Educators TOOLBOX
Art & Ecology


Art & Ecology:

Curriculum Integration



Courtyard Topiary
Lima West Middle School

by Susan Sherlock

Introduction

In Lima, Ohio, students created topiary figures for their middle school courtyard. Students and educators worked together to explore environmental issues using action-oriented inquiry. An interdisciplinary approach to curriculum helped students to understand specific ecological community conditions and enabled them to learn about the complexities surrounding contemporary ecological art.

Lima West Middle School was austerely landscaped when built during the late 1960s. In the last 30 years minimal work was done to enhance its terrain. Trees and shrubs that survived did so without assistance. Past student actions similarly mirrored indifference. Flower beds became walkways. The soil that remained became cement-like. This combined disregard by the school's population made the West Middle School physical environment austere and did not invite entry.

In the spring of 1994 faculty members addressed these concerns and initiated a school-wide beautification project to make the grounds more attractive for students and all members of the community. Since then, the school's physical environment has undergone immense improvement. Teachers and students have planted shrubs, trees, and flowers in beds filled with new top soil and mulch.

The following year the teachers at West were introduced to Jim and Elaine Mason's Topiary in Columbus. In 1989, the Masons began a unique restoration project by creating topiary sculptures on the grounds of the Old Deaf School Park in downtown Columbus Ohio. The topiary, a continual work in progress, is a three-dimensional rendition of George Seurat's painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The topiary has not only altered the way people think about art and nature but enhanced the urban community.

If topiary works could be successfully constructed and maintained in a public park, could similar sculptures be employed to further enhance West Middle School? When this concept was presented to the staff, all seemed to agree that courtyard topiary installations could become an on-going student-centered endeavor and provide a vehicle to explore curriculum integration. Improving the grounds would simultaneously enhance the building, empower the creators, our students, and generate an enjoyable atmosphere.

The courtyard topiary project was designed to illustrate art's connection to other subject areas. Teachers worked in teams to formulate interdisciplinary connections that crossed disciplines, grade levels, and established community partnerships. Students and teachers worked together to learn more about the interconnectedness of art, aesthetics, culture, and ecology through action-oriented inquiry.

Index




Exploring Local Topiary Sculpture

Hands-on experiences provided practical knowledge about creating a courtyard topiary. A field excursion by teachers and students to the La Grande Jatte topiary sculpture enabled them to develop a more complete understanding about interdisciplinary connections among art, aesthetics, culture, and ecology. Students and teachers learned about topiary design, construction, and how maintenance is an ongoing process.

Direct experience - identify, examine, touch, smell, see, hear, taste.

Inquiry Questions

Using action-oriented inquiry, teachers and students can:






Educational and Ecological Considerations

From our experiences at the topiary park, team members developed educational and ecological goals for the courtyard topiary project. Eighth graders would mentor sixth and seventh grade students on ways to maintain the topiary project at the school. When the sixth graders entered seventh and eighth grade, they would assume mentor roles and offer prior knowledge and understanding to maintain the plants and metal wire forms. From visiting and observing the existing topiary site new ideas formed for curriculum implementation.

Observation and Reflection - investigate, reflect, discuss, observe, watch.

Inquiry Questions

Using action-oriented inquiry, teachers and students can:






Making Connections

Curriculum integration was used to make connections between concepts explored in the different subject areas:

Critical Thinking - analyze, interpret, assess.

Inquiry Questions

Using action-oriented inquiry, teachers and students can:






Community Involvement

Community involvement was a result of our collaborative process. Various community members were contacted who offered advice, donated materials, and volunteered their assistance during construction. Alliances with businesses and individual community members were made and have continued to grow.

Taking Action - write, draw, plan, produce

Inquiry Questions

Using action-oriented inquiry, teachers and students can:







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