Pre-Visit Activity: Art Talk

Please view the two reproductions with your class and lead a discussion using the following questions as guidelines. There are no “right” answers. The questions are meant to guide the group discussion. Students will revisit and discuss the original works at BAM. The vocabulary in this packet will aid discussion.

 Research and experience have shown that students feel more comfortable when they can connect with something familiar once they arrive at the Museum. The students are excited to find “their” works of art while they are at BAM. They enjoy sharing their insights from the classroom discussion with the docent and making valuable comparisons between the textbook-like reproductions and the original works of art.

Beyond the Box

This tour examines the ways in which artists use different media to make three-dimensional sculptures and vessels of all shapes and sizes. Students will discuss how California artist Ann Weber uses ordinary cardboard as a medium to create large and small-scale sculptural forms that resemble natural objects such as pods, gourds and other organic forms. Weber uses weaving techniques to create the large forms and adds a rich finish with layers of shellac applied to the surface. Many of her charcoal drawings and collages reflect the three-dimensional forms seen in her sculptures. Students will compare Weber’s cardboard works to ceramics and sculptures from BAM’s Permanent Collection.

Vocabulary
Beyond the Box

Curricular Connections
Constructing Curriculum with Beyond the Box

Social Studies, History, Geography

• Discuss the history of basket weaving -- one of the world’s oldest and most widespread crafts. Which cultures are known for making and using baskets? How do we use baskets today?
• Learn about cultures where weaving in an important part of tradition and community. Have students collaborate and complete a large weaving project as a class.
• Talk about how your community reuses and recycles materials. Have students research how other communities around them reuse and recycle.
• Have students make sculptural timelines using pictures to illustrate the development of sculptures from utilitarian objects that held purpose in everyday life (pottery, ceramics, etc.) through modern times where sculpture is appreciated and viewed as fine art.
• Ask students to collect packaging and other paper products then research the origins, materials and use of the items. Students can chart the information as a class and discuss how the materials reflect their culture and way of life.
• Ancient ceramic artifacts have been found around the world. Research archeological sites and discuss the items found at each place. What types of artifacts are more often found? Which materials are more likely to survive over time? Which are not as durable?

Reading, Writing, and Public Speaking

• Have students choose a sculpture by Ann Weber and write a poem inspired by the artwork.
• Look at books by artist Eric Carle, who creates his own paper to cut and paste into illustrations for his stories. Have students write their own short story and illustrate it using the same technique.
• Discuss the materials used in Ann Weber’s art and the importance of recycling and finding alternative uses for old materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard and aluminum. Have students give a brief speech on why recycling matters and the steps people can take to recycle.
• Have students choose a sculptor and write questions for an imaginary interview with the artist.
• Discuss the multiple meanings of the word ‘organic’ with students. For example, shapes such as those seen in Ann Weber’s work can be described as organic and certain foods and products can also be called organic. What other descriptive words have multiple uses?
• Have students make a journal from recycled paper and record how they are recycling or re-using materials in their daily lives.
• Ann Weber changes the space her artwork is in by making large-scale sculptures that give viewers the experience of being small amongst towering forms that resemble oversized gourds and vegetables. View movies where characters shrink in size or are small in comparison to the world around them, such as “A Bug’s Life”, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”, and “Alice and Wonderland”. Students can imagine they are in a garden, forest or room filled with overgrown objects and write a creative story about what it would be like to live there.

Reading and Writing

• Have students make bug journals. Have them record their insect observations, draw pictures and speculate about what insects might hear, feel, see, etc.
• Have students research different bugs and insects and write letters from bugs' and insects' points of view to humankind.
• Have each student write a short story from the point of view of an insect. Their writing should take into account the different ways insects perceive the world.
• Have the class create an insect trivia book. Have students contribute to it as they research insects and learn more about them. Have them add facts such as ‘there are over a million species of insects in the world,’ or ‘caterpillars have strong jaws for chewing.’
• Select insect poems such as Honeybees from Joyful Noise (listed in the bibliography) for dramatic readings.
• Throughout the classroom bug unit or studies, have bug question of the day posted on the board, such as ‘Which bug do you think has the cleverest defense?’ ‘The most gruesome attack?’ ‘Which bug has been on Earth for the longest time?’ etc. Have students write their speculations and their justifications and then have them read and research to find the answers.
• Have students select an issue and create both a photo essay and a written essay presenting both sides of the issue and supporting one side convincingly.

