Look what I Found!

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."  Edison

     This could not be more true! We've been talking about field trips in my last couple of posts. We have discussed how they are an "adventure waiting to be had," preparing your class for said adventure, before, during and after activities, safety precautions, and subject integration. 

     There is a lot that goes into field trips and a lot to consider. Yep, that is just a given that we now understand.... What I would like to show you now, is just one of those subject integration's with a follow up activity after our field trip adventure that we did in class. 

     It's called Found Art. Yep, you guessed it, it is an art activity, ta-da....therefore.....art integration! We were asked to bring a bag along with us and pick up anything we thought interesting. All we were told is that we were going to use what we found to create an art piece. That sounded simple enough, except I forgot the darn bag! Luckily some of us always bring extras! 

     What is Found Art? What I have discovered about it is that basically it is art that is made from ordinary things that you find anywhere and everywhere. It is a fabulous way to really get creative as it is all on "you." In other words, it is what the artist "sees, or envisions" in what others perceive as ordinary junk or trash. It is an art piece where the artist makes something from nothing.

To learn more about Found Art, click on the links below... 

What is Found Art?

Found Art...

To view many different Found Art pieces, you can click on the following link.....................   

                    Examples (images) of Found Art 

There are some pretty amazing pieces.

     Now, back to our field trip Follow Up Found Art activity....As we walked through the wooded trails, my mind was racing with possibilities. I had no real idea what we were going to be making, and with instructions open and consisting only of, "Collect what you find interesting..." I realized that I found everything interesting. Knowing that I was going to use what I found, I began looking at everything in a different light. I am creative and have the ability to see normal items as things with potential possibilities. I also can see a use or potential use for things that let's say.....others do not. "Is that a symptom of hoarding? EEK!" (Just ask my husband, I have a basement full of "useful" things that I will someday use to "make something.")

     I began collecting.....acorns, grasses, many different types of bark, flower heads, Catalpa pods, leaves, etc. Like I said, I found everything interesting. I began to think about textures and colors, among a modge podge of other things. (I tend to collect many things I probably do not need, "but just in case....")

Oh the goodies!

     During class, after discussing our adventure, during Art, we were asked to get our bags of goodies out. We were given roughly 15-20 minutes to create a piece of art using what we had found. 

     "WHAT?!....WHAT?!" Oh my, for this girl, that seemed virtually impossible! My mind may have been racing with possibilities when I was collecting, but they somehow vanished when I needed them the most. This was not to be a masterpiece, this was not to be something that consisted of a lot of thought, this was reality.  "Oh no! What am I going to create? Where do I even start? What to do, what to do....."As I looked around, my classmates did not seem to be having this dilemma, which made it even worse..."Did I miss something? Were we supposed to already have a plan in place?" Needless to say, I spent the first 7 or 8 minutes trying to look like "I had a plan and knew exactly what I was going to do." So.........

Can you say that again? My mind was a chaotic mess at that moment. 
Found on pinterest.com

      Okay, I'm creative, I tend to do my best work when I am "under the gun" and do not have a lot of time. So I began playing with the different items in my little bag. I randomly laid them on my paper, here then there, and KABAM! With only a few minutes to go, it hit me out of nowhere! I had a plan and I was off and running!

     I had a vision in mind, and just had to make it happen. This is what I created from my found items. It is right in line with what we looked at during our field trip. I was quite pleased with what I came up with and was able to get done during construction time after I stopped "freaking out" and "just let it happen...."

TA-DA!!! A little split rail fence constructed of bark, Catalpa Bean pods, and dried grasses, isn't it kind of cute?

     Oh the things I could still do with this little piece. My mind was off and running, and I didn't want to stop. I could have created a windmill in the back ground with additional trees and such. the path could have been filled in with seeds, or whatever....

     I realized that as I was creating this, I was thinking about all that I had seen on the field trip, as well as all that I had learned. I was processing all of this while creating art. IMAGINE THAT? I would say that our professor's goal was accomplished. This was a great activity to show us how to not only integrate Art into other subjects, but also how it helps the student to reflect and process what they learned. It is a wonderful way to draw information that is stored and tucked away to the forefront. 

Found on pinterst.com

     If I would have taken the time to finish the piece, with the windmill, etc., I could have used it as an opening to research windmills and split rail fences. I could have researched Catalpa Bean Trees, where they are located, any uses for, etc. There are so many subject areas that can be utilized with one simple art project. INTEGRATION....it just makes sense. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of this course where I have learned how to incorporate Art into just about everything. When I create anything, it feels like I am playing, so with that being said.....