We paint anything that the students feel should be in a garden – the sun, flowers, bees, bears, bananas – it’s pretty open. We draw and paint these things on large cardboard diverted from the waste stream. We cut them out with cardboard saws and install them in the winter forest near the school. They stay up to give us hope and cheer through the winter, and we take them down again to make way for the real flowers in the spring.
| Grade Suitability | K-12 (assistant needed for Kindergarten) |
| Maximum Class Size | 28 (smaller for younger grades) |
| Time Required | Painting/drawing: 1 hour/ Cutting out (depending on age range): 1 hour/ Installing: 1 hour. |
| Material Required | Largish cardboard, bike boxes are ideal - Nicole can provide these. Kid friendly cardboard saws, awls - Nicole can bring these. Permanent markers, oil pastels. This is a great way to use up ends of house paint in bright colours, or whitish paint tinted with the acrylics or tempera you’ve got. If we’re using this paint though, we need gloves for the kids, and to cover tables etc. Waxed imitation sinew for the installation, scissors. Duct tape to reinforce the holes at the back. Maybe a ladder for the installation. |
| Material Cost | Depending on what is already available in the classroom |
| Language of Instruction | English |
| Communities | All |
| Availability | Artist is available mid-November to June |
Nicole Bauberger is a storyteller, painter, sculptor, writer and arts educator. Teaching and learning live close to the heart of her art practice. She educated herself mostly through collaborations and apprenticeships with other artists. She had the blessing of a learning friendship with Mrs. Annie Smith of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation which continues with Annie’s family today. Nicole loves to bring what she has learned in these relationships into schools, continuing to learn from collaborative adventures with students. For four years she created murals with students in Ontario High Schools through the Ontario Artists in Education Program. Her work can be seen out in the community and at the Yukon Artists @ Work Gallery.
Click here to read Nicole's published article in the Canadian Art Teacher's Journal (p. 49).