HomeArt: Earth Day

It's Spring Break! You have no homework? How about a HomeArt assignment. I knew you'd love it!


Tomorrow is Earth Day and I want to challenge you to create a piece of Earth Art in celebration. Earth Art is art created in nature (usually) from nature (always). Let's look at a couple of Earth Artists.


The first is Andy Goldsworthy. You may learn more about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Goldsworthy 
He creates art in the natural world using all kinds of natural materials: sticks, leaves, water, stones....and a camera. Earth Art  is transient, meaning it changes or even disappears once you've finished it. That is because nature is always changing, and that transience becomes part of the art too. Here is an example of Andy Goldsworthy's work.

Another Earth Artist was Robert Smithson, whom you can lean more about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smithson He worked on a very large scale. This piece is called Spiral Jetty and it is in the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Maybe you can't tell but this work is HUGE! He moved thousands of pounds of earth into this spiral shape in the water. Over time the water will erode his art, but that is ok. That is all part of the process.


YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Think about the Earth Art you've just discovered. What natural shapes did the artist use? What natural materials? Now go outside and create your own work of Earth Art. You could do it in the backyard or leave it in the local park or at the beach for others to enjoy. Be sure to photograph it when you're done, then send the photo to me at otlartstudio@gmail.com and I'll post it here! Don't forget to name your creation too.


HaPpY EaRtH DaY!
* The idea for this challenge was blatantly stolen from an article by Aileen Pugliese Castro in the current SchoolArts Magazine. "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal." ~ Pablo Picasso