WELCOME TO HCA ART!: UPPER SCHOOL: SCULPTURE!

wire, fabric, and cardboard non-objective sculpture constructions by 9th - 12th graders

The month of November was dedicated to three-dimensional design for upper school art classes. Our goals were to:

1. Learn sculpture construction techniques used for wire, fabric, cardboard, paper, and foil

2. Apply basic design principles such as Repetition, Variety, Movement, and Balance to our art pieces

3. Practice creative problem solving; THINKING like an artist!

4. Learn how historical and contemporary artists create both relief and in-the-round sculptures by carving, casting, modeling, and assembling (Historical Sculptors YouTube playlist, Contemporary Sculptors YouTube playlist)

5. Have fun working with our hands as we create original art pieces and use recycled materials...

The first day, we discussed a variety of famous sculptures throughout history, starting with a newly discovered Mycenaean relief stone carving of warriors. A relief sculpture can only be seen from one side, as opposed to one that is "in-the-round," visible from all sides. We looked at ancient Greek and Roman sculptures made of stone and bronze, Rodin's 19th century bronze, The Thinker, and several 20th century artists working with abstraction. We talked about the various techniques a sculptor can choose from: carving with stone or wood, casting with molten metal or another liquid, modeling with a soft material such as clay, and assembling various materials). Then we made our own relief sculpture from leaves and foil. This was the only representational sculpture we tried; the rest were non-objective (non-representational); purely about design principles.

Next, we tried out a variety of sculpture techniques. A few classes made "Notan" cut paper sculptures; working with positive and negative space:

Students discussed the highly influential 20th century sculptors Alexander Calder and Naum Gaubo who used abstraction as well as purely non-objective design when creating their work. We learned how to use a staple gun to safely attach coat hanger wire to a wooden base. Then, we could bend the wire into an interesting non-objective design to be covered with fabric and spray painted. Students enjoyed building these designs with organic, twisting and curving lines and then seeing how the whole sculpture was transformed with the fabric and paint!

wire, fabric, and wood sculptures by Rebekah and Thomas

wire, fabric, and wood sculpture by Colby

wire, fabric, and wood sculpture by Julia

Finally, students tackled a bit more challenging assignment; create a balanced and stable non-objective design out of cardboard. We talked about repeating the same shape over and over but in a variety of sizes in order to create unity. We also discussed ways to create a more interesting, energetic design; use lots of diagonal lines or curves instead of horizontals and verticals. Students were asked to try to lead the viewer's eye upward and around the piece, and to turn the piece as they worked to see how it looks viewed from different angles. This project was an excellent opportunity for creative problem solving!

Colby thinks about the design and stability of his cardboard construction. The gorgeous finished piece is pictured on the right.

9th and 10th graders puzzle over their sculptures. How do you build something stable that looks nice? How do you create a dynamic piece that is full of energy?