Dreamscapes of Sustainable Use: Making Surreal Art

12. Responsible Consumption and Production
Art
Grades 5-8
30-60 Minutes

Materials Needed

  • Drawing paper or sturdy cardstock
  • Pencils, colored pencils, markers, pens
  • Collage materials: magazines, newspapers, fabric scraps, recycled materials, found objects
  • Paints (Optional)
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

You can find an introduction to Goal 12, as well as the Targets & Indicators, Objectives, and Action Planning Resources on the Goal overview page.

See Goal 12 Overview
Goal 12 icon

Introduce Global Goal 12 and Surrealist art style. Show examples of Surrealist artwork (Dali, Magritte, Oppenheim, Miro). Discuss dreamlike, illogical qualities and how they can help think differently about consumption.

1

Imagine Transformation

Students imagine favorite everyday object transforming in a dream world.
2

Quick Doodle

Quickly doodle the transformation.
1

Practice Juxtaposition

Practice juxtaposition (putting things together weirdly) to show consumption and waste themes.
2

Practice Scale Distortion

Practice scale distortion (changing sizes unrealistically) to show consumption and waste themes.
1

Create Grid

Students create 6-8 square grid.
2

Draw Before

Draw common items/trash in "before" state.
3

Draw After

Draw their surreal transformations in "after" using Surrealist techniques.
1

Create Final Artwork

Students create final Surrealist artwork about Global Goal 12 using ideas from grid, combining collage and drawing, applying Surrealist tricks to tell story about consumption.
Students share artwork and discuss strange/unexpected elements, use of Surrealist techniques, common themes, and messages about Global Goal 12.
  • What strange or unexpected elements do you notice in the artwork?
  • How were Surrealist techniques used?
  • What common themes emerge?
  • What messages about Global Goal 12 do the artworks convey?

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