I am super pleased with how creative my students were in their Trash to Treasure challenge. I created this activity to inspire students to reuse materials and to find the beauty in everyday items. There were little to no limitations on what students could use or how they could execute their works. Some created sculptures and lighting fixtures; others made objects from deconstructed egg cartons and used dryer sheets. They all enjoyed the freedom and process in choosing their own materials and sharing their progress with others.
Left: Caroline F., painted landscape with recycled containers. Right: Jennifer H., Beauty in Tinfoils.Left: Maya S., flower heels. Right: Emily, Trash to Treasure sculpture.Left: Manuela L., Disrupted Limbic System Depression. Right: Mallory H., water bottle chandelier.Aara A., Crystal Clear.
Collecting Materials
I notified students a little over a month before the due date so they could start collecting materials. I shared some examples of what other students have done in the past and talked about using unconventional media or surfaces to make art.
Students collected cardboard, plastic bags, junk mail, old shampoo bottles, potato chip bags, plastic bottles and lids, and more. One student even carved from an old sweet potato that would’ve been thrown out. I stressed that nothing from this project should cost a penny—students could paint on discarded plastic lids from food containers or use the cardboard from shipped products as a canvas.
Another Person’s Treasure
My goal was for students to think twice about what they threw out and to think about giving items a new life. I want my students to be more conscious of our environment and to take care of it. As the sixth of seven children, I grew up in a family without much in the way of financial resources. My mom was always showing us how to be resourceful and conserve materials. For example, we used old mail as our drawing paper and newspapers as our wrapping paper. My grandma also kept old plastic bags and crocheted them into hats, showing us that items can serve other purposes. Today, I’m always asking students to rinse out their yogurt cups so we can reuse them as water cups when we paint.
Giving Everyday Objects a New Life
I was beyond impressed by students’ creativity with the materials and how they used them in different ways. My AP students, Drawing & Painting students, and Drawing I students all completed these, and they were blown away by each other’s works. Students discussed their finished works, the materials used, and how they repurposed them for their art.
This was such a success that we will have two more challenges next semester. Students have already started collecting trash again. One of my AP students is doing a sustained investigation on everyday items that we use for convenience that have negative effects on the environment. I’ve been collecting old coffee pods that my husband uses so she can consider using them in a project, maybe even as a canvas.
Kathleen Sneed Petka is an art teacher at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. Kathleen.Petka@CobbK12.org
National Standard
Connecting: Relate artistic ideas and work with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
Art teachers use nature to inspire students to become more in tune with themselves and the world around them. Young students take a mindful approach as they collage an imaginary place in which they feel calm, elementary students create visual responses that evoke empathy for those experiencing environmental disasters, middle-school students collaborate to create a sustainable felted planter for a community garden, high-school students build custom birdhouses for residents at a local retirement village, and more.
