In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to share a really amazing artist who works with recycled materials and with kids to create truly amazing works of art...
Michele Stitzlein is an Ohio artist who makes captivating murals and outdoor installations with plastic bottle caps. When I first discovered her work, I immediately wanted to do a project with my kids based on her technique. But since it would take months to collect enough bottle caps, I thought I'd write about it first. These are like large-scale mosaics made from the caps of juice bottles, water bottles, milk cartons, etc. They are colorful and exciting images of butterflies, flowers, even Van Gogh's Starry Night. And they are made from caps that most people throw away.
Everyone loves an art project that results in a fun, beautiful product that they can't stop looking at. But great art lessons for kids, in my opinion, also involve a few other qualities: 1) the opportunity to be creative and expressive with materials, 2) a new perspective on materials (I never thought bottle caps could be so beautiful!), and 3) connections to artists or other connections to the world around them. Michelle Stitzlein's work gives you all of this.
So, in the interest of art, save your bottle caps! And while you're building up your collection, here is a project for you: Give your child one item that would otherwise be thrown away--a container, a lid, a cookie wrapper--whatever you think might trigger some kind of creative spark. Tell them to think of something they can make with that item. Let them think about it, and make it a fun challenge. If they need some help, give them one additional suggestion. Like "What if you also had some string? Then what could you make with it?" or "What if you painted it?" or "Turn it upside down. Now what could it be?" Let them imagine what it could be. Then give them the materials to make it.
And if they think trash is trash? Show them Michelle's web site. Then tell them to think again.
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