Project Launch:

Art in the Environment was a summer school class in Vicco, Peru, designed to encourage creativity and self-expression using objects found in nature and recyclables such as used paper, plastic or cans. Each week, over the course of the summer, students focused on a new project or set of project. The goal of these art project was to teach the kids that they have the resources to create art available to them right in their backyard. All they need is a little imagination to turn their environment into art. The community of Vicco is a small sheep herding community, located 4,117 meters above sea level in the Andes Mountains. The health of local natural resources is integral to the livelihood of the people of Vicco, which is why environmental responsibility and sustainability was a major emphasis of the class. Each class included a short, interactive environmental lesson followed by the art project. Through this class, the kids were rewarded for their ideas and had an outlet for all of their creative energy, which many of the kids rarely, if ever, experienced, as their personal ideas and original thoughts are not traditionally promoted in classroom settings. As a result of the classes, the kids became more self-confident and had a lot of fun throughout.