Two of my 4th grade classes are having a blast as they use "previously used" materials to build Folk Art sculptures. Of course, we like to call them "junk" sculptures as they are made from found objects that are available around us and have usually been discarded after their initial use. Folk Artists were artists that were not formally trained and usually developed their own style by trial and error. Most were not from wealthy families, so what they used they had to find. There are many artists, especially sculptors, who look for discarded items and find new functions for them in their art. That is what our two 4th grade classes are doing, as they dig through scraps of wood, old toys, and parts and pieces of other discarded items to build their animal or robot sculptures. You will be amazed at the connections they are making between unrelated objects! Not to mention how they are helping the environment by recycling these objects into a thing of beauty!
