Artcology

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Spring 2014

Artcology

Created by: Annette Saldana

Eco-Art Education that investigates the purposes of sustainability, identity, and social interaction...

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INSPIRATION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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“In my classroom, I take a holistic approach to education in which the student not only studies and creates art, but they also begin to discover how it serves a purpose in our lives.”

PLACE-BASED PEDAGOGY

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“Graham (2007) suggests that the “difficult challenges of culture, ecology and community are becoming increasingly important in the future of our students’ lives and demand an approach that extends the purposes of education to include issues of social and eco-justice” (p. 387).

THE PROJECT

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“My intentions with this project were to uncover a rationale for eco-art education in regards to sustainability, identity, and social interaction. ”

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ECO-ART CURRICULUM

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PURPOSEFUL DESIGN

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“My students have been working to create projects that have not only helped raise awareness about local ecological issues, but that also defined their own personal standpoints and individual viewpoints on aesthetics. ”

STRENGTHENED COMMUNITIES

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“Students often felt strong and confident as they constructed works of art for the greater good of the community. ”

CONSCIOUS UNDERSTANDING

“Many students had found environmental artists, projects, and nature to be inspirational. ”

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Inspiration...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo: Author (Annette Saldana)

ART ED PHILOSOPHY: Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.� This statement is important to my own personal teaching philosophy as I feel it is important to develop critical and creative thinking skills. My students are urged to be curious and innovative as they study the interrelatedness to art and the world around them. In my classroom, I take a holistic approach to education in which the student not only studies and creates art, but they also begin to discover how it serves a purpose in our lives.

RESEARCH BIOGRAPHY: My personal interests are currently directed towards Gifted Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Cultural Studies, Identity in Art, and Environmental Strategies. I continue to explore different curriculum designs, teaching methodology, and artistic media/techniques. As an art advocate, I am a member of numerous organizations and professional associations. I attend regular Art Education conferences and workshops as I feel it is important to consistently develop as an artist and teacher.

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Inspiration...

PLACE-BASED PEDAGOGY

Photo: Students engaged in the outdoors (Public Domain)

“Critical Place-Based Pedagogy” is a key term that is utilized time and again within research pertaining to environmental art. Place-based pedagogy allows for cross-curricular intermeshing to occur within environmental art studies.

Strategies are created in which connections can be tied to culture, environment, and specific locations. Through the use of this contemporary methodology, educators can provide “a robust framework for the theory and practice of art education that is concerned with ecological issues” (Graham, 2007, p.

375).

Place-based pedagogy provides a curriculum in which to foster ideas such as connective aesthetics. Studies tie in ideas that focus on nature, community, and culture. Authentic interdisciplinary connections occur as the framework allows for ideas to be expressed outside the walls of the classroom.

Through field trips, and on-site explorations, students are encouraged to begin internally resonating with their surroundings. Graham (2007) suggests that the “difficult challenges of culture, ecology and community are becoming increasingly important in the future of our students’ lives and demand an approach that extends the purposes of education to include issues of social and eco-justice” (p. 387).

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Inspiration...

THE PROJECT

Photo: A Weebly Website blog displays CCHS eco-art activities

During my recent study, I developed a high school art curriculum that was based on environmental art practices. My students concentrated on the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) throughout the semester and consistently worked to create art that raised awareness about sustainability. The importance of preservation and conservation of the Obed River was a constant theme providing a local example of why ecological efforts are necessary.

Not only did students create artworks out of recycled and reused items, they were part of a community rain barrel project that allowed them to see how local organizations (such as the Obed Watershed Community Association/OWCA) work to improve ecosystems. My intentions with this project were to uncover a rationale for eco-art education in regards to sustainability, identity, and social interaction. My findings suggest that environmental art education can lead to socially engaging projects that reflect purposeful design, strengthened communities, and conscious understanding of environmental stewardship.

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Eco-Art Curriculum...

