Creating art doesn't always require oil paints and canvases, children learned at Wild Wilderness Art Camp at the Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville last week.
At the Utah State University-sponsored camp, youngsters -- such as East Layton Elementary's Remy Sorg, Morgan Elementary's Maren Groneman, and best friends Ellie Butler and Maddy Lloyd, both Snow Horse Elementary students -- were introduced to the works of British artist Andy Goldsworthy, who builds sculptures out of natural and found objects.
To Goldsworthy's fans, a pile of rocks sitting next to a lonely tree can be a masterpiece.
Campers tried their own hands at natural art during the two-day camp, gathering plants and flowers to arrange in books. They tie-dyed bandanas, painted tree scenes, and decorated plaster masks.
Wild Wilderness Art Camp, one of several 4-H Aggie Adventures for Kids summer camps, was all about teaching children to be inspired by the outdoors and more specifically, greenery. Kids ages 8-11 were encouraged to "use, smell and make pretty things out of plants," said Utah House coordinator Jayne Mulford.
At Aggie Adventures camps, students explored the world around them in camps, such as "Bugs! A Creepy Crawly Adventure," "Water World" "Energy Explorers" and "Slimy, Gooey, Gross," in which children ages 5-7 investigated "worms, snot, smells and other icky things."
Connor Clayton, a third-grader at Layton's Mountain View Elementary, loves both art and nature so Wild Wilderness Art seemed like the perfect camp to attend.
"I wanted to learn some new tricks that I don't know," Connor said. "It's just so fun to draw, and see what you can make."
Maren Groneman, who attended the camp, said, "You got to be creative," she said. "You got to do what your mind told you to do."
Jen Abraham -- a master's student focusing on Human Dimensions of Ecosystem Science and Management, a specialty that blends sociology and natural resources -- led the camp. She hoped to pass along her passion for natural resources to campers.
"Earth art is accessible, " Abraham said. "I really hope they continue to put together things that are art to them -- if not to anyone else."
