Happy Earth Day! Art from Craft in Schools 4th graders and Calder Kamin

Earth day is just a few days away! Our Craft in Schools program had a blast hosting reclaimed/reuse artist and sustainability advocate Calder Kamin for our Winter field trips. Our young, neighborhood artists from Mrs. Dror’s Rosewood Elementary 4th grade class were especially inspired by Calder’s work, artist conversations, and reclaimed-art hands on projects. As a group we repurposed marker caps to create a vibrant jump rope (photo at very end, below).

These 4th graders related to Calder’s message of ecological stewardship and environmental values. Calder shared her artist’s journey and ethos for using recyclable materials to address and reduce waste problems through her art residencies. We had lively classroom conversations around the recurring theme of transforming the human made problem of waste into art– because “nature never wastes, that’s why I(Calder) reuse!” In turn, these 4th graders shared about their student-led recycling club and how they repurpose everyday objects for creative and inventive projects. Environmental care and creativity~ what fun!

Each student illustrated a creative, heartfelt thank you card to Calder for our Craft in Schools visits– including illustrations which we were green-lighted to web publish. Please enjoy and share this special collection of inspired art! For more of Calder Kamin’s original work, visit her artist website at www.calderkamin.com; or checkout our 3-d virtual tour on Winter 2023-2024’s Spirit of Play Exhibition page.

Student Illustration Gallery

Rosewood+Calder colorful orange fox with plants around it bust illustration
Rosewood+Calder "Rat with Rubbish" pencil and pastel illustration, the rat is grey and black, sitting atop many colorful food items illustration
Rosewood+Calder green Cerberus creature with jagged teeth and yellow eyes illustration
Rosewood+Calder Squirrel drawing, brown squirrel with a striped dark tail sits atop a very dramatic charcoal-leave textured tree stump
Rosewood+Calder green "plant puppy" colored pencil illustration of a hanging plant-art object
Rosewood+Calder "Extinction" bold tiger bust illustration with vivid orange and black fur patterns, and yellow eye details
Rosewood+Calder detailed pencil drawing of "Superartificial Stag"
Rosewood+Calder "Hello Calder" bubble letter garland, flowers, and mushroom red-fox bust illustration
Rosewood+Calder crayon drawing of "Rat with Rubbish" a rat on top of a pile of debris and food with thank you message
Rosewood+Calder paper collaged mushroom with several little mushrooms on top of it, floats above a unicorn plant creature bust illustration
Rosewood+Calder student Recycled Unicorn simple line drawing of a white unicorn with a flower and pink details
Rosewood+Calder "Plastic Fawn" happy planet colorful illustration of a deer among plants, trees, and a squiggly sun
Rosewood+Calder "Rat with Rubbish" pencil with accents of yellow and red colorful crayon, the rat sits perched atop a food heap
Rosewood+Calder blue and teal recycle arrow symbol and "Indigo_Dingo" creature bust illustrations
Rosewood+Calder "Raspberry Fox" purple, black, and blended vivid green pastel illustration of a fox bust
Rosewood+Calder "Snakeplant" multicolored fox head amidst green and orange foliage illustration
Rosewood+Calder "High Desert" block lettered purple fox bust surrounded by green, yellow plants pastel illustration
Rosewood+Calder grey rat "Rat with Rubbish" drawing, the rat's standing on top a mass of floating, colorful fruit
Rosewood+Calder "Rat with Rubbish" colorful crayon drawing, the rat looks smugly sitting atop a pile of food
Rosewood+Calder flower and sunny hill colored pencil illustration
Rosewood+Calder multi colored "Snake Plant" pencil illustration
Rosewood+Calder mushroom-bordered "Charcoal Canine" colored pencil, creature bust with bold yellow markings on black fur illustration
Rosewood+Calder softly blended color pencil drawing of multicolored fox titled "Snake Plant"
Rosewood+Calder unicorn bust, mushroom, and floating waterfall and star in space colorful illustration
Rosewood+Calder pencil and crayon comic with thought bubbles of "Rubbish Rat" eating food
Rosewood+Calder red spotted mushroom on green grass illustration
Rosewood+Calder grey pencil block letter recycle and reuse-arrow signs
Rosewood+Calder collaged paper, foil, and pastel drawing of a plant and mushroom fox bust illustration
Rosewood+Calder puppy heart collage
Rosewood+Calder student pencil and crayon drawing of Calder, 4th grade jump roper, and Sam jump roping with big smiles
Artist Calder Kamin, Sam from Craft in America, and 4th graders enjoy a game of jump rope with a marker-cap toy they created together
Calder Kamin and Rosewood 4th graders enjoy “the Spirit of Play” by creating a marker-cap jump rope!