PURPOSEFUL DESIGN

Photo: Student work (Visual log of consumption)

For nine weeks, I witnessed how meaningful, relevant, and transformative environmental art education can be. My students have been working to create projects that have not only helped raise awareness about local ecological issues, but that also defined their own personal standpoints and individual viewpoints on aesthetics. Students were introduced to contemporary artists, who use their art making to present social commentaries and express their thoughts about sustainability. Open-ended projects were designed so that they might foster the growth of creativity and innovation. Activities were based on the importance of the 3Rs and though all students had the same project guidelines it was apparent that each student was able to tell his or her personal story through the works that were produced. Students discovered that Cumberland County Tennessee has local watershed issues and that they could help address them.

The first project that students were introduced to involved developing a visual log of the things they were consuming on a regular basis. Within a sketchbook students were asked to draw consumable items. Most of them documented the things that they used, ate, bought, tossed or threw away.

Many of them begin to use this as an opportunity to explore a wide array of mixed- media that allowed for a variety of outcomes in the images they made. As time went on some students even began to create “themed� based pages. Oftentimes, students concentrated on the various ways they consumed specific things such as water, electricity, paper products, and plastics. The main objective of this lesson was to get students to reduce and become less wasteful.

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Eco-Art Curriculum STRENGTHENED COMMUNITIES

Photo: Student Work (Obed Watershed Community Association “Rain Barrel Project�)

Productive and meaningful collaboration occurred as students learned how to work in teams. They discovered how much progress could be made when group members share roles and responsibilities. They also learned to listen to others’ perspectives and opinions as they developed pieces of work that combined the ideas of multiple artists. It helped to bring students together who may have never otherwise shared thoughts or viewpoints. Communication became strengthened, and a sense of pride was developed as students developed social cohesion. Students often felt strong and confident as they constructed works of art for the greater good of the community.

Students became enthusiastic about contributing to OWCA and their own community as we set out to paint rain barrels. The classroom had learned about the importance of conserving and preserving water, and felt it would be important to become part of the solution. As they painted reservoirs as teams, they were asked to think about what they would miss most if environmental disasters made a crucial impact on their local surroundings. Many of the students reflected on things in nature that they found to be aesthetically pleasing, as well as activities they liked to engage in while outdoors (see picture above). Some even considered things they enjoyed along their own property lines and yards at home. Our goal was to inform the public about erosion prevention, and the importance of water conservation.

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Eco-Art Curriculum CONSCIOUS UNDERSTANDING

Photo: Student Work (Nature inspired web page)

Student contemplation became most apparent to me as I begin to analyze what students had posted on their classroom Web pages.

For instance, one student seemed to focus on the effects of consumerism as she quoted Aristotle, who once said, “Madness is badness of spirit when one seeks profit from all sources.” Another student expressed the ways nature had influenced her as she created art. She acknowledged this quote by Napoleon Hill, “We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.”

As I looked at countless student pages, I found a common reoccurrence. Many students had found environmental artists, projects, and nature to be inspirational. The photo displayed above is a student’s web posted picture of a captivating waterfall. Above the photo the caption reads “Inspiring to the fullest” and underneath he developed an original, hand written quote that states, “Life is like a Waterfall. It simply rushes past.” As soon as I looked over his page, I realized that this student in particular had been motivated by our talks of nature and its impermanence.

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Final Thoughts...

My goal to design and implement an environmental art curriculum was one that I felt was necessary. I grew up surrounded by nature, and have always enjoyed all that it has to offer. As I watch the youth of today, I often worry that my students are not forming the same relationship to the outside world as former generations once have. Oftentimes, technological advances steer us into a virtual world where adventures outdoors are becoming rarer. Teachers can help students form a deeper respect for the environment by incorporating projects that tie together art and ecology. Through my study, I helped to bring these ideas to the forefront in my school and community.

In sharing my work, I hope to encourage other art educators to implement environmental art projects into their curriculums. My students learned a great deal about the impact we have on the world, and our own local city. Countless students mentioned to me that the only reason that had not become more involved in environmental projects in the past was because they had never had the opportunity. Because of my lessons, many will continue to increase and improve upon their own global stewardship. I am a true believer that eco-art studies help students to form deeper connections with the environment. As I reflect upon my study, I can truly say that my project made a difference in the lives of my students.

For more information about eco-art activities, please visit my blog: http://saldanaart.weebly.com/blog.html

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