Sculpture and Assemblage

Sculpture & Assemblage

Week 3 - April 13-17, 2020

Hope you enjoyed learning about how artists use the heart symbol last week. Today we will learn about sculpture and assemblage. Sculpture is art that is three dimensional. Some artists like to create sculptures using found or recycled objects. This is called an assemblage. Artists combine multiple objects into one unified sculpture. It may look like a random combination of objects, but artists think about balance, color and unity when creating assemblage. Have you ever thought about using recycled objects to create art? That is what we will do today!

Lousie Nevelson

The image to the left is on exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It was created in 1958 by an artist named Louise Nevelson. The title is called Sky Cathedral. Can you guess what materials she used to make this piece? It is found pieces of wood. She made shallow boxes and filled them with bits and pieces of salvaged wood she found by her home in NYC. She unified the work by painting it all one color. In art we call that monochromatic. Here are a few more examples of her work.

An American Tribute to the British People

The Tate, 1960-64

Dawn's Wedding Chapel

Whitney Museum of American Art, 1959

National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian Institution

Let's Get Started!

Gather some materials from the recycle bin - shoe box , cereal box, toilet paper tubes, trinkets from junk drawer, etc.

Use lid of a shoe box or piece of cardboard for the base. Most shoe boxes have the lid attached to the box. I cut off the top.

Arrange objects on the base and glue them to base. Think about repeating objects. I used circles and tabs from cans.

Pick one color to paint your assemblage. You can use liquid tempera paint or spray paint. Make sure you get help form your parents.If you use spray paint make sure you go outside.

Here is my finished project

The title of my art work is called Mardi Gras Baby. I used the plastic toy baby from the king cake I had during Mardi Gras season. Think of a title for your assemblage.

Creating a Cardboard Sculpture

If you don't have paint or glue, you can create a sculpture out of card board. I cut pieces from the shoe box.

Slits hold it together

Cut slits in the cardboard and piece it together. Balance the pieces to create a 3D piece of art.

Leaning Tower of Bacon

Here is my finished piece of art. I glued it to a cardboard base to make it stand up. Once the glue dried it was sturdy. Have fun and get creative. The possibilities are endless when use use found objects from around your house. Don't forget to email me your creations. I love to see what your are working on at home!

ccowan@houstonisd.org

Here are some student's work from our heart projects.

If you would like to learn more about Louise Nevelson here is an audio clip from the playlist Abstract Expressionist New York

Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Louise Nevelson

Sky Cathedral

1958

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