How I Actually Accomplished an Open-Ended Art Project with Fifth Graders

I wanted my fifth graders to plan and implement their own project, moving through the entire creative process with minimal creative input from me.

In other words, after having taught these kids for four years, I wanted to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor. They would need to devise the project, arrange for the acquisition of materials, create the works, and make all the decisions in between.

Make no mistake, I didn’t just set them loose to do whatever all day long. I had just been introduced to the work of Phil Hansen, so I used a lot of his videos where he is creating with unconventional materials as inspiration.

Then, I spent a lot of time modeling a brainstorming process where I would eliminate ideas for various reasons. I used sketching and list-making in this process.

These students were already used to sketching their ideas after being in my class for several years, but adding the idea of list-making AND eliminating ideas to the mix really increased the rigor. So, we did spend a lot of time on that step: a cycle of modeling, application, feedback.

This was one of the hardest projects I've ever done with kids.

Yet, this was also one of the most engaging and worthwhile endeavors I’ve ever taken on with my students.

I firmly believe this was an experience most of them would not usually have access to at home or at school, which means it had the potential to have really long-term impact on them.

Introducing the Art Project

I introduced the students to Phil Hansen by sharing a few of his Goodbye Art videos on Youtube. I was particularly careful to share these and discuss them with the students because I wanted to emphasize process with them, and I knew some would probably end up with products they weren’t entirely happy with.

I just had to keep emphasizing process, process, process throughout.

Brainstorming and Collecting Materials

Then, I modeled the brainstorming process and how to identify what materials I would need to complete a project. I also modeled writing a plan to accomplish my idea.

Then, I had students do the same. I had them start bringing in materials. I also created a database in Google Docs for them to list materials that they would need but didn't have at home.

I helped them attain those materials and brought in some other random things that I thought they might be able to use. I sent out an email with a list of things the students needed that I couldn't find. Teachers and administrators helped gather up those things.

I had the students store their materials in baskets by table. Each week the class would enter and get their basket. All of the students who sat at a table would have their materials in that basket. I also taught the students how to get out their own paint, clay, plaster wrap, etc.

Take a Look at Some of the Artwork the Students Created

Be sure to hover over each image to learn more about it.

This student created a collage. What was remarkable about her piece was the abstract way thought about using the blue paper to cover a piece of cardboard. I remember that it took her a good amount of time to figure out how to do that and make it look like she wanted it to. Sounds like something you and I would blow through in three minutes, but for her it required thinking differently than she was used to. It also required some hard fine motor work for her. The cognitive demand was higher for her to do it this way than it would’ve been if I had just handed her a canvas to paint or sheet of blue construction paper.

Upcycled Wall-Hanging

This student wanted to create a wall hanging for his favorite college football team. it was college football season, after all. So, he found this stick outside the art classroom and cut baby clothes into strips. He wasn’t satisfied with the colors of the fabric until he took some maroon paint and added it to an old white t-shirt. I thought his idea to paint the fabric first was interesting. I’d never seen this student think so far ahead in his work before.

Rainbow

This is a canvas. The student painted the colors and then attached items that matched the colors. I like the feathers. No two projects were alike, but some students did try ideas they had heard about or seen before. I thought it was important that they have a chance to do so in the art classroom. Even borrowing ideas was challenging for the students because they had to figure out how to make the idea happen.

A Robot!

This one looked so unfinished until the student painted it with silver acrylic.

Action Painting

This is a Pollock-style action painting, which was done using plastic spoons. This student told me he chose to do this because it was something he’d always heard about and had always wanted to try.

Soap Carving and Shaving

When I say they had freedom to figure out how to make their idea come to life, I mean it. This student brought in a bar of soap to make this sculpture of an ice cream float look frothy.

Piggy Bank

This piece was functional as well. He used an empty plastic water bottle and a small foam football to make a coin bank. He cut the ball in half and carved part of it out of the center. Very clever.

Collection of Artworks

Note the guitar in this image. This was created by two students. They got together and presented an idea to me and told me why it would take both of them. So, I allowed them to work together. These kids had their families meet for dinner one night to discuss this. Their grandmothers helped make sure they had all of the materials. They used the top of an old school desk and an old canvas.

They put oil pastels in a zipper seal bag and smashed them with a hammer. They put the smashed oil pastels on the canvas and used baby oil to smear the color. Then, they cut the shape of the guitar out of the canvas.

The used air dry clay for the top of the guitar and a roll from wrapping paper for the neck. At first, they were going to donate this to the school, but one of the decided he couldn't live without it. He took it home hoping his dad would help him put some lights on it for his bedroom. His grandmother came and picked it up because he was afraid it would get damaged on his bus ride home!

Other Ideas the Students Brought to the Table

One student brought a turtle shell that had been sitting in his garage for years. (You can find an image in the gallery above. It’s part of the collage with the guitar.) He painted it. It was cool.

Another student made a mobile out of cans. I helped him spray paint them white so that he could splatter paint them. It turned out really cool, too. I would've loved for my child to make that and bring it home. It was cool enough that I would have hung it in my backyard for a season.

There was another student that brought a book jacket that she painted over and created her own book cover. I thought that was a really good idea. She said she wanted to write her own children's book someday. (I wish I'd had time to help her write it, but there are only so many hours in a day!)

This image shows the variety of ways students worked on their projects. It shows collaboration too.

Anyway, I know you can see by the photos that when I said they had to plan and implement their OWN project idea, I meant it. If I ever do this again, I will remember what I learned. If you would like to try this with your own students, make sure you keep these things in mind.

So, here are my takeaways from this:

1. This is definitely developmentally appropriate for fifth graders. However, I won't ever let it be the very first project of the year again. I feel that I need more time to establish rules and procedures before giving them so much freedom.

2. The planning part took about three weeks to complete. I only have my classes for around 50 minutes each week. So, this was a considerable amount of time. I would set a deadline and clearly communicate this to the students next time. I think they should be able to do this in one class period if they are on task.

3. I ended up gathering materials for 150 kids. It was unbelievably demanding. That Google Doc of needs got way out of hand. I think having the students complete a project in a small group would accomplish the same goal with less random materials. However, I will have to be very diligent in making sure one or two students aren't doing all of the work. I think I could put some time in up front to group the students in a meaningful way, which would help to prevent that issue.

4. I might ask for parent/community volunteers next time too. There was so much going on at once that an extra set of adult hands would have been helpful.

What do you think? Have you ever taught something like this? How did it go? What are your takeaways? I'd love to hear from you!