Promoting

Activism Through Art Education

Thrown to the Wind Wang Zhiyuan

Jaime McKay
Contemporary Issues in Art Education
University of Florida


Research Brief:

Recycling is the recovery of materials such as glass, plastic, metals, and paper from the trash to
make new products, which reduces the amount of waste and raw materials needed. According to the
United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] (2015), recycling reduces our reliance on landfills,
protects our health and the environment by reducing pollution, saves energy, creates jobs, and
conserves natural resources. Recycling prevented 86.6 million tons of material from being disposed in
2012 and in turn prevented the release of approximately 168 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into
the air. This is like taking 33 million cars off the road for a whole year. Even with this information,
Americans are only recycling 87 million tons of material, or a 34.5 percent recycling rate. Over 75
percent of waste is recyclable but the U.S only recycles about 30 percent of it. Cherif (1995) attributes
this to our material wealth. The U.S throws away while most of the world fixes and reuses.

Schools can make a huge impact, as almost 80 percent of their waste is recyclable. Still many

schools, including my own, do not recycle. The effects on the environment of not recycling are clear but
still many schools are slow to tackle the issue. Not only would school recycling programs benefit the
environment, but they can also benefit the students and school involved. The Virginia Recycling
Association [VRA] (2010) explains the importance of recycling in schools stating:

A school recycling program is a hands-on, interdisciplinary lesson that educates students about

the environment, personal responsibility, community action, and solid waste management.

School recycling programs not only impact students and their families but also impact

communities and the overall waste diversion in a community. (p. 1).

School recycling programs not only benefit the environment and an issue that plagues society, but it can
also heighten students awareness for the need to take action and be active citizens. Cherif (1995)
explains that education can make a difference and recycling needs to be a part of the curriculum. When
students learn about recycling, not only will they gain the daunting knowledge of how destructive our

present lifestyles are, they also will experience the liberating wisdom of how important the actions of
each individual really are (Cherif, 1995, p. 5). He also emphasizes the importance of teaching the youth
if we want to develop a society in which most members recycle and take initiative to conserve our
planet.
The arts are a great way to introduce students to environmental issues and can also be a form of
action. The arts greatly benefit environmental education, through their ability to communicate complex
information in simple but powerful ways (Branagan, 2005, p. 36). A great approach to utilizing the arts
according to Graham (2007) is through place-based education. This prepares and engages students in
becoming actively involved in regenerating natural and human communities. Pedagogy about place has
transformative activist purposes focused on community involvement, service, social change, and
environmental responsibility. Art education has long valued artmaking to increase student awareness of
the communities they belong. The making of art can become part of a socially responsible process of
transformation, critical thinking, and reflection in the place-based approach. Art education informed by
a critical place-based pedagogy emphasizes the activist, restorative possibilities of artmaking and affirms
the need for students to become involved in learning outside the school (Graham, 2007, p. 379). This
approach is designed to change the way students think about artmaking and nature. Involving students
connects art and education to important issues within the context of students lives. This approach
pushes students past self-expression to reflect on social issues with the community. Blandy and Hoffman
(1993) state, as art educators, we have opportunities to create learning environments that are sensitive
to practices that promote the sustainability of the environment and attend to the concept of community
as place (p. 31).
Song (2012) expands on this stating students exploring environmental education through
ecological art will develop critical thinking, creativity, an arts informed idea of being a citizen in the
world, and a greater consciousness about environmental and social issues. Ecological art he explains has

a focus on the environment or uses natural or recycled materials in a though provoking way. Ecological
artworks provide an instructional tool to engage students and the community members to develop an
understanding of local environmental issues.
My research on the impact of place-based and ecological art education has led me to devise a
lesson plan where students create ecological art to confront the issue of recycling in our school and
community. The lesson is aimed to engage middle school students in dialogue and raise awareness of
the impact of waste on the environment. Students will not only gain knowledge of recycling but will use
art to become an active voice for change in our school. The goal is through research and engagement in
ecological art, students will gain a sense of responsibility and become activists for a cause that affects
their lives. I want students to understand that they can make a difference and the arts are a great way to
confront and raise awareness of social issues. A recycling program would be the ultimate culmination of
the plan, but the most important aspect of this lesson is getting students involved in the issue to
educate our school and community in hopes they will consider the impact we have. Instead of myself as
the educator just proposing the idea and rallying for change, my hope is for students to develop their
own voice, take responsibility, act, and express their want for change through the arts.

