Creepy Crawly Critters

Mrs. Luker and I were very pleased with the results of the Creepy Crawly Critter Sculptures.  Each student took their insect concept and brought it to life in three dimensions.  We used recyclable materials such as paper towels and scrap paper wrapped around a wire armature or base.  We then began wrapping the base sculpture in plaster.

We also added other elements such as pipe cleaners for legs.  Once the plaster was dry the following week, we began painting them with vibrant acrylic paints.  

As often happens in artmaking, sometimes the creative process can take a turn or two.  Originally Mrs. Luker and I thought we might make a book out of the resulting sculptures.  The idea was to include all of the insects in a story that built upon one another sort of like the The Napping House by Audrey Wood.  We had a lot of characters for our story, which made creating the storyline a bit of a challenge.    So, we went with another idea.  With spring approaching, we thought it might be interesting to see what these insect sculptures would look like in the natural world.  We picked a nice afternoon to photograph our sculptures outside.  Each student chose a place and setting for his/her insect.  Here is a slideshow of the photographs from that day...

Sculptures...They Are Time Consuming!

I can't believe it, but it's been a month since I last posted here!  Long story short, we've been working on our found object sculptures which turned out to be a much more time consuming project than we anticipated.  After we built the wire armature, we covered our sculptures with foil to give them form.


Some students were ready to start painting their sculptures with acrylic black or bronze paint.

We used paint as a way to cover the foil with a solid color and also give our sculptures a way to bond the glue to the found objects we are gluing on.

Once the paint was dry, it was time to start adding objects:

So.... the kids are gluing objects on their sculptures... what are they learning? And what does it mean?

 Well, for one thing we've been talking about the human impact on our earth and how much "stuff" we all have and how much we throw away.  We've been discussed some artists who deal with what is called "post consumer art".   These artists don't just throw a bunch of junk together and call it art.  There is intent behind the objects they've chosen.  Each of these objects has a color, form, shape, and/or representation from its context.  All of these things bring meaning and aesthetics to these sculptures.  

We've told students not to buy anything for their sculptures. These objects are things that would be thrown out or are extra things you've had lying around the house.  We are going to work on these projects for one more week, and then move on to something different:  a digital graphic design poster project.

Found Object Sculpture

Robert Bradford

Yesterday, we started a new project.  I began by presenting a powerpoint.  We discussed how artists began to push the boundaries of what was considered art at the time of the early 20th Century.  The 1918 Armory Show changed everything.  Marcel Duchamp rocked the art world by presenting The Fountain, which as a urinal at the Alfred Stegleiz's gallery, 291.  I wanted the students to start thinking about pushing boundaries of their own.  I moved on to talk about artists like Andy Warhol and Natalie Viecili who use themes of consumerism in their work.  They elevate common objects such as Campbell's Tomato Soup cans and McDonald's french fry containers as art.  What message are they sending?

Art often reflects what is going on in contemporary culture.  These artists were challenging ideas about art and also making a commentary of American consumerism.  We also talked about artists using found objects in their work.  I also showed them a slide of HA Schult's work, Trash People which is a travelling installation consisting of figures composed of trash.  I asked the students if they had ever been to see the dancing rabbit sculptures in Dublin.  Most had seen it and could describe the many objects they saw enmeshed in the cast iron.

Then we moved on to talk about Robert Bradford, a British artist who created sculptures created from small plastic objects and toys.  We looked at his sculptures in detail to see how the different parts made up the whole composition.  Color, texture, and object choice are intentional in his work.

Then, we started on the wire base or armature of our sculptures:

We'll continue working on the bases for these sculptures next week.  Additionally, you should have received an email from Mrs. Luker asking for small plastic items to be brought in for these sculptures.  See you next week!

Week 10- Creating the Armature for our Animal Sculptures

This week, kids brought in supples like plastic pop bottles and cardboard and starting putting together the armature or framework for their paper mâché animal sculptures...



We secured the parts with lots and lots of masking tape...



Some kids used cardboard to make the underlying shape of their animal...





Next week, the kids that still need to fine tune their armatures can do so. If you forgot to bring something for your sculpture, please remember to bring it next week! Kids who are ready to start sculpting with wet newspaper will get the opportunity to begin that on Tuesday. See you then!