As part of Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Science, Technology, Art, Engineering and Mathematics (STEAM) initiative, third grade students from Stratford Road Elementary School recently visited the Heckscher Museum to view a recyclable art display.
Students observed and analyzed artist Richard Gachot’s sculptures on display, which reflect such themes as American politics, the energy crisis, farming and urban development. Each part of the sculptures are reinvented from recycled materials such as tin cans, boxes and old wheels found in dumpsters, at yard sales, in the attic and more, before creatively reinvented to form a specific sculpture. The lesson aimed to encourage imaginative thinking among the students.
After learning about the exhibit, students broke into small groups to analyze a specific sculpture and present their findings to the group. Later, students created their own symmetrical designs inspired by a different artist’s mixed media paintings. This is a district wide program for all third grade students. Students were visited by the Heckscher Museum staff last year for an introduction into the museum. The program will repeat for this year’s second grade students in January.
