SCULPTURE SEMESTER PROJECT PROMPTS Every day is a chance to create something new! Put down your phone and pick up your pencil. Give yourself a little time and a bit of space. You will be surprised with how much art you can create, reflect on, and write about. These prompts are designed to be done in class when you need a break from your project, if you finish early, or when we have shortened classes and not enough time to get out your project materials. These are not intended to be homework, but you may have to or want to take them home if you are struggling to manage your time. Making Art: _____ prompts

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Reflecting on Art: _____ prompts

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Looking at Art: _____ prompts

Please complete ___________ TOTAL prompts, staple together, and turn in at the end of the semester - no earlier or later. You should allow about 1 hour for each Making Art prompt, type at least ½ page for Reflecting on Art writings, and type at least 1 page for Looking at Art.

Making Art: Choose _____ of the following prompts

(Ask your teacher about supplies!)

1.

Create a Contour Line Wire Sculpture. A contour line drawing is made up of one single line with no breaks/lifts of the pencil. You will use a single roll of wire and several pairs of pliers to form a sculpture that mimics a contour line drawing…only it’s 3-D! Sculpture should be at least 8 inches tall and stand on it’s own. It must be representational (not abstract). Ask Ms. King to see her example in her office!

2.

Create a small sculpture made entirely of toothpicks (and glue). You may choose to do an abstract or representational work. Sculpture should be at least 3 inches tall, be able to stand on it’s own, and use at least *100* toothpicks.

3.

Use thick colored paper to create 5 different 3-dimensional paper shapes. Look up patterns for geometric shapes online. Repeat each shape 4x so you have 20 total shapes—things look better in groups! Think about the colors you use – rainbow, complementary colors, warm/cool colors? String together on string/fishing line. You will also need scissors (or xacto and cutting pad), a ruler, a pencil, and glue.

4.

Dolla-dolla bill sculptures. Use five $1 bills to create 5 miniature representational (not abstract) sculptures. These should be at least as complex as the examples below (no airplanes). Then donate your sculptures to the Art Department. Just kidding. But you do need to supply your own materials. A theme between all five sculptures will get you some bonus points. J

5.

A pair of Egg Heads. Use three egg-sized balls of clay and plastic clay tools (ask Ms. King for these) to carve 3 realistic heads with faces. Allow your egg heads to completely dry out, but do not fire, paint or glaze them. They should be detailed and complex enough to be viewed alone without paint or glaze. Flatten one side slightly so they can stand on their own.

6.

Wild Card! Must approve this by Ms. King before you begin. Talk with Ms. King about some supplies that we have in abundance in the Art Room. This could mean the giant roll of red twine in the cabinet, a box of buttons, stack of egg cartons, or a huge bag of pop tabs…OR it could mean things that you have in abundance at home: plastic bottles, toilet paper/paper towel rolls, more egg cartons, plastic bags, etc. Create a sculpture with this abundance – try to make the sculpture mostly out of one type of material. Be creative! Make a huge egg carton by cutting the cups out of 50 normal sized ones! Look up Tara Donovan’s “Bluffs” sculpture made entirely of buttons (it looks like stalagmites)! Google search for the most amazing sculpture ever made out of red twine dipped in wax (?) – and then use it as inspiration (not to copy) for your own! Again, make sure that you talk with Ms. King about this option BEFORE you begin.

Reflecting about Art:

Choose____ of the following prompts.

1/2 page typed minimum.

1.

If you had to create a large sculpture for the school, what would you make? What would it look like and what materials would you use? Would you try to send a message in your art, or just make something interesting or exciting to look at? Where would it be installed in the school and why there?

2.

Who is your favorite 3-D artist and why? Talk about them. What do you love about their work? Have you every tried to create something inspired by their work?

3.

What art would you like to see in your home? A painting? A sculpture? Describe it in detail. Why would you want to look at that everyday? What would you want it to make you feel/think of/remind you of? Where would it be, specifically?

4.

Is someone born an artist or is it a skill that can be taught? Talk about both sides to this argument and where you feel like you fall on the scale of innate skill versus honed practice.

5.

If you were the subject for a famous painting, explain how you would want the artist to represent you and why? Describe the setting and props in the painting. What would you be wearing? Would you want it to be realistic or stylized? What kinds of colors – realistic, dark, bright, blues, warm colors? Describe this painting so I can “see” it.

6.

What are you most inspired by? What kinds of subjects inspire your art making – nature, human beings, characters from books or games or movies, sports, etc? Where do you get most of your ideas for making art – galleries, the internet, movies/TV, your friends, your art classes, etc.? What are you inspired to make/do RIGHT NOW?

