Columbia High School art students created a beautiful and thought-provoking sculpture in December that now hangs in the school lobby. Students in the 1st period Studio Art Class with Valerie Gordon collected plastic bottles and then washed, colored, cut and attached them by hand.

The project was led by student teacher Ariel Gioia and inspired by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

More Than Plastic
Written by Cheyenne Bott ’26

More Than Plastic was created by Columbia’s 1st period Studio Art class. Each plastic bottle was collected, washed, colored, cut, and attached, by hand with great detail. The intention behind this piece was to convey the idea of just how much plastic takes a toll on our environment and to remind everyone of the importance of recycling. When creating this piece, the class was astonished by the copious amounts of plastic bottles that were pouring into the classroom.

Did you know, Americans buy nearly 15 billion gallons of bottled water per year? 15 billion gallons would translate to 120 billion bottles of water! (Solutions, 2021) Can you imagine the global number? A single-use plastic bottle takes around 450 years to decompose. (Solutions, 2021) So, we must ask ourselves, what will the future look like for the generations to come? And how will this affect them? Also, a study by the NRDC found that 33% of tested bottled water brands either contained chemicals above state health limits or violated microbial purity guidelines, which means bottled water quality isn’t a guarantee. (Solutions, 2021) Thus, is it worth sacrificing our health and buying plastic water bottles for convenience? We can use refillable water bottles that will not only keep us healthy but will also save our planet!

More Than Plastic
Studio Art with Ms. Gordon & Mrs. Gioia
December 2023, 39×26
Brief written by, Cheyenne Bott, Grade 10