The 5 Columns Project was right on target with its’ mission to bring unexpected and interactive art into the community and beyond. With the help of local Boy Scouts and two of their huge catapult slingshots, water balloons filled with foraged ink were “launched” by Stevenson Elementary students on September 29, 2017.
The non-toxic, child safe foraged ink came from raw materials such as black walnuts, wild grapes, buckthorn berries, golden rod, sumac, pokeberries, spinach, red cabbage, turmeric, and jicama.
The catapult was used to launch the ink-filled balloons at a fabric covered board. The splatters created designs on the fabric that will then be used to make banners to fly from the five columns located at the corner of West First Avenue and Oxley Road. This project is in collaboration with Ohio Arts Council Fabric Artist Kate Gorman.
According to information shared by the 5 Columns Project, this kind of free, wild and messy play can be difficult to come by for kids today (and not always easy on parents either). But the often misunderstood mess that follows carries so much value. Once you let go, you will see the excitement, joy and engagement such messy play brings to children. And, it turns out, you are enabling kids to develop their senses and benefit from sensory stimulating play, which research shows enhances brain development.
Letting kids get messy early on also predisposes them to being comfortable with messy thinking later in life. The ability to think freely and push the limits of a situation is exactly what helps kids build creativity and solid problem-solving skills. Just the simple prompt to think about how colors are feeling helps kids develop empathy--the skill they may need most in life to make and keep friends, navigate social dynamics and learn to balance their own needs with the needs of others.
The 5 Columns Project is sponsored by ART WORKS – National Endowment for the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Education Foundation, and the Metro Parks.
For more information about the 5 Columns Project, visit www.5columns.org and follow it on twitter @info5columns. Photos by Marc Alter.