Light can do more than illuminate a work of art. In cyanotype printing, it helps create one.
At Memorial Middle School (MMS), Shelley Smolen’s Drawing with Light: A Cyanotype Art Lab is receiving a 2026 J. Landon Short Mini Grant for Educators, supporting an opportunity to explore the connections between art, light and experimentation.
Congratulations to Smolen for this recognition and her commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences for students.
Cyanotype is alternative photography and printmaking process. It offers a creative way to explore how composition, shape and light work together to form an image.
The process invites both artistic decision-making and careful observation. Considering an arrangement, observing the result and adjusting an approach connect creativity with the habits of experimentation. Each discovery can become the starting point for another idea.
Smolen’s project highlights the possibilities that emerge when students encounter a new way to create. Exploring an unfamiliar medium can help young artists expand their skills, take creative risks and develop confidence in their own expression.
Made possible through generous community support, the J. Landon Short Mini Grants for Educators help turn creative ideas into meaningful classroom experiences. It’s #CollectiveGreatness in action.
You can help make great things happen for kids, too. Visit SBISD’s Engage page to learn how to support students, classrooms and schools.