These gorgeous orchids were leftover from the Curator's Talk and I wanted to share them with the children, so I placed them in the center of a table surrounded by black pens, 6B pencils, oil pencils and water soluble oil pastels, along with bristol board, as a studio provocation.
At this time of the year, the studio runs itself for the most part.
The children who selected to engage in this flower activity, did so in groups of four, talking and sharing with one another as they drew flowers. Some of the older students engaged in observational drawing of the orchids themselves, attempting to communicate in drawing the flower in front of them. Far more of the children drew their symbolic construct of a flower, personalizing it with creative color use and line.
Some of our younger students explored floral impressions through color and as they did they often talked about weather, or the magic properties of flowers, or rainbows or nature or more. As they work they are sharing their ideas about flowers, nature and spring in an ever evolving dialog. One child remembered seeing orchids on a recent trip to Hawaii, where she also saw a volcano. A lively discussion of volcanos transpired, which led to a discussion of earthquakes and the recent devastation in Nepal. As the children talked it was clear that the act of drawing had become a central gathering point around which they discussed topics of concern and interest. In this way the children process and assimilate experiences, ideas, impressions and emotions in a shared atmosphere of community. Art and collaborative activities are far more developmentally important than we fully realize and move children and adults from personalized impressions toward shared understanding and meaning.
