Last spring, I was asked by the principal of Southern Carleton Elementary School (SCES) for some help getting a mural done for the new school being built (which is now the Meduxnekeag Consolidated School). It wasn't something that I could take on in my day job as a Fine Arts Lead with the school district, but I still wanted to leave her with some ideas.
One of the ideas was to have the mural reflect a nature theme that would carry from the old school to the new school. I had recently explored the Beardsley Hill Nature Preserve, which was close to the old school but almost directly beside the site of the new school.
Above are some images from the snowshoe exploration of Beardsley Hill in February 2014. Simon Mitchell of the Meduxnekeag River Association led us through the preserve and explained all about the Appalachian Hardwood Forest (AHF) and its four key indicator tree species: Butternut, Basswood, Ironwood and White Ash.
I knew that Simon and the River Association often did a lot of work in Southern Carleton Elementary teaching the students about conservation. Then it hit me that I could get students involved in the mural by teaching model art lessons that were based on an understanding of the Appalachian Hardwood Forest. In fact, this could be a perfect model of how to integrate the subjects of environmental science and art!
In May and June, Simon and I started to work with a group of Grade 5 students at SCES. We took them into the woods behind SCES and first introduced them to the tree species. We found all four AHF indicator species except for the basswood. Students made crayon rubbings of the bark texture and labelled their work. We also showed them understory plants such as Trillium and Bloodroot that are common to AHF sites.
Later, in the classroom, I gave the students art lessons on texture and pattern where they drew their own renderings of tree bark and illustrated the plants based on Simon's scientific descriptions and their own observations.
On a later excursion, we left the school property and travelled by bus to the Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Preserve, There, Simon Mitchell and George Peabody led the students through a network of trails. By this time, the leaves had grown significantly and we were able to collect samples in a handmade leaf press.
Again we followed up the excursion with a series of art lessons in the classroom. Students drew the leaves of each tree species and paid careful attention to details and line direction. Then, in another lesson, I taught the students about composing a landscape scene and how to make some trees appear closer and others farther away.
The artworks created by this group of Grade 5 students would eventually become the basis for a mural in the new school. Stay tuned for Part Two of this story...
The artworks created by this group of Grade 5 students would eventually become the basis for a mural in the new school. Stay tuned for Part Two of this story...