Ephemeral Environmental Art with 4th Grade & Middle School

Inspired by the artwork of Andy Goldsworthy and the natural beauty of the AFS campus, 4th grade students and middle school students joined forces to create temporary artwork in the great outdoors. Middle school art teacher Peter and his 6th grade art students came down to the lower school on Friday morning to team up with small groups of 4th grade art students.

Soon everyone headed outdoors with collection boxes in tow to gather natural materials such as sticks, rocks, leaves, acorns and even osage oranges. The teams each picked individual spots along the back campus that called to them, including the tree grove, spots along the creek, an inviting puddle and the firepit.

 

They set to work, using the materials that they gathered to create natural artwork, engaging in the present moment, knowing that their artwork would be ephemeral and that nature would soon take its course on their handiwork. A class of 7th grade art students later joined in to document the work that was happening using photography and writing.

 

At the end of the session, all of the teachers and students gathered together to view all of the groups' creations. Each team gave a short explanation of their work. Artworks were inspired by themes such as the four seasons and campfires. One group created a worm home, while another decided to make a structure that could float in the water. Teachers and students alike enjoyed taking the time to spend in nature, engage in making art and spend time with friends from different divisions. As everyone headed back inside students could be overheard saying, "I like that we did art all morning," and "that was just TOO much fun."

-Photographs by Alicia E. Fernández

Below are some of the photographs and written responses to the activity generated by the 7th grade students:

"My experience building this little teepee hut was really a blast. I got to build a piece of artwork out of nature, which was so amazing! This was also fun because I got to meet some new kids from lower school. "


"My experience with the fourth graders was a cool one. First building things out of nature was cool and it opened my eyes to new ideas. Second the fourth graders were helpful, creative, extremely talented, and I had a great time building a boat with them."

"I had a fun experience working with 4th graders on their Andy Goldsworthy inspired sculptures. Grace and I helped build a “campfire” in one of the “campgrounds”. All of the 4th graders were so creative and welcoming, I’m glad I got to work with them. "