Sustainable Art at it’s Finest
Two words: Giant cardboard. Where? On the first floor of the library. Hard to miss but easy to walk past. But if you stopped to observe, you would discover a beautiful art display entirely made of card board.
And no, this isn’t the work of Chris Gilmour! This is the work of Vanier College students. More specifically, the students of Prof. Owen Wood. The Communications, Media, and Studio Arts professor is teaching two Sculpting 1 classes this semester. I sat with him one afternoon and learned that this was the first time he has ever done this project. He shared how he had the idea in his head and is more than pleased with the results – and I mean, what teacher wouldn’t be?
The inspiration behind the piece sources itself from Prof. Owen’s trained experience.
Prof. Wood took a “Sustainable Happiness” course at Vanier which delved into topics relating to environmental sustainability and positive psychology. Though not an expert in environmentalism, Prof Owen wanted to find a way to apply those themes to the classes he teaches. And that is how the cardboard village came to be!
A sculpture of such grandeur is not a one-day project. The process started from the very beginning of the semester: “The very first class, we did little experimental abstract things. Making textures like pyramids and hairy things [to] learn how to […] manipulate cardboard as an art material. The next four weeks, the students [were] each responsible for building a house or multiple structures” (Wood, 2026).
One of Prof. Wood’s students, Breanne Weisntock, “contributed two suburban style houses and one circular hut-style house, along with two winding stairs, a fence, and an arch”. She shared how “[t]he steps to create these structures were sort of like playing chess against an inanimate object”.
Breanne additionally stated, “[a]fter much time spent on google images, we had to work our way backwards from the houses we wanted to create to figure out each step [we would have to make] to ensure a secure and sound house with all the details we wanted. Finding the style of house was the easy part, along with remembering the techniques our teacher (Owen) had taught us [in] our very first class.”
The most difficult part for Breanne “was being able to visualize what cuts to make [and] where [to make them] in order for each structure to come together as [she]I envisioned it. And once a wrong cut was made, it took a while to see them as “happy little accidents” rather than “the end of the world”, which [she is] sure [her] classmates can relate to”.
Circling back to sustainable happiness, the concept teaches the importance of investing in one’s happiness without compromising the state of others and the environment. If we apply this concept to Prof. Wood’s class, individual gratification resulted in shared fulfillment once the project was complete. Now, whenever a student sees their work displayed, I bet the happiness is sustained.
Prof. Owen shared how happy he was, and still is, now that the project is over. He saw how students were working together to “enhance each others buildings”. He also said, “as a teacher, I am really interested in this idea of collaboration rather than competition. I think students are really pitted against each other. What company succeeds with one person? So I am really proud of the collaborative part [of the project]” (Wood, 2026).
Prof Wood went on to say, “I’d never had so many students walking by, coming into the classroom, asking ‘What is the class that is making this?’ or ‘Can I take this class?’. I think [the project] is already inspiring enthusiasm for art, for learning, for something.”
As was mentioned earlier, sustainability is a major theme of the project. Breanne explained: “Sustainability is about reduce, reuse, recycle. This project encompassed all of these in a way I don’t typically think of… With this project, we used even smaller shavings and even dust to create a large and incredible sculpture of the same old cardboard that has been given [a] new life. It just goes to show how small of a material and how little actions can build up to create such a noticeable and wonderful difference”.
“I don’t think anyone had much confidence in themselves to finish our pieces before they were due, but in the end, everyone’s structures were finished and looked amazing” (Weinstock, 2026).
Fun fact, approximately “98% of the cardboard to make [the] sculpture was taken out of the recycling bins here at Vanier or from the cafeteria”.