7.

What is the hardest part about making art? Talk about a project that you struggled with and the positive or negative results.

8.

Describe the most awesome trip you’ve ever taken to an art museum or gallery. What did you see and what was so awesome? Tell me when you plan to go again. J

9.

Think about our human tape sculptures. Where would the most awesome place be for one of these sculptures around the community of Mt. Horeb? What would the sculpture’s position be (what would they be doing) and how/where would you specifically install it? Who would you want to see it and what would you want them to think when they did see it?

10. Hands are often represented in artworks of any medium—they challenge the artist in drawing/painting/sculpting, they are subjects that most of us have to reference, and they can say a lot about a person—both their physical characteristics and how we hold them or what we do with them. Look at your hands. What are their physical characteristics (long fingers, super calloused, super dry, super soft, large, small)? Think about how you hold your hands when you are listening to a lecture in school…do you fidget? Try to find your cell phone? Clasp them in your lap? Tap your fingers to beats in your head? Twist your rings? Think about all the (appropriate) things you say with your hands – make symbols (peace, thumbs up), gesture, create language (ASL). Now imagine that you are going to make a massive sculpture of hands. Describe what material you would use (and say why), what position your hands would be in, where the sculpture would do, and what would it mean?

Looking at Art:

Choose____ of the following prompts.

1 page typed minimum.

** I would encourage you to look up further information about these artists before you respond. Be sure to note the title and materials used in each sculpture. If you plan to do this in class, please talk to Ms. King so she does not harass you about having your phone out. Or go to a computer lab.

1. Susie Ganch, American artist and professor, born 1971. Below work: Remember Me, Katrina, plastic coffee lids and mixed media, 7 feet x 12 feet.

(detail) Respond to Susie Ganch’s above artwork. You could include, but are not limited to: -What does this look like or make you think of? What message do you think the artist is trying to send? -What significance do you think the materials have? Are they adding to the message? Why did she use trash to make art? -Do you like this artwork? What questions would you ask the artist?

2. Michael Rolando Richards, Jamaican-American artist, 1963-September 11, 2001. Below work: Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian, bronze casting, life size. Respond to this artwork that depicts a life sized cast of an airman with his torso being pierced by toy planes. (playing on the iconography of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian) You could include, but aren’t limited to: -What do you think the title means? What does Saint Sebastian have to do with a Tar Baby? What is a tar baby? -What does this piece MEAN? -Do you think this is a self portrait? -Did you know that Michael Rolando Richards died in the September 11 attacks, as his studio was in one of the towers? Does that change what you feel/think about this sculpture?

3. Deborah Butterfield, American artist, born 1949. Known for her life sized horse sculptures made from found objects.

Respond to the above artworks done by Butterfield. You could include, but are not limited to: -What connection do you think these sculptures have to the materials? How do they add interest to the sculptures? -What do you think the process of making these sculptures was? They are huge! How did she plan them? -Do you like this artwork? What questions would you ask the artist? How did she hold them together? -Have you seen the wire sculpture on the right at MMOCA (in the glass windows on State Street)? What did you think?

4. Michaelangelo, Italian artist, 1475-1564. Below artwork: David, marble, 17 feet tall. (It’s been censored.) The David is one of most well-known sculptures in history. The   statue  represents  the  Biblical  hero  David  and  is  said  to  symbolize   the  defense  of  civil  liberties  embodied  in  the  Republic  of   Florence.    The  statue  was  commissioned  to  stand  in  Florence   with  David’s  eyes  turned  towards  Rome.      Respond  to  this   artwork,  potentially including, but are not limited to:     -­‐What  more  do  you  know  about  the  David  statue?   -­‐Why  do  you  think  it  was  created  larger  than  life-­‐size?   -­‐What  do  you  think  the  statue  stands  for/means?   -­‐Why  is  this  sculpture  so  famous?   -­‐Do  you  like  this  sculpture?   -­‐How  would  your  community  respond  to  a  giant  nude  sculpture?   -­‐What  do  you  think  it  would  be  like  to  carve  marble?!    What  tools?

5. Antony Gormley (Sir Antony Mark David Gormley), British artist, born 1950. Below artwork: Angel of the North, steel sculpture near Gateshead, England, 66 ft tall x 177 ft wide.

Antony Gormley’s large steel sculpture is located above a coal mine that was mined for two centuries and it is said to symbolize the transition from the industrial age to the information age, as well as provide a focus for evolving hopes and dreams. Feel free to research more, but in knowing this and in looking at the above image, please respond to this artwork.

