Upcycling Art

We asked RCS art teacher Sara Malekzadeh about Upcycling Art and the mural that emerged on Ripp Rally Day.

 

RCS: Where did the idea for a Creation Station come from?

SM: I can’t take credit for it; it was a group effort. Cheryl Coyle approached Geri Heinrich, Jade Vincent, and me and asked if we wanted to do an art station at Ripp Rally Day. We said, “Sure!” And then we put our heads together. I use recycled materials in my curriculum. We thought we’d do it on a larger scale, and show kids they could turn trash into art.

 

RCS: How did you do it?

SM: Cheryl brought in the plastic netting that’s used in gardens. And it worked! Each square was an inch around. Geri did the letters. She drew them and then spray painted them. The brown paper had the letters on it. We wanted the kids to see the letters – to have them jump out at them.

 

RCS: How did the students manipulate the plastic and attach it to the netting?

SM. They found they could bend it. Weave it through. Braid it. Fold it. Tie it in bows. It’s really positive and negative space.

 

RCS: Any challenges?
SM: We wanted red and blue plastic bags – but red were hard to find.

RCS: Are you happy with the result?

SM: Actually, it came out really well. We took a chance. And the process was fun for the kids.

 

RCS: Feedback from the kids?

SM: “Fun!” “Oh, this is why we were cutting plastic.” They said it was really cool – they didn’t know you could make art with plastic bags. It all really goes back to how much trash we produce – all of us. When you don’t see it, you don’t think about it. I’m hoping this is just the start of other things to do. The mural is definitely a way to show that art comes in all sizes, shapes, mediums, and materials. Look what you can do with things we already have.