Resource+4

Resource 4: Recycled art from trash

=
Web Urbanist. (2011). 7 Innovative Artists Who Create Art from Trash: Projected, Recycled and Other Amazing Art//.// Retrieved September 22, 2011, from [|__http://weburbanist.com/2008/06/04/recycled-art-from-trash/__] ======

=
The website gives a different perspective on art, exploring how selected artists use what most people would consider as 'trash' and using it to create pieces of art. The website gives overviews of 7 different artists who have created significant pieces of recycled art. Although each artist uses recycled goods to create their pieces, each creation is completely unique and has their own focus. The artworks range from using various materials coagulated together to create a stunning and unique shadow cast; to the use of shopping bags, interwoven together to form a bear. For each artist, the website has a short description of the artist and their works. The exploration of Visual Literacy also has many links with another key learning area - Creative Arts, the Visual Arts strand. The elements and purpose explored have very close links to the way that artwork is examined and studied. ======

=
This resource offers a different perspective and view on how environments and the resources within an environment can be interacted with. The resource focuses on the HSIE outcome, Relationships with places: 'ENS2.6 - //Describes people’s interactions with environments and identifies responsible ways of interacting with environments'.// (NSW Board of Studies, 2006, p. 33). The resource 'presents alternatives to, and consequences of, using features, sites and places in particular ways' (NSW Board of Studies, 2006, p. 33). Since the aim is to provide alternatives to viewing an environment, approaching the topic through art is an excellent way of engaging students with the task as art is all about creativity and thinking outside of the box, which is needed when exploring how to reuse items and areas in different ways. ======

=
The focus of the resources is to explore visual literacy through group activities where talking and listening is used in order to gain information. Visual literacy is explored in the worksheet provided (see Lesson D) where representational, interactive and composition elements such as colours, modality, placement, salience, texture and vectors are examined. Other aspects such as purpose and intended meanings for visual literacy are also touched upon. In particular, this resource can be used to teach students how to identify hidden meanings that artist place in their artworks. ======

=
Another aspect of literacy that is explored is talking and listening. The worksheet is scaffolded around group communication to cater for meaningful learning as well as to support English as Second Language (ESL) learners as well. Gibbons (1991) states that group discussion allows students to practise their english in a meaningful environment while being surrounded by good models whom which they are able to learn off. Rather than just focusing on individual group work to fulfil the Visual Literacy aspect, the worksheet is tied in with group contribution to al'ow students to share off each other and to contribute as a group, offering different opinions and viewpoints. ======

**REFERENCE LIST**

 * ======Board of Studies NSW. (2006). //HSIE K-6 Syllabus.// Sydney: Author. ======
 * ======Board of Studies NSW. (2007). //English K-6 Syllabus.// Sydney: Author. ======
 * ======Gibbons, P. (1991). Learning to learn in a second language. PETA, Newtown. ======