Art, Droughts, and Water Rationing

Activities About Water Shortages and Embracing Restrictions

© Jo Murphy

Apr 5, 2007

Artistic exploration of topical issues such as drought and water rationing can afford practitioners an opportunity to be a part of the vital solution to a pressing problem. If artists and their teachers present the situation from a variety of different perspectives perhaps collectively we (the artists and their audience) will, come to see a newer, fresher solution. The exploration of the topic might help everyone concerned ‘own’ the problem rather than see it as something ‘out there’ that someone else (such as local government) should solve. This change in thinking might take us a great deal closer to a solution.

Art Projects to

• Explore ways of seeing issues
• Create Posters that inspire and provoke thought
• Explore other peoples points of views
• Carry out and present research
• Investigate art about water and it benefits
• Learn about recycling
• Come to know about our likes and dislikes
• Engage in community dialogue

Starting points from which teachers or parents might like to devise activities

Explore questions such as

1. why are plants flowers and gardens so important to us?
2. why do we keep flowers or fish in water ?
3. why do we have swimming pools?
4. why do we have garden ponds?
5. why do we value mangroves?

Research topics like

1. Inventions to save water - illustrate. Invite the students to create a poster about ways people can look after water. Challenge the students to make their poster convincing and engaging.
2. Investigate recycling inventions such as fountains - have the students draw and paint these inspirations. Perhaps they can invent their own. They might want to think about contraptions that help people reuse grey water
3. Cut a flower and see where the water flows inside
4. Draw a flower in stages as it shrivels out of water. Write poetry about the shriveling process and illustrate. Invite the students to culminate with a finished painting on canvas.
5. Create a very big artwork of a tap dripping and script a word on each drip
6. Use Flash to create an animation of a tap dripping or a flower wilting in tune to the sound of the drips.

Engage in futuristic thinking

1. Illustrated essay "What Would It Be Like If the Water Ran Out."
2. Create an animation about the "The First Day of Rain After a Drought ."
3. Construct Photos in Photoshop Elements as though they are taken from the Arc or snapped while in the desert.
4. Students make a journal entry in Visual Diaries as though they were on the Arc.

Teach Visual Techniques

1. Use the situation to teach the students to draw water and lack of water in a variety of ways
2. Titles For Canvas Paintings or Larger Group Collage
   1. Under the Water
   2. The River 's Winding Story
   3. A Water Costume
   4. Parched
   5. Thirst
   6. Waiting For Rain
   7. I Was On The Arc

If you try some of these ideas please post them to the discussion boards. If you have trouble posting links to images email and I will endeavour to help.

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