Week 4 -- Flag -- Melanie Manuel, Analí Cine, Diane Lee

This piece comes from the idea of walking down a path toward unity, though that sounds much more utopian than realistic, we hoped that our flag would be a great symbol for it. We decided to use a mixture of nature (flowers, leaves, and dirt) and manmade materials (paper, paint, and the hot glue sticks) to show that these are two notions that can coexist and encompass something wonderful.

We took time to gather our art supplies at the Arboretum, at first conceptualizing the piece with a trial run paper, and then proceeding to establish our background before gluing the flowers, rocks, and whatnot. We also used dirt for the brown depicted, which was both creative and fun for us, because it allowed us to channel our younger selves. The process was as artistic as the actual piece, and it allowed us to think outside our usual boxes (away from Photoshop).

Our core belief for this piece has solely to advocate for peace and unity, a means of doing away with dividing, nonexistent lines that often keep society from coming together. For us, this is an art piece that has taught us that we are capable of trying new things, such as doing arts and crafts in the Arboretum.