Recycled Wearables

As a middle-school art teacher, I introduce my students to many different ways to make art so they donʼt assume that all art is created with paint, clay, or pencil on paper. Art is expansive and inclusive and can be made from a variety of materials, and our classrooms are the studios where students investigate, explore, and create works of art that reflect their voice and vision. One way I challenge students to demonstrate their understanding of this is by using alternative or reusable materials to create wearable art.

Wearable works have become a cornerstone of my middle-school curriculum. Sometimes students use origami papers or cardboard, other times they make things out of wire or yarn, and most recently, they have created work in the form of a digital file and printed it out with a 3D printer or laser cutter. Whatever the method, it is important for students to understand that there are many ways to approach art and that works that are worn are just as worthy as paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

Getting Started
I offer students a choice-based, thematic-driven curriculum. For this lesson, students are asked to focus their energy on creating something to be worn, using materials and methods that are reused, recycled, or presented in an alternative way from how they might normally be used. Students are challenged to use these materials to create their own wearable work that demonstrates their understanding of contrast and balance as principles of designs.

Investigating the Works of Nick Cave and Rachel Burke
Before creating their sketches and plans, students are introduced to two artists who use wearable pieces to visually communicate ideas and express themselves.

The first artist we explore is American artist Nick Cave. His use of a variety of found objects and unusual materials in his Soundsuits is a great example of inventive creation. Then we look at the work of Australian artist Rachel Burke, who creates jewelry, purses, and dresses from a variety of objects in playful and interesting ways.

Students are asked to identify how these two artists incorporate design principles such as balance and contrast into their pieces. They work in small groups to discuss and answer questions about the symmetrical and asymmetrical nature of the objects used to create the works, as well as how the artists employ color, value, and other elements in their compositions. Students also work in pairs to investigate how contrast is shown by the artists through the use of opposite elements like soft with sharp, light with dark, and bright with dull.

After these sharing sessions, students are asked to present their findings about balance and contrast to the entire class, using images of the artists’ works to support their thinking.

Planning Wearable Works
After discussing the artists and how balance and contrast are used to create compelling compositions, and the use of nontraditional materials, students begin planning their own works.

I ask students to create multiple sketches for wearable pieces that use balance and contrast as guiding principles. They must consider a variety of materials to create their work. Yarn, cardboard, wire, glue, paper, and other items are available, as well as objects students bring from home or household items that can be repurposed in new and interesting ways like straws, cups, paper plates, plastic cutlery, and any other item that may be of interest to the student as they explore design possibilities during the planning stage.

Compelling Transformations
As soon as the sketches are complete and materials are chosen, students get to work creating their pieces. They receive feedback using the prompts of “I like, I wish, I wonder” throughout the creative process, and time is set aside routinely in the beginning and middle stages of the work for students to give and receive feedback.

The most interesting and exciting moments occur while students are creating. The classroom becomes a collection of items that often get swapped and exchanged as they transform from their original use into something new and compelling. An even more energizing aspect of this experience is when students try on the pieces, editing the wearables based on how they fit, feel, and look.

Evaluating
Once completed, students share their work with others in a fashion show and photo shoot to demonstrate how the work is meant to be worn.

Students submit all of their work to our online student art gallery with artist statements that explain how they show the principles of balance and contrast in their work and why they chose the materials they used to create the wearable pieces.

Offering students an opportunity to explore art beyond traditional materials opens up new possibilities in the classroom and gives them the chance to demonstrate understanding. Allowing students to explore works that can be worn fosters an environment of creative thinking and new uses for what might be overlooked in the everyday.