Life In The Arts
Floating Gardens
with Erin Gafil and Tom Birmingham
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 10:30 - 11:30 AM
LONGTIMERS PRODUCTIONS AND THE MONTEREY COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION PRESENT
PROGRAM GUEST
Erin Gafill is an artist,writer,and co-founder of the Big Sur Arts Initiative,a nonprofit arts education organization serving children and families through the arts.Over the last ten years,her oil paintings and water colors have been exhibited throughout Monterey County and are included in private collections around the world.
In 2001,she was awarded the honor of an invitation by Japan 's prestigious Hamada Children 's Museum to serve as a visiting artist/teacher for the museum 's 5th anniversary.
STUDENT PROJECT
MATERIALS LIST
Varied multicolored papers (construction,tissue,xerox) cut or torn into pieces no larger than 8.5 x 11 "
Hand painted papers, Colored ribbons, Found objects (shells,leaves,seed pods ...)
Materials include found objects, paper, glue, metal, wire and household objects ...a primary intention of
"Floating Gardens " is to encourage experimentation, promoting individuality in a collaborative context.
Goals of the project include self -expression, development of visualization and actualization skills (conceiving an idea and then executing it), team building, and exploring dynamic design principles -contrast/harmony, texture/color, composition, balance and the relationship between negative and positive space.
"Floating Gardens " is a collaborative 3-D art project in which children of all ages can create an individual art piece evoking the garden -images have ranged from flowers, butterflies, moths, stars, moons, suns and planets. One mom created a collage of a telephone and a teacup, evoking the sense of a garden as a place to catch up on phone calls while communing with nature. Each art piece is both 2-D and 3-D,and as they are suspended in space must be designed with both a front and a back.Each piece is then hung on a metal or bamboo "arm "in counter-balance with another art piece by a different artist. Each arm is suspended in relation to the other, each arm eventually connecting with a suspending apparatus (we are currently hanging our mobile pieces from a hula hoop!)
"Hello USA/Konnichiwa Japan "is a sister project spearheaded by Tom Birmingham, BSAI 's special projects manager,and the Hamada Children 's Museum technical curator, Ai.While students visit Hamada Children 's Museum to take part in the Floating Gardens program,they will have the opportunity to work on-line at a computer work station creating images to share with their counterparts in Monterey County.Each child will be asked to draw a picture of what they like, and what they dislike.The image will be uploaded to the "Hello USA " website.Words will be posted in both English and Japanese.Links with local schools/youth organizations will be created specially for the 2 week period of the Floating Gardens project,and beyond.
TEACHERS GUIDE
First,we think about a garden -our own garden, our mother 's or grandmother 's garden, or a space or place in nature in which we have felt happy, safe and nurtured. (Some children may think of beaches, forests or even an indoor place.Any where their imagination takes them in this exercise is OK.) Then we look at our materials.Paper, ribbon, wire, found objects. How can we create an individual object or art piece out of these things? How can we arrange what we make in balance with another thing? Encourage children stand on one foot and explore their own personal balance.Balance a pencil on their finger tip. Each object they create will exist in the mobile in relation to another person 's mobile,connected by a strand of wire. Now we begin. Each child gathers three to five pieces of paper and a length of wire to cut, rip, fold, connect into an image from the garden of their imagination. Each piece will exist in space and be seen from all sides, so think 3-D.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Though each child creates his or her own individual piece,the mobile is a collaborative creation that exists only by balancing each individual 's work.In this part of the process,we explore individuality and teamwork.
EVALUATION
Have children look at what they have created together. Note the space that separates the elements, the way they move in relation to one another, how the mobile changes it moves, or as you move around it and see it from a different angle.How is this sculpture different from other sculptures they have seen?
CAREER CORNER
School to Work Transition
The service sector offers a myriad of career opportunities for people with a variety of talents, skills and abilities.Here are some examples.Pick one that interests you and explore it as a career possibility.What does the person do on a daily basis?What educational background and work experience is necessary? What are the rewards? You may be surprised by what you find! Current career information can be found on the Internet as well as at your school Career Center.You may want to interview a member of the community that is currently working in one of these professions.
Art Director
Scenic Artist
Scientific Illustrator
Typographical Artist
Upholstery Fabric Designer
Problem solving, creative thinking, curiosity, and enjoying playing with materials, arranging colors and forms,and trying to do what hasn 't been done before-trailblazing -are qualities that lend themselves to a career in the arts.There are many career opportunities in the arts,and many artists create a career so varied and creative that their lives might qualify as a work of art in themselves.
WEBSITES
A site chronicling the history of the Floating Gardens International
Art Exchange Project between Monterey,California,and Hamada, Japan.
The website of the inventor of the art mobile,Alexander Calder.