Collecting Materials

My name is Crystal Burney (aka, 'Miss Crystal') and I am an elementary art teacher at the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.  After learning about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, I realized that many of the supplies I purchase for my art classes could be substituted with items that get thrown away every day (plastic egg containers make GREAT paint trays!).  With this new found knowledge, I decided I wanted to teach my classes in the most environmentally-friendly way I could.  Today, I start my mission to teach 6 weeks of summer painting, drawing & solid foundations classes without purchasing any new materials.  I am asking friends, family, acquaintances and local businesses to search their curbside bins & junk drawers to donate any materials that will potentially end up in a landfill.  I will base my entire summer curriculum on these post-consumer materials and with any luck, help my students create some amazing Eco-Friendly Art.  Our blog will chronicle our journey and as we create, we will update with pics of our artwork and comments about any issues/discoveries we've experienced.  Thanks for taking the time to read about our mission!


Here is a pic of everything I've collected from my own recycling bin/junk drawer so far: