April 23, 2003
Oak Park students create treasure out of trash
Second-graders craft 'iron quilt' out of found objects
By
Herald staff writer
Oak Park Elementary students have an eye for turning trash into treasure.
With some inspiration from internationally recognized textile artist John Garrett, the students in Ann Gerhardt's second-grade class at Oak Park Elementary created an "iron quilt" using such found items as chicken wire, CD's, ribbon, buttons, colored tape and paper clips.
The quilt, entitled "Second Time Around," was the brainchild of perennial room mother, Tina Tank who saw Garrett's "iron quilt" on exhibit at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC.
"I saw the quilt, which Garrett had dedicated to September 11, and thought it was great. I'm always looking for something to inspire the kids," Tank said.
"The art teacher here at Oak Park is great, but there is only so much that can be done in one hour per week. The kids are so creative, it is a great way for them to learn," said Tank who has been volunteering at Oak Park for nearly 30 years.
Tank brought the idea back to Oak Park and ran with it. She used the theme to tie in to the district wide "Wrap Up with a Good Read" library project during National Overture of the Arts week.
"She gives so much to the kids, this was just one of the many ideas she has brought into my classroom. We were able to incorporate cross curriculum learning into the experience, using math, geography and recycling found objects" Gerhardt said. "Not to mention the kids truly enjoyed it."
In addition to creating the art piece, the children also learned about the artist who inspired the project. They each wrote a thank-you letter to him and sent pictures of their finished product.
"It was a lot of fun, but really hard work," said second-grader Paige Austin, who thinks she would like to be an artist when she grows up.
"We worked 122 minutes straight on it, but it was worth it. It really came out great."