Book Art

Aren't these amazing? This  book art was created by students, teachers and media specialist, Carol Stollard from Jason Lee Middle School in Tacoma, Washington. Some have folded pages, others include collaged in items--all upcycled book discards!  The works are on display for the Plugged-in to Reading Institute we're doing here in Portland, Oregon. I'm inspired!

So beyond a beautiful display what purpose could such a project serve in my own classroom? Why integrate art?

Art smiles. Art unites. Art unifies. Art heals. Art extends. Art thinks. Art wonders. Art delights. As Elliott Eisner says, "Art is literacy of the heart." I could pair this project with reading about paper mills and their affect on our environment. We could begin with this elegantly simple video "Pay It Green" which demonstrates in a concrete, specific and practical way how each individual could reduce paper's impact on our environment. I could also point students toward exploring issues of reusing, recycling or (upcycling). We could virtually visit "Reframe: Making Sense of Waste" an exhibit from the San Fransico Art Museum.We could talk about the value to a community of re-purposing goods.  I want to teach students about "the power of you." Don't you?

What else could we connect? Engineering (the science and math behind the pop-up), reading (create a visual for a recent read like the student did with Yolanda's Genius), social studies (bring in the history of the book and printing press). Art connects. Art builds. Art enriches.