California (Plastic) Quiltin’

Are you a teacher hoping to join the Quilt challenge but worried how to fit it in the curriculum?  Art teacher Suzi Stasica of the KIPP Raices Academy in East Los Angeles advises, “start small, build knowledge and empathy, and watch the project grow to affect more of the school community.“

Like Suzi, you may have done found art projects in class, and had your students participate in beach or river clean ups or outdoor education programs. By utilizing the reflective writing prompts in the Create Plenty curriculum, Suzi notes that the Quilt Project’s focused framework moves students closer to making personal connections to the plastic pollution problem as they identify where their own trash goes.

Third grader Denise writes, “I might tell my friends about the pollution.  I might text my family members and remind them where things go when you throw them away”

Pedro promises, “I will recycle everything.  I will use less plastic trash”

We are thrilled that some of their single use disposable plastic will be diverted from the landfill and made into quilt squares destined to Portland for posterity in our growing collaborative quilt square project.  I can’t wait to see the artwork produced from these young students who are drawing inspiration from watching excerpts of the movie Wasteland and studying the work of Joseph Cornell and local artist Simon Rodia (Watt’s Tower) who reused trash in their art.

It’s not too late to join the project.  We have many curriculum materials that you can use to jump start your program.  Pick and choose the modules that work for you.  We hope to see your students’ work at our May event in Portland, Oregon.