THE HISTORY
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FISHHEAD
by Joshua Wood, 1998
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Erik Wood (1943-2007) was a self-taught artist in New York City, devoted to
his art, to his children, and to
helping people of all ages, abilities, and challenges,create incredible mixed media art.
In the early 1990s, Erik began constructing mixed media reliefs using found objects. Among other things,
he would scavenge old computers and other discarded piecesof technology—like answering machines
and calculators, and break them down for their parts. He
called this 'ReTech' for Recycled Technology in
Art, and thiswould become his inspiration for the workshops.
It was Erik's theory that, given a broad selection of contemporary non-traditional materials (from bottle
tops to computer components to zippers), everyone would findsomething that would inspire and enable
them to create unique works of art using the techniques he had developed over time in his own work.
Erik's son Joshua was 9 when he got the idea of creating Fishhead from
the shape of the styrofoam.
After constructing it, he learned that 'you can create anything with imagination and strong feelings'.
He said, "Fishhead is not just junk or trash on a board, but a thing of beauty. It has a strong message:
Art can be everything."
When Erik saw what his young son could do, it was all the confirmation he needed. He began in 2001
with school-age children in his neighborhood; then, preschoolers, many as young as three; 'at risk'
children in school and after school at the New York Public Library; children with special needs: physical,
developmental, emotional; seniors with dementia, some as old as 103; patients undergoing palliative care.
Along the way, he also developed programs for executives and corporate team-building.
Utilizing a glazing process he developed (plus loving attention put to every piece),
Erik professionally
finished the work so that it was good enough to hang in public spaces. In fact, he had several exhibits of
children's work at The National Arts Clubin Gramercy, including one with 53 pieces done by preschoolers!
Erik died in 2007 after a battle with kidney cancer, but he lives on in his children, his artwork, and the
workshops that I proudly continue to present in his name. As his wife and workshop assistant from the
beginning, I can attest to the success of his vision. These workshops are inspiring, but more importantly,
they level the playing field, enabling everyone from the very young, to the very old, to the physically and/or
developmentally challenged, to create amazing looking art. This is a huge boost to self-esteem, as well as
an ingenius way to exercise both sides of the brain, stretching and strengthening creative thinking.
More than 6,000 children and adults of all ages and challenges, in community-based pre-
schools, NYC public schools, adult day health care, agencies such as UCP/NYC, corporate conferences,
and more than 60 branches of the NYPL, have created amazing mixed media art in Erik Wood workshops.
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THE WORKSHOPS
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THE SEA
by John, age 4, 2010
UCP/NYC BRONX CHILDREN'S
[INTEGRATED] PROGRAM
(typically developing child)
"It's the sea. The whale, the seahorse,
the fish, the sea frog, and the squid
(the purple bottle top and red beads)
live there! The water is blue. The
buttons are the seashells. There's a
purple sun and a white moon.
The zippers are where the people
dive in. The stick is seaweed!
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After Erik died in 2007, I carried on the work he started, by continuing the workshops for another 10 years.
Here is a description of the workshops I conducted, inspired by Erik!
I came with all the materials needed: more than 50 containers of assorted items, pre-cut magazine
images, styrofoam 'canvas' boards, individual bottles of glue, watercolor paints and brushes.
Workshops usually had a theme, and I always touched on the idea of environmental awareness, how by
re-purposing materials that would have been discarded and likely placed into landfills, we are helping to
preserve the Earth a bit. My most popular theme was Animal Habitats, in which we created scenes of the
ocean, arctic, tropical rain forest, savannah, temperate forest or desert.
After an interactive educational-based discussion utilizing relevant samples that I brought, participants
built their pieces with the freedomto select 'unlimited' materials throughout the session. When they
finished building, they used the watercolors to paint the bare spots.
During the painting, I attempted to collect brief narratives, which were transferred onto accompanying
signage. For the non-verbal (i.e. speech-delayed, aphasia), and for English language learners, I used other
methods to elicit words, by indication, eye movement, and even the smiles that come with recognition.
This literacy component to the workshops helps to make the connection between visual ideas and the
written word in storytelling and books, while furthering language skills in a fun and non-threatening way.
The work was glazed and prepared for hanging at my studio using Erik's proprietary finishing techniques,
and all artwork was returned in approximately two weeks, with accompanying plaques wth the artists' names
and ages, and any title or narrative provided to me. I highly recommended displaying and celebrating the
finished work before sending it home! Some organizations also used the finished work for fundraising
purposes— on cards for example.
We all had a wonderful time, and the looks on the artists' faces when they saw their finished artwork was
priceless!
Beth Bernett (Wood)
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