Collage

Though I enjoyed being able to use various materials and to have the opportunity to create representational collages, I found that I almost also felt a bit restricted. When we originally did the torn paper collages, I found myself feeling far more free to explore with the materials and create various designs and shapes on my page. WIth the materials we used in the last class, I almost felt like the materials were dictating what I thought I should make much more.

With the fabric, for me, it almost only lent itself to creating people. Though I was very happy to make my collage — and ultimately was happy with the result — I felt that when it was just a paper collage, I was able to be more creative na manipulate the materials however I wanted as opposed to creating something the materials led me to.

That said, I feel that it's important to have such materials for children to explore with in the classroom. Not only are they fun and can be representational, but they provide a different dimension to the work. Always having kids create collages out of just paper would probably get very boring for them, so it's important to expose them to various materials that can be used to create their art.

I also very much enjoyed the slide that we saw in class showing the various ways in which objects can be used to create a collage. I think that also would be useful in the classroom for age-appropriate children as they might be able to get some inspiration and see the various ways in which they can take their art.