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Unit of Study
I.
Red Grooms - Cultural Observer/Storyteller
Extensions
- Use a tri-fold cardboard display
board or other material to create a backdrop
for the sculpture similar in concept to the "sculpto-pictorama". - Instead of individual projects, select an area of the school and create a themed environment that responds, in some measure, to the school or pop culture.
 Student Jen Kirby applies finishing touches to her sculpture. |
Reflection
While watching students search for the subject matter of their papier mâché I observed that instinctively students individually brainstormed possibilities and applied very personal criteria to the possibilities in order to narrow the field. Students were able to articulate why their final selection was made. Discussion about this process is important. The resulting pieces moved far beyond the narrative relating of an anecdote from childhood. Students' work reflected a visual culture in some cases, very personal. Two students whose work is highlighted throughout the lesson bear out this statement.
Alex is a fun-loving senior whose sport of choice is football. Alex plays hard, and he is very much a team player. The subject of his sculpture is a diver. When one reflects on Alex, one sees a young man who values peace, quiet, and tranquility. Alex seeks an ordered universe where he can be still and observe. Alex is a skilled observer. While Alex does indeed like to dive, his choice of a diver reflects much more. When you dive you are in isolation even when diving with someone else. You hear and are conscious of every breath you take. It is quiet. It is private. You are the reflection of a world moving amid another world. The diver, then, becomes an icon symbolic of Alex's personal culture. Trying to translate his personal culture to a visual culture, Alex creates the diver as a metaphor for himself.
Kerri, a junior, expresses her creativity very divergently from the other members of her family. She is good naturedly chided by her family for her art and the resulting mess she creates at home; but it is clear that her family, mother, father, and brother each are very supportive of Kerri's art. Kerri receives her validation, her support, and her independence from this family group who mean so much to her. When Kerri chose the chipmunk it was symbolic of all the time that her family members invest in each other. Family and the time spent on family are of utmost importance to Kerri. Her use of the chipmunk then represents the humor, good nature, and the significant times that her supportive family has provided for her. I would suggest that while both of these approaches to the sculpture are representational they should not be relegated to simple narrative quality. They reflect and are metaphors for far greater meaning if we take the time to talk about the art our students produce.
Unit of Study I.
Red Grooms - Cultural Observer/Storyteller
Unit Overview | Lesson 1
| Lesson 2 | Lesson 3
Assessment Rubric | Extensions | Student
Work
About the Curriculum | Units of Study | Field Trip Activity | Resources
NJ Resources | Studying Contemporary Sculpture | Public Relations
Reference Chart for Standards | Extension Activities | Standards
Forming School Partnerships | Acknowledgements | Meet the Team
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