BOZEMAN — More than 500 students, teachers, para-educators, and faculty members of Meadowlark Elementary School gathered Thursday morning to create a piece of living art.
"Art for the Sky" is a project created by Daniel Dancer, with the hope of spreading awareness of climate change and giving back to the sky. Equipped with a background of photojournalism, Dancer has created pieces of art in 44 states and multiple countries.
“People often get this wrong, they’ll say ‘Art in the Sky’. It’s not ‘Art in the Sky’ it’s ‘Art for the Sky’, because we don’t do anything for the sky except give it our pollution, and we have to stop doing that, and that’s what this program is about,” Dancer said.
Dancer has created a couple of art pieces in the state of Montana, some of which are for our local tribes, but this is the first public school piece he has created.
“It’s like a gift for the earth and sky, each one of these is a gift to the sky and an apology. I’m pushing 400 projects, and I have 10 more planned for this year,” Dancer said.
Jessica Hartman is a third-grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School and first heard of the ‘Art for the Sky’ project in college. Hartman assisted the coordination of the photo, as well as facilitating supply donations from ACE Hardware and Home Depot.
“It’s a different way to look at art and issues in the world too—like with climate change— and also this year it has some special meaning to have everyone being back together,” Hartman said.
Despite a sprinkle of rain, the Meadowlark students donned their color-coordinated selves into the shape of a bird in flight.
