CCHS art students are noted for the rain barrel project within OWCA's March Newsletter. Check out all upcoming events: Questions for Dennis Gregg:
What made you want to get involved in this kind of work? I used to play in the streams as a kid. I want to protect the water so that others can enjoy it, too. Have you taken botany classes? Yes...And if you want to see some of the flowers that we have located and documented you can visit the Obed Watershed homepage for more pictures and information. I really like the wildflowers that are native to Cumberland County. Would it be okay to paint some of the flowers you showed us on our barrels? It would warm my heart to see some of these flowers depicted. Is it true that storing/hoarding water in barrels is illegal in some areas of the U.S.? In the West the legalities of water usage are different than in the East. However, if anything awareness about sustainability and storage of water is actually helping to reverse people’s viewpoints on the issue. How can we get involved in community projects? You can volunteer at any time as we always have ongoing projects. We also have events that you can check out on our monthly newsletter. You can become a member for $5, and then you receive a t-shirt that says "stream team". Is there a building where you meet? We meet in a location not to far from the courthouse area on W. Fourth street. Are there any upcoming events? The next meeting we will hold teaches the public about frog/toad calls (similar to bird call classes). Dennis asked: Has anyone been to the sustainability fair or the water festival that OWCA holds every year? One person raised hand. Many jumped at the excitement in being involved in future events as Dennis explained what goes on there… A student exclaimed…"I want to learn how to kayak! I’ve never even been in one"! Dennis said: It’s a shame that you haven’t! Come to the next festival, and the instructors there will set you up in a boat and will show you how to paddle. We take pride in the fact that people come from all over the U.S. to paddle the Obed River. At this point in time, the water is clean and people really like that they don’t have to worry too much about swallowing the water if they fall out of their boat. If the water is gross or polluted, people aren’t going to want to get out on the water. This is yet another reason why we work so hard help to keep the water systems clean. I have been researching the history/theoretical foundations of Eco-art! Please check out my projects concerning this topic:
Student's created mock rain barrel designs. 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. Some even considered things they enjoyed along their own property/yards at home. Later, the pictures were evaluated by two outside judges within the school that both have art education certification.
Rain barrel judging: One group artist will be permitted to create the drawing, everyone assists in painting. Results of the evaluations led to the following themes for the eight barrels (*Pictures will be uploaded soon!): Block I: Fish/underwater scene Birds in the trees Vibrant/rhythmic scene focused on earthiness Flowers in repetition Block II: Farm/rural landscape (barns) Deer in field People in boats, sailing the Obed River Mythological Storytelling Some of the objectives for the rain barrel project:
-Provide students opportunities to build lasting awareness and understanding of community-based sustainable lifestyle choices. -Use and make available sustainable living education materials that can be implemented in Cumberland Co. and beyond. -Foster a commitment to the principle that our use of natural resources must be sustainable, both for ourselves and for future generations. -Enable students to live in a sustainable manner, now and throughout their lives. -Design a rain barrel that ties to the theme of nature/sustainability Students learned about rain barrels, today. Most of them had never seen one/didn't know what one was. So, I created a powerpoint to help them inform them: Students are developing & creating nature inspired Zentangles/Endless Doodles The E&Ps are coming in to play as students reflect on the following in nature: line, shape, color, space, form, pattern, emphasis, & variety. Demo-"How to use and construct new pages within Weebly"----How to “fan out pages”
Students will work in the computer lab and completed the following: -development of sub-domain link/work on publishing all pages so they are viewable -further development of a "Home" page -development of an "Environmental Art" page…front page will have a nature related quote that you like and an image choice -Fan out pages to create “Artists (inspirational eco-artists)”/Projects (inspirational projects”/ Nature “inspirational nature images” |
Annette SaldañaI am an artist, high school art teacher, and graduate student. My current interests are geared towards: Gifted Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Cultural Studies, Identity in Art, and Environmental Strategies. Please visit my website anytime: http://saldanaart.weebly.com Archives
March 2014
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