PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Students in Wintergreen Arts Center’s most recent after-school session have been creating unique works of art out of everyday items that might have otherwise been considered “trash.”
Teacher Denise Violette, a regular instructor for Wintergreen’s after-school classes, named the theme of this year’s winter session “Reusing + Recycling = Art.” She wanted to inspire children to think of creative ways they could transform the most ordinary objects such as bottle caps, cardboard, magazine and newspaper photos, manila folders and toilet paper tubes into their own masterpieces.
“I think it’s important that they see the potential in creating art out of everyday things,” Violette said. “A lot of times, I might have an idea on how they might create something, but then they’ll come up with their own ideas, too. It helps us work as a group.”
On Thursday, Jan. 24, the 15 students in the 4th to 6th grade after-school class were hard at work creating paper mache letters. They began by each taking a piece of cardboard that was shaped into the letter of their first initial and gluing the rims of small paper cups across the frame of the cardboard.
MacKenzie Vigue, 8, (left) and Meredith House, 7, work on 3D letters during the Jan. 24 session of Wntergreen Art Center’s after-school art class. The theme for the first winter session is “Reusing + Recycling = Art” with students creating art projects out of everyday objects such as bottle caps, cardboard, magazine and newspaper photos, and toilet paper tubes. (Melissa Lizotte)
After the glue dried, the children spread more glue across the bottom of the paper cups and placed a second cardboard letter on top. The effect created a 3D version of the letter, which Violette calls “Architectural Letters” because they resemble miniature sculptures. They then dipped pieces of newspaper into a bowl of glue to make paper mache to cover their letters.
The next step involved letting the paper mache dry before painting and decorating the letter. Violette suggested that the children hang the letters as decorations on their bedroom walls or from their ceiling or place them on a dresser or desk as their own art displays.
Other “recyclable” art projects have included magazine photo collages, robots made from tinfoil, curtains made with stringed together bottle caps on fishing lines, and marble games made from toilet paper tubes. All items were collected and donated by local classrooms or individuals.
“I really liked making the marble game,” said Kapri Griffeth, 9, about her favorite recyclable project. “I like how we could make anything we want.”
Mia Dumont, 6, also said that the marble game was a favorite project of hers and that she was excited about creating the paper mache letters.
“It’s really fun,” she said, about the after-school class.
More information about the Wintergreen Art Center’s after-school arts program can be found on the organizatoin’s website.
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- Kayla Libby, 10, (front, left), Ada Cote, 9, and Kapri Griffeth, 9, create 3D letters during the Jan. 24 session of Wintergreen Arts Center’s after-school arts class. (Melissa Lizotte)
