! An ELL/ESL teacher in the Winnetka Public School District, and the University of the Potomac, Mr. G. is a bilingual first-grade teacher (English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese) who completed his teacher-training and education at the University of Winter Haven, Florida.
He served as a Special Library Project Director, design, and set-up of a new library at Ball Horticulture. Mr. G. has a deep appreciation for Chicago’s rich architectural history, having grown up in a family of architecture buffs and runs a small tour company that focuses on the best of Chicago’s architecture, culture, and history.
Exploring Chicago Architecture with Mr. G.
Exploring Chicago Architecture is a project-based inspired design program for grades 2-6 (ages 7-12).
Children will explore the origins of architecture in the Midwest, USA and how architecture impacts us in our everyday lives. Mr. G. inspires exploration and discovery through architecture-based provocations in the beauty and design of architecture in and around Chicago. Children can join Mr. G. on a journey of design and architectural exploration and discovery.
COMPETENCIES
- Designer and artists mindset
- Visual literacies
- Drawing and sketching skills
- Focused observation and attention to detail
- Historical research and exploration skills
- Spaces and place design and development awareness
FEATURES
- 8 episodes
- 8 site-focused visual explorations
- Visits to some of Chicago’s leading architectural sites
- Historical information and storytelling
- Design guidance and ways to observe and document building, landscape, bridge, and city architectural designs
EPISODES
- Chicago Bridges
- Robie House, Hyde Park
- Water Tower
- Chicago Conservatory
- Chicago River
- Chicago World Fair and the Ferris Wheel
- Rockefeller Chapel
- The Museum of Science and Industry