Inspiring Children by Animating Their Artwork

Picture a child’s drawing suddenly springing to life—a purple monster stomps across the page. For young artists, watching their own artwork move before their eyes is nothing short of magical. But beneath this wonder lies a deeper discovery: they realize the power of sharing their gifts as God’s children. They learn that they have stories worth telling and that their imagination can reshape the world around them.

This transformative experience is exactly what BYU students from the Department of Art and Department of Design brought to the i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa, Arizona. The interactive art museum, which has served the local community for more than 40 years, uses arts-based experiences to help children grow and families bond.

While the museum has offered stop-motion experiences previously, the BYU partnership represents the museum’s first foray into motion graphics. Instead of moving and photographing physical objects little by little to create a series of images, the BYU project converts static artwork into a moving image through digital tools.

The animation process begins with each child using markers and paper to draw an animal or monster from their imagination. The kids then cut out their drawings and use pins to turn them into puppets, helping them envision their creations’ movements. Finally, BYU students use software to transform the cutouts into dynamic visuals.

When young guests see their own creations come to life, says Jarrad Bittner, director of the museum, “[they] don’t want to leave—they want to keep on creating!”

The BYU student team approaches each interaction with a mission: building kids’ confidence and encouraging their self-expression. For student Tachinii Ranger, this work feels deeply personal. "As a child, I definitely was more quiet—I wasn't the best at speaking," he says. “Art gave me a voice.” Now he’s passing that gift forward, helping children discover their own creative voices. “To be able to do that with these children, to cultivate that,” he says, “I’m basically teaching them a language.”

As a universal language, art also can help people of differing ages, backgrounds, and cultures connect. Fidalis Buehler, a BYU associate professor overseeing the project, says, “There is a spiritual nature to this work. The human family is really diverse and learning to understand each other’s voice is important.”

The kids aren’t the only ones discovering art’s power to connect. “This has been the perfect training for me to become an art educator,” Clara Lowder, a student on the project, says. “This field study has helped me grow spiritually [and in the ways I communicate] with other people.”