Art-Based Environmental Education
Art-Based Environmental Education
Art has long played an important role in developing our understanding and appreciation of the natural world, from the first cave paintings to the first photograph ever taken of Earth from space. By integrating art with environmental education, oloNala seeks to foster long-lasting environmental stewardship, inspire creative and innovative solutions to environmental issues, and connect students with nature in meaningful and personal ways. We'll be teaming up with local educators and nature guides in Ranomafana, Madagascar, to give students the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature, study concepts in environmental science, ecology, climate science, and conservation, and create art inspired by the natural world.
By partnering with local schools, we aim to provide both teachers and their students with the tools they need to explore environmental topics through a creative lens. We will work with educators to develop relevant lesson plans incorporating a wide variety of artistic media.Â
Spending time outdoors and engaging in observations of nature's patterns, textures, sounds, and colors offers students the unique opportunity to develop their own personal relationship with the environment. Conveying this connection through their artwork can not only offer a new form of creative expression, but inspire new ways of thinking about and acting on environmental issues and solutions in the students' communities.
This mural depicts two Ranomafana students exploring the ecosystems within the forest, from the canopy to the undergrowth. Featuring a sampling of the diverse wildlife found there, the mural will serve as an evocative backdrop to the environmental education lessons that take place at the Ranomafana Nature Center each Saturday. We hope to work with local artists in the area to turn this sketch into a reality!