3 min read

Art IS Everywhere

Art Theme

Week 10

We have just one more week of school before we break for holidays. With Pratham’s One Day, one story, scheduled for the coming week, I chose to end the Art Theme this past week.

To end out exploration of art themed books this term, I wanted to leave the children with something they could reflect about, something which would nudge their wonderful imaginations in a direction that would keep them creating over the holidays.

“Art is everywhere”, I announced.

The children were free to agree or disagree, so long as they could explain why.

The majority agreed, giving me reasons that reflected that some of them understood what I was hoping for.

Others took it more literally, reflecting that ‘Yes, we can draw anywhere. If I take a book and pencil with me everywhere, I can do art anywhere.”

A few were very insistent that where there were no paintings or sculptures displayed, there was no art.

A few reflected that every thing around us needed to be designed and created in someones imagination and so yes, art is around us. Others reflected on the patterns around us in nature...the waves, the undulation of the mountains, the clouds...nature is art.

“ Art is everywhere, Aunty. Everything is an inspirations for creating art” said little Aiza.

I found the perfect books to share with them…

Art is Every where - Here, There and in Everyday Objects

Authors - Aparna Kapur and Bijal Vaccharajani

Illustrators - Adrija Ghosh, Canato Jimo, Priya Kuriyan, Sheena Deviah

Photographer: Radha Rangarajan

Publisher: Pratham Books

The book is made up of little rhymes to go along with an interesting illustration made using everyday objects.

As I read the rhyme aloud, the children were excited to figure our the objects that contributed to the ‘art’.

The rhymes are not the smoothest to read, but somehow it made the children think that it was possible for them to write some too.

The post reading activity was simple. The library session still being in online mode, the children were free to walk around their homes and find objects that they could use to create something completely different. The older children were challenged to write a few lines to go along with their ‘illustration’.

I showed them two examples of what I had done, and they understood what I wanted them to do.

While my yellow highlighter owl was identified as a penguin, which caused my heart to just sink,

not one child fail to understand the brief. Even those who felt art is only something hanging on the walls, ‘created’.

I uploaded another two books in the series for the children to read and get more ideas, if needed or to read them at leisure. These books are available freely on Storyweaver.

Art is Everywhere - Here, There and in the Trash

Art is Everywhere - Here, There and in Food

At the end of the given time, children shared their work, explaining as they went along….and oh how much fun they had. They shared that using objects around them to create art was a great idea and that they felt happy and excited doing it. Some found it funny and others found the exercise to be loads of fun.

One child expressed how from now onwards, he is going to be looking at things/objects, not as what they are!!!

I loved that....looking beyond what is plain to see, delving deeper into the possibilities.

Rather profound isn’t it?

A wee bit of philosophy to end our art themed reads this term.

Here are a few of the children's creations...

( please excuse the quality of the images, many are screenshots taken as the children shared.