At Douglas Elementary School, students aged 6 to 8 embarked on a captivating journey into the art of papermaking, a creative endeavour that emphasized sensory engagement and the value of interactive, tactile learning. This artistic project, which took place over the course of six sessions(for each class), provided a safe and engaging environment for the young learners to explore the versatile medium of paper pulp, made from shredded or mashed recycled paper mixed with water. In addition to fostering creativity and artistic expression, this course raised students' awareness of the environmental crisis. By using recycled paper as the primary material for the artwork, children actively participated in recycling, transforming discarded papers to create new artwork.

Throughout the course, students explored a range of themes and techniques, discovering the diverse capabilities of wet pulp. They learned how to create textures, form compositions with geometric shapes, and use dyed wet paper pulps to create pulp paintings with stencilling and freehand techniques.

The course further strengthened the sensory awareness of the learners by offering them a new form of mark-making through embedding materials into their freshly made paper. Instead of just using the surface of the paper, students learned to incorporate objects such as yarns, leaves, sticks, and dried petals into their creations. They assessed the material engagements, observed how the objects interacted with each other, and paid close attention to composition, texture, and other artistic elements.

One captivating aspect of using papermaking as a pedagogical tool is immersing students in a tactile experience, allowing them to explore the sense of touch and express their feelings through the material. Working with wet pulp brings about numerous unpredictable occurrences. Unpredictability opens up many possibilities for children to let go of their expectations, explore their ideas, and adapt to the unexpectedness of this material. As a result, young learners learn to pay attention to the process, embrace the unpredictability, and engage with the material, rather than solely focusing on achieving a predetermined outcome. Papermaking enables children to express their artistic sensibility, practice attentiveness, and develop patience.

Another remarkable aspect of papermaking is its collaborative nature. Students learn to work together, let go of possessions, and support one another as they navigate the process. I often draw a parallel between papermaking and engaging in a dialogue with the material itself. While meticulously planning their art, they encounter unexpected moments when the material generously offers a genuine exchange between artist and medium.

Exhibition Statment:

This exhibition presents a glimpse into the embodied learning and experience that students have gained throughout the course. It serves as a record of how art can be provocative, transcending the mere physicality of the objects on display. As the curator, I invite the audience to engage with the work as a whole while also paying close attention to each piece.

Throughout the creative process, students collaborated in groups to produce the artwork. This collaborative approach allowed them to learn the importance of letting go of individual possessions and embracing the power of collective creativity.

At Doulgas school students in grades 4-7 where invited into a portal of possibility’ to consider their imagination, their dreams and their uniqueness. This course combined literary arts (writing poetry) and visual arts (creating tactile collages on boards of reclaimed wood using upcycled materials). Creating a tactile 3-D collage gave students the opportunity to imagine their dreams in a tangible way.

Students began their cohorts with writing. Using our bodies as the prompts, students were invited to describe and write poetry by watching movement. We then used still photos as prompts, moving towards words and phrases being incorporated into the writing and editing processes. Students were also introduced to spoken word poetry and invited to perform their poetry for their class. By building and layering the complexity of what we were writing students were able to get excited about editing or writing about a new idea.

While the majority of the early lessons focused primarily on writing, students were introduced to collage art. Students had the experience to make ‘sample’ collages on paper in groups of 4-6, while some opted for individual creations! Each student was given a piece of reclaimed wood to sand and prepare for their final piece. Students had access to newspaper, magazines, old film photos and abundance of tactile found items such as beads, fabric, leaves, flowers.

Throughout the cohort students were immersed in an imaginative, inspiring and tactile experience which empowered them to be more present within their classroom community, notice nature and tune into their inner knowing. Poetry is all about witnessing then sharing what we collectivity and individually experience. In the process of our witnessing myself and students engaged in many difficult conversations about how humans treat each other, the earth and how we can make safer space for us to each be ourselves- because we all deserve to have our dreams come true