Unit of Study VI.
Walter Dusenbery - Stone Portals to the Past, Present, and Future
Lesson 2

Objectives

Students will

1. research portals throughout Western and non-Western art history. (thinking skill: Analysis)
2. demonstrate the use of various ceramic hand building techniques in order to create a sculptural portal. (thinking skill: Application)
3. create an original sculptural portal. (thinking skill: Synthesis)

Walter Dusenbery, Rocchetta, 1983, gray travertine, 96" x 87" x 23". Courtesy of the artist.

Materials

• stoneware or other ceramic clay with a significant degree of plasticity
• clay loop tools, texturing tools, and fettling knives
• glaze and under glaze materials
• wooden dowels or plastic rods for support.
• kiln or other method of firing clay

Vocabulary

• slab
• pinch
• coil
• greenware
• bisque
• fire
• kiln
• glaze
• plasticity
• porosity
• vitrification
• post-and-lintel
• arch

Preliminary sketch for ceramic portals of the past, present, and future.

Teacher Preparation

• Review the history of portals from the earliest post-and-lintel construction to today. Images of the early architecture of stone circles such as Stonehenge provide an introduction to the concept of post-and-lintel architecture.
• Collect images of sculptural portals across a variety of historical periods and cultures that incorporate fundamental architectural principles such as post-and-lintel and the arch. Stonehenge, Roman basilicas, the Parthenon, Central and South American archaeological sites all provide historical references. Include in these images the portals of Walter Dusenbery.
• Be sure to include the various decorative orders of columns employed by Western and non-Western cultures throughout history.
• Discuss the symbolic connection and the physical sense of portals. What is the importance of a portal other than the purely functional one?
• While many of the historical images are stone, relate the connection between the qualities of stone and the qualities of clay.
• Additional contemporary images can be found in the work of New Jersey sculptor James Colavita. Colavita relied heavily on the use of architectural elements in his later work. (See Resources.)
• It is recommended that students be familiar with ceramic hand-building techniques prior to this lesson. Prepare a demonstration of various hand-building techniques.

Procedure

• Demonstrate a review of hand-building techniques. Remind students to wedge their clay before use and to keep their clay under plastic to prevent premature drying.
• Discuss and define vocabulary terms.
  • slab - clay rolled out to a specified thickness. Pieces may be bent to shape, draped over a form or left flat.
  • pinch - clay rolled into a ball and then indented with the thumb. The form is rotated in the hand and hollowed out.
  • coil - building up the form by using rope-like pieces of clay.
  • greenware - clay that has thoroughly air-dried prior to any firing.
  • bisque - clay that has lost its chemical water due to being subjected to heat.
  • fire - the application of heat to clay to bring it to maturity.
  • kiln - a furnace for firing clay material.
  • glaze - a liquid suspension of minerals applied to clay and fired to create a glasslike finish.
  • underglaze - color applied to the surface of clay prior to firing.
  • smoke patina - creating a smoke finish to the fired clay similar to raku firing.
  • plasticity - the quality of clay that allows it to hold shape without cracking or sagging.
  • porosity - the quality of clay that describes the water in the clay to dry out without cracking.
  • vitrification - the quality of clay that allows it to become glass-like when fired.
• Share architectural images of portals with students.
• Students create multiple thumbnail sketches of portals which lead to locations of their choice. The locations can be real or imagined.
  • The portal may exist in the past, present, or the future.
  • The finished clay portal must be at least one foot high. Students may make the portal as simple or complex as they wish.
  • Finished portals should be constructed in the round but may demonstrate relief work on various facades.
  • Portals may be constructed in multiple pieces and assembled after firing.
• Portals assembled in pieces should have holes for dowel rods in place prior to firing. The rods will help maintain stability.
• Portals can be glazed in whole or part, underglazed, or smoke patinated.
• Write an artist statement to reflect the intention of the portal.
• Share artist statements with the class.

Example of steatite sculptures made by Nottingham High School students.

Unit of Study VI.
Walter Dusenbery - Stone Portals to the Past, Present, and Future
Unit Overview | Lesson 1 | Assessment Rubric 1
Lesson 2 | Assessment Rubric 2 | Extensions

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