Nemo’s Long Island Friends
Educator: Trisha Christie, Studio Art
Cultural Partner: Alina Wilczynski, Performative & Visual Arts Partner
Additional Cultural Partners: Sea Shore Safari Program with Cornell Cooperative Extension
School: South Ocean Middle School, Grades 6-7
District: Patchogue Medford UFSD
Summary
Appreciation for marine health through a series of workshops and talks, including an in-class Sea Shore Safari with Cornell Cooperative Extension, hands-on art class doing Gyotaku Fish Printing and Light Painting Photography & Video, culminating with an exhibit of all the art on the Opening Night of the Middle School performance of Finding Nemo.
Rationale
Awareness and empowerment of the effect recycling has on the environment, particularly within their own community.
What learning goals/standards did this meet?
Arts:
Advances curriculum in combining traditional arts with experimental digital media
CCCR:
Promotes collaborating with others and the possibility for future professions in arts & culture. Showing that technology/media arts as part of our 21st century lives & careers.
CR-S:
Themes in this project of environmental care, collaboration, and understanding how the dominance of people over the earth and each other can be harmful, requiring instead mindfulness of the impact of each individual and the choices we make on a daily basis. Many communities are denied access to shorelines based on economics (privatized beach access or high cost daily beach access), thus perpetuating a disconnect to marine environments and how to care for them.
Outcomes
Students’ learning has expanded as a result of this project because now they…
KNOW… how to create works of art that show appreciation and care for the environmental causes
UNDERSTAND… how to talk about the importance of recycling with regards to the global impact of plastics in the ocean and how they get there
ARE ABLE TO (DO)… go beyond their comfort zone to work together in teams, go from concept to action quickly and collaborate with an artist professional to create themed art pieces
