Recycle, recycle, recycle

OBJECTIVES: In this lesson you will create artwork from recycled art supplies gathered in our school art studio. You will show your work in an effort to raise ecological awareness personally and in our school community. MATERIALS: 
  • used up art supplies collected over a pre-determined amount of time (used up markers, glue sticks, pencils that were too short to sharpen, etc.)
  • small wire cutters
  • precut pieces of 18 gauge wire, precut pieces of 24 gauge wire
  • needle nose pliers
  • sandpaper
  • wood cut into 4x6 rectangles
  • dowels
  • drill
  • glue guns & glue
PROCESS: 
  • Watch this video
Why should Christians be concerned for the environment? According to Billy Graham, (2016) Christians know God created the world and we are its stewards or trustees. The very first verse of the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). When we see the world as a gift from God, we will do our best to take care of it and use it wisely, instead of poisoning or destroying it. We don’t worship the earth; instead, we realize that God gave it to us, and we are accountable to Him for how we use it. After creating Adam, the first man, the Bible says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). God didn’t tell him to exploit the world or treat it recklessly, but to watch over it and use it wisely. Like a good ruler, we should seek the welfare of everything God entrusts to us—including the creation. Yes, we should take care of the environment.Sort the collection of discarded, used up art supplies.
  • Divide into 4 groups and create something with the old supplies without the use of glue or adhesives.
  • Go on a "gallery walk" and view each others' creations. How can the materials be used to create sculptures? What messages could you send with the sculptures?
  • Return the materials back to the sorting containers.
  • Click the button below to Explore the work of an anonymous artist from Philadelphia who created over 1200 sculptures from found materials and left them in an alley. The only thing known of the artist is that he may be an African American man who had been seen making similar figures. No one has ever identified the artist (Frank, 2016).
Create a sculpture from our discarded art supplies using wire and glue to hold the work together. 
  • To begin, get a piece of wood, a dowel, sandpaper, and glue
  • Take turns using the drill to make a hole in the center of your piece of wood
  • Add a drop of glue in the hole and twist the dowel in place. Let the glue dry.
  • Sand the wood till smooth.
  • Try different arrangements with the discarded art supplies. Once you decide how you want to arrange things use pieces of wire and glue to hold it on the wood structure.
  • When completed, write an artist statement to be displayed with artwork. Use the Artist Statement Flow Chart (located on the button below) to help you write your statement.
*Thank you to Candice Lindsay for inspiring this lesson with your research project on recycling.
Standards: VA:Cr1.1, VA:Cr1.2, VA:Cr2.3, VA:Re.7.1, VA:Cn10.1, VA:Pr5.1