Ogden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp St
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.539.9650 | HOURS
925 Camp St
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.539.9650 | HOURS
Teaching artist Cori Ander spent three weeks working with 1st – 4th graders from KIPP: Leadership and KIPP: Morial to explore biodiversity through biological illustration and watercolor painting.
During the residency, Ander posed the question, “What is our place in our environment?” Students were encouraged to ponder how and when they interact with nature in their city and discussed how animals impact them and their culture. Students were introduced to the concept of biodiversity with art activities that discuss nature and their place in the biodiverse ecosystem.
The first day began with an introduction to the residency program, the artist and art project. Students were introduced to the concept of biodiversity (the different animals in a given area). The group discussed what animals they interact with in their daily lives. Ander explained that students will draw and paint a variety of different animal species in order to represent biodiversity in nature. Students warmed up with a drawing exercise: drawing from biological collections, including hands-on insect collections, marine life collections and reptile collections. Biological collections were loaned from private educational collections and the STEM Library Lab.
On the second day, students explored their sense of place in the larger environment and examined how they see themselves within a biodiverse ecosystem. Students learned about the importance of biodiversity by drawing animals from 4 major animal groups (insects, birds, reptiles, marine life and Gulf Coast species). Students was assigned different animals to draw to represent biodiversity. They sketched their assigned animal in pencil on watercolor paper.
On the last day, students learned watercolor painting techniques. They painted their animals to represent colors in nature. Ander discussed biological illustration and its importance in understanding biodiversity. 4th graders learned about tree canopies and created symmetrical butterfly silhouettes to create shadows that mimic the canopy.
Cori Ander is an environmental artist with a background in science. Their art is informed by their experience in ecology in the Gulf Coast region.
Themes in their work include biodiversity, endangered species, wetland loss and how human communities migrate and adapt to environmental changes. Their art often serves as a liaison to reconnect folks to nature while simultaneously attempting to humbly apologize to nature herself.
At the heart of the mission of Ogden Museum of Southern Art is the goal to provide educational opportunities for in-depth exploration of the visual arts and culture of the American South. Since 2001, the Learning and Engagement Department has organized artist-in-residence programs, pairing Southern artists with local schools. Working with elementary school students in the medium of the artist’s choice, the artist spends multiple weeks exploring the influence of geography and sense of place. Upon completion of the residency, the students visit the Museum to view their finished artwork installed in the Education Gallery.