Math, Science, and Physics

• Have students experiment with shapes and forms, volume and space.
• Many of Ann Weber’s enormous sculptures were modeled from natural objects such as gourds and vegetables. Discuss how she uses scale to increase the impact of these objects by increasing their size. Have the students pick their favorite fruit or vegetable and make a drawing, painting or sculpture that models it at an increased size.
• Native American artisans use materials from their environment such as wool, grasses, or leather to create woven items. Have students go out into their own natural environment and collect materials that they feel could be used to create a work of art or a functional item.
• Discuss the difference between geometric and organic shapes. Have students find examples of each within the classroom.
• Have students experiment with geometric and organic shapes to create a design.
• Learn about symmetry. Are organic forms asymmetrical, symmetrical, or can they be both? Have students create examples of symmetry by folding paper in half and cutting out shape. Ask students what makes the shape they created symmetrical. Can you make an asymmetrical shape using the same technique? Why not? Have students draw a line down the middle of another piece of paper and draw examples of asymmetrical shapes that are not equal on either side of the line.
• Have students practice finding measurements by measuring objects throughout the school and classroom. Have them find height, width, and circumference of various pieces of classroom furniture. Compare the measurements they find with the measurements of some of Ann Weber’s sculpture. How do they relate? Bigger or smaller? Shorter or taller? Wider or thinner?
• Challenge students to use a limited number of strips of paper to weave into a structure. Can it be done using only horizontal supports? Only vertical supports?
• Discuss the physics of balance and weight, mass and volume.

Technology

• Discuss how the technology used to create sculpture has changed throughout the course of history. Learn about how modern advances, tools and materials such as the potter’s wheel, plastic, and other tools or items are used to create sculpture.
• Have students bring in a piece of packaging from home and research how their particular item is made. Ask students to share how and why their packaging was made and if their material can or cannot be recycled. If it is not recyclable, could an alternative material be used?
• Learn about the process used to make paper and how used paper is recycled into blank paper.
• Discuss modern advances in the tools used for weaving such as the floor loom and computer-based loom.

• Have students use colored paper strips, cardboard strips, or yarn to make their own woven artworks.
• Ask students to use organic shapes to create works of art. Discuss what parts of the works reflect nature. Students can look at images from nature for inspiration.
• Have the students create drawings using organic shapes and designs. Then have them do another drawing using only geometric figures. Compare and contrast the forms and shapes in these drawings.
• Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics and purposes to inanimate objects, animals, plants, or other natural phenomena. Have students draw a common object in a way that transforms it into something more human. For example, a chair that has legs might be drawn with human legs to emphasize the similar use of the word leg.
• Students can practice drawing lines and patterns that suggest texture. Lines can be wavy, zig-zagged, straight, etc. What types of textures do certain lines imply? Then have students create rubbings of texture by placing a sheet of paper over an item and rubbing a crayon over top. Which items work best? Which don’t work as well?
• Discuss artists who use found materials as the basis for their art work. What are the benefits of using found materials in an art piece? What materials would you use to create a sculpture?
• Have students research sculptures that change the space they are in, such as earthworks, installations, or temporary sculpture. What makes these works different from other works of sculpture?

Related Web Sites

Post-Visit Activity: MAKE IT!

To extend the museum experience and connect the tour to your curriculum, please consider using or adapting this suggested lesson

Organic Shape Collage

Introduction
In this post-visit activity, students will learn the difference between geometric and organic shapes. Then students will use charcoal to make a collage composed of organic shapes reminiscent of the techniques used by Ann Weber in her drawings.

Materials

• 2-3 pieces white construction paper
• Charcoal sticks (or black crayons)
• Scissors
• Glue sticks

Optional Items
• 1 piece black construction paper
• Rulers

Instructions
Discuss some of the differences between geometric shapes and organic shapes. Have students name objects in nature and in the classroom that are examples of organic and geometric shapes.

Have students use charcoal to draw and shade an organic shape on white paper. Students can use objects from nature (fruits, plants, clouds, etc.) as inspiration.

Next, have students cut out their shapes and layer them on another sheet of paper so that some pieces overlap. Once all shapes have been added and arranged as desired, students can use glue sticks to attach them to the paper. Additional pieces of black and white paper or any scraps created during the process can also be added to the piece.

