SchoolArts - May/June 2011

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Susan Ashley Trash

Theprocessoffindinginspira- tionforaclassprojectisfas- cinatingandintriguing.One February,aparentsentmea newspaper article that featured the gyre known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In oceanography, a gyre is a widespread circulating rotation or vortex of ocean currents. This particular gyre is the location of an enormous floating mass of garbage, predominantly plastics.

Introduction through Photography

Upon sharing it with my team partner Megan Dobchuk-Land, we immediately decided to use the extraordinary situation documented by the article to shape our multi-age inquiry project and to connect it to our school’s “Waste and Our World” science curriculum.

The next insightful happenstance occurred when a particular art piece in a magazine caught my eye. Upon researching this unique piece, I discovered that Frderico Uribe, a Colom-bian artist, uses colored pencils, amongst other unexpected materials, to create colorful and fascinating sculptures. I frequently incorporate art materials in my projects as they offer unique kinetic opportunities that connect with the variety of interests of children, so Uribe’s work was a natural addition to our project. A project focus began to evolve.

We introduced the project to students by giving small groups “mystery” photographs and asking them to respond to the stories told by the photographs. The images were from photographer Chris Jordan’s series Midway: Message from the Gyre. They showed the stomach contents of dead albatrosses in the area of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, split open to show unbelievable amounts of indigestible plastic. (Note: Please use discretion when showing young students images like these, as some of them are quite graphic).

Inquiry

The idea of combining the unintended consequences of plastic, with students representing and interpreting their learning through the creation of a piece of art, was starting to solidify.

class to assist all students in strength-
ening their understanding and aware-
ness of the complexity of the garbage
problem. Artist trading cards were
also created that celebrated the core
concepts of the groups’ research.
Learning artifacts were collected
through taped conversations, photo-
graphs, observations, and anecdotal
records. Collaboration with students,
We also gave students journals,
writing tools, and, in some cases,
microphones with which to respond.
Jordan has said of this series, “in each
case the birds can be viewed as mes-
sengers, serving as one small warn-
ing signal of a much larger calamity,
with global consequences, in which
our individual consumer lifestyles are
unavoidably complicit.”
Through inquiry, students worked
in small groups on a variety of topics
linked to concepts presented by the
Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Their
documentation consisted of written
and artistic components. The groups
shared their learning with the whole

Continued on page 50.

42 May/June2011 SchoolArts

Continued from page 42.

From Print to Mural

We used Japanese woodblock prints as the impetus for a mural as a result of artist Tracy Franks joining our team to lead us. Viewing numerous images depicting ocean storms with large crashing waves and twirling gyres assisted in introducing the concepts of ocean currents. Students then used pastels to create their own gyres.

Tracy Franks selected sections of students’ pastel drawings and, with student help, transposed them onto the mural. The intricate work of sorting pencil and crayon colors, cutting, placing, and gluing them was aided by all. Our endeavor was successful!

This project evolved into a great example of the importance of being open to inspiration coming from unexpected directions, and how thoughtful conversations and experiences can drive the direction of the work. It presented opportunities where children worked in groups to design and create artifacts that assisted the whole group in building knowledge of a complex situation.