Nature is the greatest inspiration for art; full of texture, shapes and color. At The Art of Nature Summer Camp we bring our campers into a deeper relationship with nature and express those connections through art. Each day a new theme guides our hands-on experiences (bugs, animals, plants, water, reuse/recycling) to transform our campers knowledge into a personal connection and amazing art.
The Essential Question that guided our projects’ focus was:
By observing and learning about subjects in nature we may develop awareness and create connections to the natural world, synthesizing and relating our personal experience to make art.
Inspiration for art is everywhere in nature; as The Art of Nature Summer campers found- that inspiration can even be found in a single drop of water. Our “water day” included getting water from our favorite waterways and looking at them under microscopes to reveal the tiny organisms within- the inspiration for many of our campers acrylic canvas paintings.
At the conclusion of the project, students responded to questions related to the identified Standards:
Our evaluation from our campers revealed that 81% felt that they had a deeper understanding of nature because of the science and art activities throughout the week. The other 19% felt they already understood how important nature and animals are to our lives.Comments included: “I learned there is so much we cannot see with our eyes.” “I learned that you can paint and draw everything you see!” “All animals have a meaning to life.”
Impact
The Art of Nature Summer Camp makes a big impact on campers as they learn about animals and nature through experiential learning. Campers utilize journals they create on the first day to document and draw their observations then create art (canvas, masks, pots, mural, performance). Our experienced local artists aid our campers in developing their skills so that their creation reflects their vision.
Reflection
Our artists and staff are already looking at ways to connect our campers more deeply with nature while providing meaningful art opportunities. While the camp is full of science, play and art experiences, we will be working to integrate more artistic training into our program and more time for certain activities so that our campers may develop their observation skills.