It was a cheery morning as Class 2 students steadily made their way into the colorful, inviting Art Room. “Hi friends!” greeted Art teacher Lauren McCarty who stood in the doorway. Each student slipped on a dark blue smock and settled into her spot at a table before turning her attention to Ms. McCarty, who held up a classmate’s work. “We’re creating our worlds, do you remember?” she asked, signaling nodding heads across the room.
These second graders were in the midst of a creative project inspired by their own lives, and had already sketched four different places that made up their worlds, including “a place you call home, a place in New York City, a familiar route and a place you’ve visited.”
Today’s task called for students to color in their sketches with colored pencils and watercolors and begin constructing their cast paper circles (made out of newspaper and water; referred to as ‘pulp’) which, in the next class, will be hung from a piece of wood to create a mobile of all four “worlds.”
“Describe these places that are yours,” Ms. McCarty explained as she pointed to her student’s example, encouraging each student to show her individual self through art. “Who’s the boss of your art work?” she asked to which the energetic students replied, “Me!”
The eager artists wasted no time getting to work and pulled out watercolor palettes, pencils and newspaper. Half of the class busily completed their sketches while the other half began working on their cast paper. The whole room pulsed with activity, animated chatter and soft instrumental music.
Around the room each piece of artwork varied, showcasing each student’s personality and unique experiences. “This is my friend’s house in Southampton,” explained one student as she presented her drawing of the beach. “This is the Spy Museum in NYC. It’s my favorite museum here,” said another, pointing to one of her designated circles. “And over here is my favorite thing inside the museum,” extending her finger to the opposite side of the circle to show a small drawing of an exhibit. Other projects displayed vibrant depictions of Central Park, a specific subway route, an ice skating rink, Florida and The Color Factory.
The back right table served as the hub for cast paper circle creation. Students reached their hands into small cylinder containers, pulled out the wet, gray substance and placed it into the container lids.
“Make them thick so they’re strong,” commented Ms. McCarty as she gazed over each circle. Once the lids were filled, they flattened the pulp down gently with a sponge. “Pat, don’t poke them,” she gently reminded, to help avoid any punctures. Once the creations were complete, Ms. McCarty placed them on a heater to harden.
Soon, the class neared its final minutes and the clean up process began. “Ms. McCarty, what can I do to help?” one student asked. “I love that question,” she replied giving her helpful student a high-five. “Can you push in the chairs at each table?”
Once the workspaces were neat and tidy again, students took their places in line at the door. “Who helped make pulp today?” asked Ms. McCarty, a question to which almost every hand raised. “Well, that means you are recycling paper to make artwork!” She clarified that the newspaper came from the library, where it was no longer needed, and they had transformed it into their worlds.
The students happily exited the classroom, certainly eager to return to Art to finish these special projects.
