Art with a purpose
By Susan Botch
As an art teacher at Glens Falls High School in upstate New York, I was thrilled to read the compelling articles and see the vibrant artwork in the Winter 2019-2020 issue of American Educator. The cover package on teaching climate change was so inspiring that I used it to focus my students’ midterm projects on climate change.
I shared with my students several of the articles and links to climate fiction highlighted in the magazine. And I read them the following quotes from “A Beacon of Hope on Climate Change” by AFT President Randi Weingarten: “The disastrous effects of climate change are outpacing policy changes to combat them. … People want a better life and a better future. But we need the means. That is why it is so important that individuals — not just the most powerful — have a voice in our democracy. … People too young to vote are raising their voices in other ways.”
Thank you for such a great resource! I have used it to encourage my students to use their artistic talents to be heard. As their artwork above shows, these young artists (seniors Judy Derrick, Lison Tunick, Hannah Walsh and Alexis Cotty; junior Lindsey Richardson; and sophomore Gabrielle Meyers)are aware of the world’s climate crisis and are ready to make changes in their own lives. Even if they cannot yet be heard with a vote, they can be heard with their artistic voice.
Click on each image to enlarge it and see artist information.
Susan Botch is an art teacher and the art department chairperson at Glens Falls High School in Glens Falls, N.Y.
