Eighth grade students from Cornerstone Christian Academy and Monticello Middle School participated in a field trip at Hollywood Plantation, 184 Taylor Road in Tillar last Thursday, February 16, hosted by the Alex Foundation.
Students were engaged in placed-based learning to gain a sense of understanding the history, culture, and architecture of Hollywood Plantation. The students participated in a project-based activity at the property by sketching a perspective of Taylor House with vanishing points and parallel vertical lines to indicate features of the house.
Built in 1846 by the skillful craftsmanship of enslaved laborers, Taylor House was the center piece of Hollywood Plantation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places October 16, 1995 representing 168 years of architecture evolution.
The architecture presentation and tour were led by Architect Brent Shelor. Lunch was provided by Alex Foundation’s board of director, McKinley Thomas of Dermott. Turner Stax of McGehee provided snacks. Funding for Architect Brent Shelor’s presentation was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Alex Foundation partnered with Arkansas Archaeology Survey to convene the students’ field trip at Hollywood Plantation.
Alex Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 Desha County based nonprofit organization that introduces students to architecture and design through a multiple disciplinary and multiple intelligence approach to learning. For more information, visit www.alex-foundation.org.
