At our recent art teacher inservice, Huron Valley Art teacher Denise Forrest shared how she took the bold step of creating environmental art with her Country Oaks Elementary students. Following in the footsteps of artist Andy Goldsworthy, earlier this spring she invited her students to explore the fields, woods, and land surrounding the school to gather their "materials". In teams of two to four, the children then created their own sculptures and amazing artwork using leaves, grass, dandelions, tall fronds of Phragmites, sticks and stones. The results were outstanding works of eco-art meant to naturally biodegrade. She also showed a DVD of Goldsworthy's art that was awe inspiring! It depicted the artist carefully and reverently working to create his natural sculptures. "With today's fast paced society, our students need to learn how to take time to slow down and appreciate the natural beauty of the outdoors. This was an excellent opportunity for them and one they truly enjoyed," reported Forrest.
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