to begin

while playing the above audio, ask your students to spend several minutes quietly examining the images. when they have had enough time to digest the exhibition, it’s time to explore further through quality questions.

as you lead this discussion, accept any response! praise your students for sharing their thoughts. paraphrase your pupil’s answer using your own words to make sure you’re both on the same page. when you’ve come to the end of their lines of thought, ask another question!

this exercise is meant to serve as a casual discussion. feel free to add or omit questions so that the conversation can proceed organically. remember to use inquiry based language when forming questions ( i.e. “what could be happening?” rather than “what is happening?)

make sure that your students have pencils and paper while they explore this exhibition, so they can work out their thoughts through words, lists, and drawings!

quality questions

after looking at the images, please write down an adjective to describe how those images made you feel. 

1. while listening to the audio and exploring these images, notice as much as you can. pay attention to how you feel as we virtually navigate this space.

   • what do you think these large objects might be? or, what do you notice about them? 

   • your students might realize that these objects are empty cubicles. if not, guide them in the right direction. you may want to show them additional images of offices, or ask if they’ve ever been in a setting like this one.

2. why might the people who designed workplace cubicles have designed them the way they did?

   • why do you think they are square? how might cublices be different if they were another shape? (circles, hexagons?)

   • what about height? how would they be different if they were shorter or taller?

     1. how would the function change?

3. how could we change the design of these cubicles? what changes can be made and why?

4. imagine you work in this office.

   • would you like to work in a cubicle like this all day?

   • would you make any changes to your cubicle? (add a window, make it shorter, more or less private, etc.)

5. has anyone heard this audio before?

   • in what type of might this audio be playing?

   • let’s think of some words to describe this audio. why did you choose these words?

6. let’s go back to the adjective that you used to describe your mood earlier. 

   • after our discussion, has your adjective changed? 

   • if so, how? why?

the big idea

how does this object relate to the big idea?

the show sheds light on corporate malpractice when dealing with diversity in the workplace, affirmative action legislation and follow-up, corporate conformity, and design meant to value productivity over humanity. the artist wants us to pay better attention to the way we are treated when working, to how we are taught and led--and to be more aware of who we are and what we want.

key information:

1. the designer of the cubicle, robert propst, regretted his design until the day he died.

   • he called the u.s. office “a wasteland” in 1960. “it saps vitality, blocks talent, frustrates accomplishment. it is the daily scene of unfulfilled intentions and failed effort.”

   • “the dark side of this is that not all organizations are intelligent and progressive. lots are run by crass people who can take the same kind of equipment and create hellholes. they make little bitty cubicles and stuff people in them.”

2. cubicles, in their original design by propst, were meant to empower ‘the worker.’ they were meant to be mutable, changeable work environments. 

   • propst thought that his design would provide autonomy and independence. at the time, open office plans were all the rage and workers hated having no privacy, fighting the office noise, etc. 

3. the cubicles themselves also represent labor. the materials were made by laborers. the cubicles were assembled and packaged by laborers. sold by laborers. set-up by laborers, and ultimately occupied by laborers.

4. the perimeter drop ceiling was installed as an addition to the exhibition--it was made to mimic the ceilings in most office environments. the acoustic panels were meant to block noise and hide ugly ac ductwork, but ended up making the spaces feel smaller and more depressing. 

5. the cubicles in this exhibition were sourced from the texas department of education ...

remember to allow your students to derive their own narratives from this artwork before revealing any information about the artist!

equal voicing opportunity

ask your students to think about an office setting that they might enjoy working in, and allow them to take some time to draw it out, or to write about it.

1. what does your workspace look like?

2. do you work in a cubicle like the ones in jessica vaughn’s exhibition? why or why not?

3. how is your workspace similar or different from jessica vaughn’s exhibition?

4. how did you decorate your workspace? why did you choose these objects specifically?

5. what type of work do you do in this space?

6. what is your role in this workplace?