BROOKLYN PS32’S THIRD GRADE ARTISTS HIGHLIGHT ENDANGERED SPECIES

We are delighted to highlight the artworks of third grade students from PS32 in Brooklyn, New York who were encouraged by their teacher, Miss Ava, to use their creativity, research skills, and passion to create colorful artworks of endangered species, raising awareness of their plight around the globe. Read more about their project in our latest blog below.

The plight of wildlife on our planet pulls at our heartstrings, particularly when we think of children. Unless urgent action is taken to address habitat-loss and other drivers of extinction, they will inherit a planet that is vastly depleted of nature’s beauty: from the elephants and rhinos they learnt to love in their storybooks, to the silencing of the calls of local owls, frogs, insects, and species whose names are perhaps not yet known. Today, one million species are at risk of extinction, many in the next decade, unless action is taken urgently.

Wild Tomorrow was delighted to collaborate with the class of 7-8 year old third graders at PS32 in Brooklyn, New York, on their endangered species project (check out the full gallery of images at the bottom of this story!). Their colorful endangered species artworks formed part of this year’s 1.5-mile self-guided Atlantic Avenue Artwalk featuring local artists’ work. The project started with Wild Tomorrow first compiling a spreadsheet of 50 endangered species from around the world, across continents and oceans. The list is a representative collection of endangered animals from the well-known such as the African Forest Elephant, to the more obscure such as the Endangered Juliana's Golden Mole in South Africa, and the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat in Australia.

Public art is an opportunity for children to process complex issues, to examine their emotions of loss, and to make a statement to raise awareness of both the beauty and uniqueness of the natural world around us, and all that is at stake if these incredible species were to disappear.

While it is often the plight of well-known animals such as polar bears, tigers, elephants, and orangutans that hit the headlines, it is important to raise the profile of endangered species everywhere, including much closer to home locally here in New York State and more widely in the United States. The protection of biodiversity in our backyards is just as important as in the grasslands and forests of southern Africa or the jungles of Indonesia.

Locally endangered species prints created by the class included the Lined Seahorse found right here in the Hudson river, and the North Atlantic Right Whale of which less than 350 remain in the Atlantic Ocean. And have you heard of North America’s smallest, critically endangered turtle, the bog turtle? Or the Endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, of which less than 10,000 remain, also found in New York State. The third graders at PS32 have gotten to know these species in detail (literally), carefully tracing their shapes, and filling in the detail of their markings, getting to know them thru their art.

We spoke with the student’s art teacher, Miss Ava, to find out more about the print-making process as well as how the kids felt about the topic of endangered animals. Miss Ava believes in the importance of teaching young minds that they have a voice which should be nurtured and heard. She wants her students to feel empowered to take a stance on issues that are important to them. In the classroom, she uses art to explore social justice issues and general issues in the world. She said she believes that “Education is liberation” and centers her lessons in love, joy, and community. 

To facilitate the print-making process, Miss Ava printed out photos of the endangered species and each child chose an animal they felt connected to. There did have to be a first-come first-serve selection process as expectedly, most kids (and adults alike!), tend to gravitate towards the most well-known animals, specifically elephants. This gave the children an opportunity to learn about species many people wouldn’t be able to identify- a great learning opportunity! The children then researched and read data to learn more about their chosen animal. They felt driven to get to know more about their animal as they were proud to support the education and awareness of endangered species. Miss Ava noted that, “At this age, they are centered on justice and fairness and when it comes to issues threatening the lives of all living beings, there is a feeling of ‘this shouldn't be happening’.” This is where she encourages them not to shy away from big issues and instead motives them to channel their emotions and feelings into their art.  

The print-making process comprises of two main steps. The first is creating an engraving and the second is the actual printing, called relief printing. The children placed the printed photo of their chosen animal on top of a foam plate and then drew the outline from that image. They had to make sure their lines were deep enough and they paid close attention to contours, textures, unique shapes and other fine details that defined their animal to make sure the animal in the image would be recognizable by its key traits. Through trial and error, and a few practice rounds, the children learnt how to apply the right amount of ink and how to make sure the color distributed evenly and dispersed well. After trying a few different colors, they were able to pick out their best and favorite version as their final artwork, ready for public display!  

“Young voices expressed through art have the power to move adult hearts, more than science and facts alone”, said Wild Tomorrow’s co-founder Wendy Hapgood. “We were so moved and impressed by the third grade class of PS32’s efforts, and the beautiful detail of their endangered species artworks. The beauty and color are in stark contrast to the sad reality of the destruction of nature by human hands. Together, through art, activism, collaboration, and open hearts, I am hopeful that together we can restore our planet and heal our communities.”

The children felt proud to display their art publicly both at the Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk and in their school art show, an embodiment of their passion for saving wildlife. Just like our work at Wild Tomorrow, creating a corridor for animals to roam again across larger spaces and reconnect again across wild spaces, these talented children were able to use art to connect to endangered species and the social issues that put them at risk of extinction. 

The students at PS32 were able to make a beautiful impact and we were honored to be a part of Miss Ava’s 3rd grade art project raising awareness about endangered species. We hope you enjoy their artworks as much as we did, and learn more about the endangered species they carefully and thoughtfully depicted in their prints.