Artists Care

There are thousands of artists from which to pull inspiration and artwork in order to develop lesson plans and class projects.  Many of these artists are the old favorites that have been used in American art classrooms for many years.  Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Cassatt most certainly have their place in the green art classroom.  I believe it is important to combine education of historically recognized artists with contemporary artists who incorporate some aspect of environmentalism into their work. 

If you ask an elementary aged student to name all of the artists they know, most would name a few of the most famous painters from history, then would likely struggle to come up with any other names.  Incorporating contemporary environmental artists into the classroom allows students to learn that art is more than just painting, collage, and sculpture.  Artists should have a voice that is conveyed through their artwork.  Students need to realize that their art can be a tool with which to convey opinion, emotion, and social change.  Their thoughts can be communicated in non-verbal artistic means in order to propagate thoughtful change among viewers of their artwork.

There are probably thousands of artists who incorporate at least some aspect of environmentalism in their work. I have chosen to highlight four of those artists on this site. I plan to use feedback from the discussion portion of this web site to eventually add more artists. Click on the names to the right in order to learn more about the artist and their work.