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Artists, writers, and poets throughout time have looked to the natural world for inspiration. Some have used their artwork to teach people about the natural world or to help protect the environment. Think about how an artist or writer can influence the public's perception of the outdoors. Art can be a lens through which we can view and "read" the past and present. What can we learn about people by studying the art they leave behind?
Activity: Explore More Art!
Visual Artists and the Natural Landscape
Go online to learn more about landscape artists and environmental artists. Select an artist from our list to research. Find out what that artist is best known for. Do you like the artist's work? Look at some of the other artists' work online. Which one is your favorite, and why? You can even create a work of art in the style of your favorite artist. Give it a try!
Activity: Writing Project
Note Card of Your Favorite Place
Poet Emma Lazarus is famous for penning the poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty. She also wrote "Long Island Sound," which is featured in this exhibition. The poem seems peaceful and relaxed; Lazarus seems to have happy memories of her time on Long Island Sound.
Picture your favorite place outside. Find a blank 4" x 6" note card or fold a blank piece of paper in half. On one side, describe your favorite outdoor location with as much detail as possible. Is it near water? What color is the sky? Are there trees? Are there birds singing?
Trade your card with someone else. Now, try to draw THAT person's favorite place, using only the descriptions they wrote on the card, and they will try and draw YOURS.
How did the pictures turn out? Trade the cards back and see.
Activity: Poetry in Motion
Celebrating Nature in Poetry
Gary Snyder is a poet and advocate for the preservation of wild places. Many of his poems, like the one below, are inspired by experiences he has had hiking in the wilderness. Try and write a poem in the style of "For All."
Describe an experience you have had in nature (swimming in the ocean or a lake, hiking, looking at clouds, sunbathing, camping). Make a list of adjectives that describe your experience. Include descriptions of sounds, tastes, smells, temperature, textures, mood, as well as visual descriptions. Work from your list and create the first two stanzas of your short poem. Try to express an opinion or commentary in the third stanza that relates back to your nature experience. You may refer to "For All" as a guide, but make the poem your own!
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