Art of the Matter:
Spring Birdhouse Collage S
pring has sprung! Are you as excited for the beautiful weather as I am? I’m already seeing birds returning from their migratory journeys, plants poking up through the soil, and buds on trees just waiting to explode into leaves. After a long winter this thrills me! This month we are going to embrace spring and explore and expand our creative talents. Our project this month is to create birdhouse collages for all the beautiful birds that are returning. Birds have been an important part of art for centuries. Birds have been used in art to signify peace, knowledge, immortality, freedom and spirituality. Birds are important in art in many different cultures. The phoenix and heron are used in Asian cultures. The Ho-o-do is a temple in Japan meant to look like a phoenix landing on the water. It also has phoenix statues on the roof. In Japanese culture the heron represents longevity, good luck, and divinity. The goldfinch is used in many religious paintings in Western Europe to represent resurrection. There is a legend that the red on top of its head comes from the blood from Christ's crown of thorns. The goldfinch also eats thistles and thorns which again connects it to Christ’s crown of thorns. I challenge you to take a tour through the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art permanent gallery and find as many birds and birdhouses as you can. Sometimes they are sneaky and show up in unusual places, so keep your eyes open! When some birds make a nest, they become scavengers and they use all kinds of materials to create their home. We are going to do the same. First, we have to gather our supplies. Some possible materials could be old magazines, junk mail, wrapping pa-
per, tissue paper, bubble wrap, cotton balls, paper bags, feathers, etc. Be creative, just make sure to check with your parents before cutting up magazines or mail. Don’t forget colored pencils, paint, markers or crayons, and the glue. Once you have your supplies we’ll start on the bird house. Take the paper you want to use for the bird house and fold it in half vertically. Draw half of your bird house on the fold and then cut it out. It can be a square, a rectangle, a polygon, any shape you want that can be mirrored. When you unfold it, you will have the body of the bird house.
Don’t forget to cut out a hole so the bird can get in and out! I used construction paper and bubble wrap for one of my bird houses. Next, we are going to make the roof. You can be as creative as you want, it doesn’t have to have straight lines and look like a typical bird house. Again, we start with a piece of paper folded vertically. Draw the mirrored profile of your roof and then cut it out. When you are done, open it up and see how the body and roof fit together. You can add a piece or two to go in between if you want. Now let’s think about the background. Do you want your birdhouse
by Carmen Wolf, Board Member of Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
to be on white paper, colored paper, strips of tissue paper, or do you want to paint the sky and grass? Maybe you want to paint swirls like a van Gogh painting. Again, there are no limits so be creative! Once the background is complete and dry, it’s time to start assembling. Place your bird house and roof on the background and decide where you want it. Does it look lonely all by itself? Maybe you want to add a bird or two, some plants, or even clouds in the sky. After you have all the pieces ready it’s time to glue. Start with the pieces that will be covered by other pieces, the bottom layer. Then keep adding the layers until you are happy with your creation. Set it aside so glue can dry. Wow! You created a masterpiece! But wait, we’re not done yet. Now let’s use another part or our imagination. Pretend you are perched on top of your bird house looking around. What do you see? Where is your bird house located? Are there other animals around? Maybe some people? Create a story about you as a bird returning to your new bird house and include it with your artwork. Be sure to take photos of your work and share on social media using hashtag #MGMOAart. I can’t wait to see your beautiful artwork!
Scan this code to visit the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art’s at-home project page.
www.shawneeoutlook.com
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