Found Object House

01.16.2026
Self-portrait of Beverly Buchanan
For Toddler Tuesday this month, we highlighted an artist who once lived in Athens, Georgia: Beverly Buchanan. She is best known for a series of artworks she called “shacks.” A shack is a small, simple house. Buchanan was inspired by real shacks she saw across the South. She wanted to remember these homes and the people who lived in them.

Beverly Buchanan used found objects, like old wood, beads and buttons. She collected these objects and turned them into art.
Take a look at “Shot Gun House.” How many different objects can you find in this one artwork?
Let’s make art
For this activity, you will need:
  • small pieces of cardboard (from a cereal box
  • discarded objects like bottle caps, buttons or fabric scraps
  • tape or glue
  • scissors
  • crayons or markers
To make your found-object house:
  1. Look around your home together and find a few safe objects you don’t need anymore.
  2. Cut a cardboard cereal box into smaller pieces with scissors.
  3. Use one piece of cardboard as the base of your house.
  4. Stack, tape or glue more cardboard and your found objects to make a house.
  5. Add some colorful details with crayons or markers.
Talk together:
  • What objects did you use to make your house?
  • Who might live inside?