Barrington students learn to look for art in trash
CATHY WOGAN, ThisWeek Staff Writer, Thursday, March 22, 2007
ThisWeek newspaper
Brown wings of an oversized moth spread across the wall of the Ohio Craft Museum at 1665 W. Fifth Ave.
Some of the students from Barrington Elementary noticed the ivory keys of a discarded piano incorporated into the moth's wings.
The third-grade students were playing the part of art detectives on March 13 when they visited the museum's exhibition of "Trash Formations," which will continue through April 1.
"All of the art you see here was made from found or recycled materials," said Sharon Kokot, executive director of the museum.
"Piano Moth" was created by Michelle Salrin Stitzlein of Baltimore, Ohio. She will visit Barrington March 29 through April 5 to work with the students as an artist in residence.
Stitzlein's goal is to teach kindergarten through fifth-grade students how to use discarded materials in their artwork as they prepare to create a garden of flowers in the school courtyard, according to art teachers Gwen Davis and Lou Tiberi.
The students are currently collecting plastic bottle caps and lids to help with the 3-D flower garden, principal Pam Yoder said.
Since the students will need thousands and thousands of caps and lids, Davis said, they have turned to Jones Middle School for help with their collection.
When it is finished, she said, the courtyard garden will feature 120 flowers, four or five from each classroom. The flowers will be sold during an Art Festival set for May 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Rain date is May 22.
The students got an idea of what to expect when they worked on a project last week at the museum. Using plastic bottle caps and small lids, they laid out their designs on a compact disc.
"The designs work best if they are symmetrical," said Megan Moriarty, education coordinator for the Ohio Designer Craftsmen (ODC),the organization that operates the museum. "What does that mean?"
A student won her praise by explaining that symmetrical meant the same on both sides.
Parents, ODC staff members and teachers sealed the lids in place using hot glue guns.
Elli Wachtman, one of the third-graders, carefully worked with one red cap, two blue caps and several white bottle caps until she had a pattern that satisfied her.
"Everything (art materials), we have saved from the landfill," Moriarty said. "Bottle caps cannot be recycled, so they are going to go into the landfill. We got these (CDs) from the Laptop Guy, he was going to throw those away. And our magnets came from a printing company, they were going to throw those away. So everything would have gone into the trash. We are making cool art out of trash today."
During the tour, Kokot asked the students not to touch, lean on or bump the art.
"It takes a lot of talent and skill and a long time finding just the right objects," she said.
When she asked why recycling materials is important, one of the students quickly stated that it is good for the earth.
"The United States has way too much trash and you should recycle as much as you can," she said.
Students were eager to find parts in the "Seated Lady" display featured in the center of the gallery, made from hundreds of objects. The children found car keys, a horse, hair brush, clock, Walkie Talkie, globe, toy car and the neck of a guitar among the hundreds of items used in the artwork.
They pointed out objects to Kokot that she had not previously noticed.
A piece made to look like a tarantula allowed Kokot to show the children the humor of the artist in the work. In the tarantula's head were straight pins used for sewing and on its stomach was yarn.
"We often say they spin a web," she said.
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Michelle Stitzlein found object sculpture art assemblage sculpture class workshop renderings graphic design art grange
