August 30, 2016
Cairns!
Seward High has adopted a new block schedule, allowing for longer class periods, which suits art class well. We have begun the year exploring making art in and with our natural environment with the creation of cairns.
We started the first day connecting art to problem solving by building marshmallow and uncooked spaghetti noodle structures, aspiring for both height and beauty.
We then watched the documentary about natural artist Andy Goldsworthy, Rivers and Tides. If you have not checked out his work, you should! He creates outdoor pieces using icicles, stones, leaves, flowers, sticks, thorns and mud.
Then we learned about cairns in a historical and global context. Humans have built cairns since ancient times, using them as landmarks, burial monuments, defense walls, for ceremonial purposes, to located buried objects and to mark trails.
We went to Jap Creek and built our own cairns in the sunshine. Here are some photos!
