But this project wasn’t all about art. I didn’t suspect at the beginning
that my project would bloom into an endeavor that would connect 26
businesses, 4 schools, a variety of individuals and result in an 8 x 12
foot recycled plastic bottle cap mural that added beauty to a depressed
neighborhood.
Once the request for caps went out, the community responded with
gusto! Students worked collaboratively to problem solve how to wash,
dry and sort over 50,000 bottle caps that were collected from the
community. There were many social emotional lessons learned working
side by side in a soapy wash tub full of plastic bottle caps.
Besides creating the mural, the students had the opportunity to learn in
experiential hands-on environments. I contacted the local recycling
center and they invited the students to come and harvest caps while
learning about recycling and ways they could take care of their own
environment.
Some students that didn’t shine with seat work in the classroom took
on leadership roles and lead the way to valuable practical solutions.
Should we sort caps by size or color? Are clear caps the same as
white caps? What if we have two colors of blue? Students problem
solved as they sorted through questions.
The students were also inspired by watching the documentary,
Wasteland, featuring the art from trash project of artist Vic Munez and
its transformative effect on the inhabitants of the slums of Rio de
Janeiro. They utilized technology to make videos and post pictures on
Facebook to ask for bottle cap collectors, thank those that partnered
with the school and document what they were learning in the
classroom.
As time went on, the pride of ownership begin to blossom! During the
4-week summer session, I designed class projects for the students to
give context to our mural adventure. We created and maintained a
worm bed for an up close look at nature’s recyclers. For some of these
students, it was their first time to touch a worm. They were fascinated!
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