6. Kate MacDowell, American artist, born 1972. Below sculptures created from porcelain clay.

“In  my  work  this  romantic  ideal  of  union  with  the  natural  world  conflicts  with  our  contemporary  impact  on  the  environment.    These   pieces  are  in  part  responses  to  environmental  stressors  including  climate  change,  toxic  pollution,  and  GM  crops.    They  also  borrow  from   myth,  art  history,  figures  of  speech  and  other  cultural  touchstones.    In  some  pieces  aspects  of  the  human  figure  stand-­‐in  for  ourselves   and  act  out  sometimes  harrowing,  sometimes  humorous  transformations  which  illustrate  our  current  relationship  with  the  natural   world.    In  others,  animals  take  on  anthropomorphic  qualities  when  they  are  given  safety  equipment  to  attempt  to  protect  them  from   man-­‐made  environmental  threats.    In  each  case  the  union  between  man  and  nature  is  shown  to  be  one  of  friction  and  discomfort  with   the  disturbing  implication  that  we  too  are  vulnerable  to  being  victimized  by  our  destructive  practices.”    -­‐MacDowell  artist  statement  

  After  reading  Kate  MacDowell’s  artist  statement,  look  closely  at  her  above  porcelain  sculptures  and  respond  to  her   work  -­‐  potentially including, but are not limited to:   -­‐What  do  you  think  each  of  these  sculptures  is  saying  specifically?    Or  choose  one  to  elaborate  upon.   -­‐What  do  you  think  of  them?    Do  you  like  or  dislike  them  and  why?    Do  you  agree  or  disagree  with  MacDowell’s  ideas?    Explain.

7. Kiki Smith, German-born American artist, born 1954. Below artwork: Pee Body, wax and yellow beads, life size.

The above artwork is part of the permanent collection at the Harvard Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The description reads: “In Pee Body, sculptor Kiki Smith explores the female body and its private performance of basic functions. Concerned with interior biological processes of waste and regeneration, Smith subverts the Western sculptural tradition of the eroticized female form. Here the un-idealized life-size body of a woman, molded in sweet-smelling beeswax, crouches on the gallery floor with sparkling yellow beads streaming out behind her. The earthy subject is tempered by its delicate materials - wax and glass. The bowed head and folded arms suggest an introspective and vulnerable state, as our voyeuristic encounter with the crouched woman quietly insists we consider what constitutes improper behavior in communal space: is it the figure who publicly displays a private act, or the viewer who violates that privacy.” Respond to this artwork and statement – you could begin by asking yourself the following: -Do you like this artwork or not and why? -Where would you love to see this work besides in a gallery? -What if the female figure had been shaped like a super model – would that change the piece? -How do you think she created this out of beeswax!? Do you think you would like working in this medium?

8.

Claes Oldenburg, Swedish-American artist, born 1929. Below artwork: Spoonbridge and Cherry, stainless  steel  and  aluminum  painted  with  polyurethane                                                                    enamel,  29  feet  x  51  feet  x  13  feet.  

  Claes Oldenberg is considered a Pop Artist who is known for his gigantic sculptures of ordinary, everyday things. Respond to the above work that resides in the sculpture garden of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. -What is the point of making giant, ordinary things? -Have you seen this sculpture? If so, what is it like up close and if not, what would you imagine it would be like to stand next to a giant spoon and cherry? -Do you like this sculpture and why or why not?

9. Augusta Savage, African-American artist, 1892-1962. Below artworks: 1. Gamin (French translation “Sea Urchin”), painted plaster, 9 in. x 5 in. x 4 in. 2. Realization, painted plaster (?), life size. Created for Federal Art Project, 1938.

1.

2.

Savage  was  considered  to  be  one  of  the  leading  artists  of  the  Harlem  Renaissance,  an  African-­‐American  literary  and  artistic   movement  of  the  1920s.    She  was  also  an  educator  and  civil  rights  activist.    Choose  one  of  the  above  sculptures  to  reflect  on,  asking   yourself:   -­‐What  do  you  think  this  sculpture  is  about?    What  is  the  message  from  the  artist?   -­‐What  emotions  do  you  feel  when  looking  at  this  artwork?   -­‐Do  you  like  this  artwork  and  why  or  why  not?   -­‐How  do  you  think  this  sculpture  relates  to  the  Civil  Rights  Movement?  

 

10. Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Native American (Alaskan) artist, born 1969. Below artwork: Guarded Secrets, walrus stomach, porcupine quill and nylon thread. Respond to Kelliher-Combs’ Guarded Secrets: -Why the unusual materials? -What do you think she means by “Guarded Secrets”? -What do these sculptures remind you of/make you think of? -Do you like these sculptures and why or why not? -How does her location and culture come through in her work?