Transforming Communities with Art (+ Recap of My Komachin Middle School Project)
Are you an artist or educator looking to engage and inspire young people? But maybe you’re not sure how to begin? Allow me to share an incredible story from last winter, where I spent 6 weeks with 2 middle school marine biology classes and their amazing teachers. Together, we delved into the impact of plastics on the marine environment while tying this learning back to their school—a place they have the power to impact.
During this project, I engaged students in a lengthy design process, honing their collaborative skills. We set criteria and constraints, ultimately focusing on single-use plastic water bottles—the most prevalent form of trash in the school. Our goal was to raise awareness and reduce the usage of these water bottles.
The resulting design featured a mesmerizing wave sculpted from hundreds of single-use plastic water bottles that were collected, cleaned, cut, melted, painted, and installed by students. Inside the wave, embossed aluminum salmon, small fish, jellies, and sea turtles were visible, adding depth to the message and allowing students freedom of expression.
The art depicted the wave crashing onto the earth, spiraling around the infamous great pacific garbage patch. A low-relief sculpture of the earth, painted and paper-machéd by students, was the focal point. Human figures encircled the earth, representing the diversity of humanity needed to create lasting, positive change. (Watch the Reels HERE and HERE for a deeper insight into the design process.)
Art, especially collaborative art, is an excellent way to explore tough subjects, like the thousands of marine mammals that die each year from ingesting plastic. By exploring these topics through art, students were able to process through the difficult emotions that can arise when we hear hard truths. By making art directly after learning about these concepts, they immediately took action. This prevented them from getting stuck in a place of apathy or depression.
“There are many skills needed for a project like this, but I believe that communication, leadership, and the ability to organize a group of people are mostly important.”
By incorporating single-use plastic water bottles collected from the school into the artwork, and aligning them with Next Generation Science standards, we crafted a multi-faceted learning experience that wove together multiple learning styles.
By working together to create this multi-faceted collaborative art piece, we had the lived experience of making something much larger than any one of us could make on our own. This is exactly the type of lived experience that will prepare us to face, and find solutions to, the challenging societal problems that we’ve inherited and are passing on.
The resulting masterpiece and captivating stories are a catalyst for inspiring the school community to take action and work towards reducing single-use plastics in the long term.
“I would like Carrie to know that I loved doing this project! It was fun and educational. The work was divided up perfectly. (Kinda like a divide and conquer strategy). I am very appreciative of Carrie and her skills as an artist. Thank you Carrie and it was a pleasure to meet you!”
I am so proud of how the students showed up, took part in, and claimed ownership of the project. From offering ideas on the design and making every single piece that was used in the installation, to presenting the project to their school community, they learned and practiced many skills, including math, communication, leadership, collaboration, artistic techniques, and how to use tools. They gave a lot and in return they gained skills and an incredible story to share with their friends and family.
My vision is to see such impactful projects in every school, city, and country worldwide. That's why I'm committed to helping artists and educators like you in achieving this goal.
“It’s amazing how this is what a person does every day, it’s very inspiring, I might like to do this in the future.”
We are in a transformative moment in history, and we need you to lead the change right where you live, work, and play. Together, we can ignite change with art and create a world where we all thrive!
