Visual & Performing Arts · 7th Grade · Media Mashup: Digital and Mixed Media · Weeks 28-36

Found Objects and Upcycling in Art

Students will explore the use of found objects and upcycled materials to create sculptures and assemblages, emphasizing sustainability.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Creating VA.Cr2.1.7
• NCAS: Creating VA.Cr1.2.7

About This Topic

Found object art challenges the conventional idea that art materials must be purchased new. Artists from Pablo Picasso's cubist collages to Louise Nevelson's monumental painted wood assemblages and Robert Rauschenberg's "Combines" have demonstrated that discarded or overlooked objects can become potent raw material for meaning-making. In US K-12 arts education, this topic asks students to look at everyday items through an artist's lens: a rusted gear, a cracked tile, or a worn shoe can carry history, texture, and narrative potential that no store-bought material replicates.

The sustainability dimension adds a layer of civic relevance. Upcycling takes waste materials and transforms them rather than discarding them, positioning the student as both artist and environmental actor. Students learn that the original function of an object can layer meaning into an assemblage in ways that are impossible to fake with conventional materials: a clock gear suggests time, a child's shoe suggests memory, a broken compass suggests disorientation.

Active learning is especially well-suited here because the material-gathering and construction phases are inherently social and hands-on. When students bring in their own found objects and share the stories behind them before assembling, the class builds shared context that makes critiques richer and more personal than any teacher-led discussion could produce.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how the original function of a found object can add new meaning to an artwork.
2. Construct an assemblage using found objects to convey a specific theme or message.
3. Justify the artistic and environmental benefits of using upcycled materials in art.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how the original function of a found object influences its symbolic meaning within an assemblage.
• Construct an assemblage using at least three distinct types of found objects to convey a specific theme or message.
• Evaluate the environmental impact of using upcycled materials compared to new art supplies.
• Justify the artistic choices made in an assemblage, referencing both material selection and thematic development.

Before You Start

Introduction to Sculpture

Why: Students need a basic understanding of three-dimensional form and construction methods before working with assemblage.

Elements and Principles of Art

Why: Understanding concepts like form, texture, balance, and emphasis is crucial for students to effectively arrange found objects into a cohesive artwork.

Key Vocabulary

Found Object	An everyday item, often discarded or overlooked, that an artist selects and incorporates into their artwork.
Upcycling	The process of transforming waste materials or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.
Assemblage	A sculpture constructed from found objects or pieces of manufactured items, often attached to a backing or base.
Juxtaposition	The placement of different elements, such as found objects, side by side to create a new meaning or highlight contrasts.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Found object art is just garbage dressed up, not real art.

What to Teach Instead

The transformation of discarded material into deliberate compositional choices involves the same cognitive and craft process as any other art form. Active critique sessions where students must articulate the specific thematic and formal decisions behind each object reveal the depth of intention required for successful assemblage work.

Common Misconception

The original function of an object does not matter once it is placed in an artwork.

What to Teach Instead

Artists like Joseph Cornell and Christian Boltanski deliberately exploit the emotional weight of familiar objects to carry meaning the artist did not have to construct from scratch. Group analysis of specific artworks shows students how prior context is part of the medium itself, not incidental to it.

Active Learning Ideas

Gallery Walk: Artist Assemblage Analysis

Set up printed examples of works by Louise Nevelson, Joseph Cornell, and El Anatsui around the room. Students rotate with a note-taking sheet, recording one formal observation and one interpretation of found-object meaning at each stop. Pairs compare notes before a whole-class debrief.

30 min·Pairs

Hands-On Workshop: Object Story Hunt

Students bring 5 to 8 found objects from home (bottle caps, broken toys, hardware pieces) and lay them out. In small groups, they identify the inherent story of each object and brainstorm how that story could support a theme. Each student then plans their assemblage layout on paper before building.

50 min·Small Groups

Critique Protocol: Theme Check

After assemblages are built, run a structured critique using sentence frames: "I see..." for formal description, "I notice the object ___ is being used to suggest..." for interpretation, and "I wonder if..." for a question to the artist. Each student receives responses from at least two peers before the artist responds.

25 min·Whole Class

Think-Pair-Share: Sustainability Stakes

Project two images side by side: a landfill and an upcycled sculpture by El Anatsui made from bottle caps. Students write privately about the artistic and environmental stakes of choosing found materials, then share with a partner before bringing key points to the whole class.

15 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Environmental artists like Sayaka Ganz create large-scale sculptures of animals from discarded plastic to raise awareness about ocean pollution, demonstrating how upcycling can carry a powerful message.
• Set designers for theater and film often use found objects and repurposed materials to create authentic and evocative environments on a budget, showcasing the practical application of assemblage techniques.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with images of three different found objects (e.g., a bicycle wheel, a broken teacup, a rusty key). Ask them to write one sentence for each object explaining its potential symbolic meaning if used in an assemblage.

Peer Assessment

Students display their nearly completed assemblages. In small groups, students identify one object in a peer's work, state its original function, and suggest how that function contributes to the artwork's overall message. Peers offer one suggestion for enhancing the theme.

Discussion Prompt

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine you are an artist creating an assemblage about 'connection.' Which three found objects would you choose and why? How would their original functions add meaning to your theme?'

Frequently Asked Questions

What found objects are safe and appropriate to bring to school?

Students should bring clean, non-sharp, and non-toxic materials: bottle caps, cardboard scraps, buttons, fabric pieces, plastic packaging, small hardware, or magazine clippings. Check your school's policy on items from home. The more varied the textures, sizes, and implied stories, the richer the assemblage possibilities.

How do I assess a found object artwork fairly?

Focus the rubric on intentionality, compositional balance, and concept clarity. Requiring a brief artist statement explaining material choices shifts evaluation from materials quality to decision quality, which is the actual learning target. Students who articulate clear reasons for each object choice consistently produce stronger work.

How is assemblage different from collage?

Collage is typically flat, working on a 2D surface with cut and glued papers. Assemblage is three-dimensional: objects are arranged or attached to build up a sculptural form that occupies space the way a sculpture does. Both involve selection and juxtaposition of pre-existing materials, but assemblage adds the dimension of physical volume.

How does active learning improve outcomes in found object projects?

When students discuss the histories and stories of objects before building, they develop richer interpretive frameworks than they would working alone. Small-group object analysis surfaces details one student might miss: a partner might notice that a broken clock face implies urgency, which then shapes the whole composition. Shared discovery makes meaning-making visible and teachable.