Lesson: Raising Awareness Through Art

Grade Level: 6-8
Time: 2 weeks

Overview:
There is currently no recycling program in place at our school and the attitudes of the school and
community show a lack of concern and lack of understanding of the issue. In this lesson, students will
not only gain a general knowledge of the importance of recycling but will also engage in artmaking that
makes a statement and raises awareness of the issue. Through research and creating, students will learn
the power of the arts as a catalyst for change, take responsibility for issues relevant to their lives, and
understand that they can make a difference.

Enduring Ideas:
Art can be used to raise awareness about social issues and promote change.
Some artists confront and raise questions about environmental issues in their work.
Art can be made out of found materials.
Students can explore environment issues while engaging in the arts.
Engaging in art can give students a voice and sense of responsibility.

TN State Standards:
Standard 3: Evaluation: Students will choose and evaluate a range of subject matter, symbols,
and ideas.
Standard 5: Reflecting and Assessing: Students will reflect upon and assess the characteristics
and merits of their work and the work of others.
Standard 6: Interdisciplinary Connections: Students will make connections between visual arts
and other disciplines.

Lesson Objectives: Students will be able to.
Understand and identify the importance of recycling at school and in general.
Use the arts to raise awareness and inform the school and community about recycling.
Engage in dialogue about social issues and use the arts to promote awareness and change.
Analyze how artists have used recycled materials in their wok both physically and as a message
on environmental issues.
Create artworks using recyclable materials making a statement about recycling and our current
situation in the school.
Inform other students, teachers, administrators, and the community about recycling and
encourage action.

Process:
1). Students will conduct research on the environmental issue of recycling locally, nationally and
globally. They will gather information on the statistics, benefits, and impact recycling can have. Students
will create posters to hang around the school using this information.
2). Students will be introduced to the works of environmental artists who use recycled materials in their
work or whose work raises questions about environmental issues.
3). Students will create an ecological art project individually. The works will use recyclable materials
solely collected from within the school that would normally be thrown in the trash over the period of

one week. Their work will communicate a message of their view on recycling and raise questions about
environmental practices locally and globally.
4). The artworks will be installed around the school as a visual representation to bring attention to the
amount of waste we could be recycling. Each student will be required to include a written statement
with their work explaining the work and their intended message.
5). At the end of the two weeks, students will combine their works into a final group installation placed
in front of the school to engage the community in dialogue about recycling.

Artists/Resources:
George Sabra (http://www.georgesabra.com)
Steven Siegel (http://www.stevensiegel.net/)
Francisco de Pajaro (http://www.franciscodepajaro.com)
Wang Zhiyuan (http://www.whiterabbitcollection.org/artists/wang-zhiyuan)
Ha Schult (http://www.haschult.de)
Sarah Turner (http://www.sarahturner.co.uk)
We Make Carpets (http://www.wemakecarpets.nl)
Stuart Haygarth (http://www.stuarthaygarth.com)
Avant-Guardians (http://avant-guardians.com/index.html)

Assessment:
Research and poster.
Final art product using a provided rubric.
Statement that accompanies their artwork.
Group installation.
Reflections on the process and effectiveness of their artwork to promote awareness and social
change.

References:
Blandy, D., & Hoffman, E. (1993). Toward an art education of place. Studies in Art Education, 35(1), 22-

33.

Branagan, M. (2005). Environmental education, activism and the arts. Convergence, 38(4), 33-50.
Cherif, A.H. (1995). Toward a rationale for recycling in schools. Journal of Environmental Education.

26(4), 5.

Graham, M. A. (2007). Art, ecology and art education: Locating art education in a critical place-based

pedagogy. Studies in Art Education, 48(4), 375-391.

Song, Y. (2012). Crossroads of public art, nature and environmental education. Environmental Education

Research, 18(6), 797-813.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2015). Reduce, reuse, recycle. Retrieved from

http://www2.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics

Virginia Recycling Association. (2010). A guide for implementing a school recycling program. Retrieved

from http://vrarecycles.org/Portals/0/documents/Catch_the_cycle.pdf