Art has a way of connecting us to our thoughts, our imaginations, and our world. It allows us to think in a tactile way.
On our Swiftwater Trip to the Green River in Utah, we were able to spend an afternoon harnessing our creativity and connecting more deeply to each other and our environment. Working in pairs students and staff drafted ideas for a land art piece they wanted to construct. The request for this project was to use all natural, found materials, and use them in a way so that they could return to the earth as easily as they were retrieved. Teams scattered to different areas along the river and began putting their vision to life.
The art pieces were beautiful, playful, and inspired. Once everyone had finished up, we took an art tour up and down the rocky beach. From a life size door that represented a window to opportunity, to a balancing stone sculpture that was a reflection of the tall canyon buttes, the various pieces played with shadow, water and cardinal direction. Students and staff used materials from rocks and sand, to twigs and driftwood to create inspiring and thoughtful pieces. It was an afternoon well spent soaking in the desert sun and playing along the river bank.
-Alix Ellers
