One of my favourite training courses to run was Expressive Arts Outside. Once I arrived at a lovely school with a garden area. Very sadly the fence around this area had been vandalised quite significantly at the weekend and was in a sorry state. We did not have time nor the tools there and then to fix the fencing. Instead, we did what we could with what we had…
Armed with a bag of nylon-free clay, the course participants got to work. I showed them how to use clay to create interesting patterns and designs outside. It’s better to use simple clay without nylon or plastic added, so that this does not leave micro plastic in the environment.
We then brightened up the broken fences as a wee surprise for passers-by and the school children arriving the at school the next day.
When creating transient art work outside, capturing the work in situ keeps a lasting record. It can help to take photos far away and close up. This helps children begin to understand concepts such as near and far as well as scale. I love the simple yet sweet designs below…
The dandelions and cherry blossom in bloom both looked beautiful outside…
Whilst our work is not restorative, at least it’s an acknowledgement that the area deserves some beauty and care…
The idea of guerrilla art is not new. There’s lots of it to see these days with a quick online search. it’s possible to create a little beauty, awe and wonder in any wee place or space.
It also reminds me of the Chinese proverb “Rather light a candle than complain about the dark.”
Many thanks to the wonderful participants on this course for being up this little act of guerrilla art amidst the felting and weaving work. You never know what will happen on some courses you attend…
This blog post was originally published in May 2012.
What a brilliant idea & I’m sure you will bring a smile to the childrens’ faces tomorrow, never mind anyone else who encounters them tonight. Thanks for another good idea for outdoor fun – must get the clay out! Kierna
Great stuff, we did a very similar thing in our forest schools. We went to the woods and created some woodland creatures out of clay and left them hidden in trees and under roots to be found!
I have a question; what clay do you use? We used some old air dry clay that was still a little tacky but we found it hard to get it to stick to tree bark, any ideas?
-S
Thanks both Stuart and Kierna for your kind comments and thoughts.
Stuart – the clay was the standard school grey clay. I bought this batch from TTS a couple of years ago. To keep it moist I keep it wrapped in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel and then keep this in an air tight container. This seems to do the trick.
Best wishes
Juliet
Thanks for the link to Stories from Space. I also like the proverb. And what a positive way to approach such a dreadful problem. Great life lesson.