Advanced
Have students create the woven backgrounds for their collages. Give each student 1 sheet of black construction paper and 1 sheet of white construction paper, a pair of scissors, a ruler, and a glue stick. Students can measure and cut equal sized strips of both black and white paper. The strips can be wavy, straight, zig-zagged, etc. Once each student has cut both sheets of paper have them weave the black paper in and out of the white paper. Students should attach the woven piece to the sheet of paper (background) before layering organic shapes.

Project Applications and Extensions

Social Studies, History, Geography

• Discuss how naturally occurring materials such as charcoal have been used by artists in many ancient cultures. Have students research naturally found materials that can be used to make art and where these items can be found.
• Have students study weaving, the different techniques that are used to create woven fabrics, textiles, and other useful objects. Explore loom weaving, finger weaving and basket weaving and discuss different methods for creating patterns and images.

 Reading and Writing

• Have students find examples of anthropomorphism in their collage and write a story about these figures or shapes. Who is this character? What does this character like to do? What is their personality like? Have students share their story in class.
• Discuss how artists tell stories. How do these artists convey their meaning to the audience without the use of a written language?

 Math, Science and Physics

• Have students measure out their strips of paper before they cut them for the project. Practice using rulers and compare measurements in both the metric system (centimeters and meters) and the American system of measurements (inches and feet).

Art

• Discuss the types of materials that can be used to create collages. Have you ever made a collage using materials other than paper? What did you use?
• Use paint and folded paper to make blotted patterns similar to Rorschach ink blot tests. Have students use markers or pencils to add lines and features to make their abstract shapes into a recognizable character or object.
  

Bibliography
Specimen

Teachers

 Ann Weber Video: Taking Craft to the Limit. Spark 2003.
Cerny, Charlene. Recycled Re-Seen: Folk Art from the Global Scrap Heap.1996.
Cummings, Paul. Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists. 1994.
Martineau, Susan. Astonishing Art with Recycled Rubbish: Splatter! Splodge! Splash! 2001.
Read, Herbert. Modern Sculpture: A Concise History.1985.

Preschool

Check, Laura and Norma Jean Martin-Jourdenais. Little Hands Paper Plate Crafts: Creative Art Fun for 3 to 7 Year Olds (Williamson Little Hands Series). 2000.
Cole, Sarah Rakitin and Sarah Rakitin. The Kids Multicultural Craft Book: 35 Crafts from Around the World (Williamson Multicultural Kids Can! Book).2003.

Luxbacher, Irene. 123 I Can Collage! (Starting Art). 2009 .
Micklewait, Lucy. I Spy Shapes in Art. 2004.
Stocks, Sue and Chris Fairclough. Collage (First Arts and Crafts). 1994.
Wegman, William. Triangle, Circle, Square. 1995.

K to 2 nd

Carle, Eric. You Can Make a Collage: A Very Simple How-To Book (Klutz) . 1998.
Edwards, Jennifer Lipsey. My Very Favorite Art Book: I Love to Collage! 2006.
Martin, Laura C. and David Cain. Nature's Art Box: From t-shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool projects for crafty kids to make with natural materials you can find anywhere . 2003.
Museum Shapes, the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2005.
Panchyk, Richard. American Folk Art for Kids: With 21 Activities (For Kids series). 2004.
Terzian, Alexandra M. The Kids' Multicultural Art Book: Art & Craft Experiences from Around the World Williamson Kids Can! Series ). 1993.

3rd to 6 th

 Guerrier, Charlie. Collage of Crafts CL (Young Artisan). 1994.
Hodge, Anthony. Collage (Hands on Arts and Crafts). 1992.
 Joy Evans. Creative Thinking Through Art: Mixed Media. 1993.
Panchyk, Richard.American Folk Art for Kids: 21 Activities (For Kids). 2004.
Roca , Nuria. Painting and Sculpture. 2004.
 Veith, Jan and Ann Weber and Susan Pinkerton. Craft from World Cultures: Easy to make Multicultural Art Activities. 1995.
Walsh, Danny and Jake Walsh and Niall Walsh. The Cardboard Box Book: 25 Things to Make and Do with an Empty Box. 2006.

Junior High

Mary-Jane Opie.Eyewitness Art: Sculpture. 1994.
Swett, Sarah. Kids Weaving: Projects for Kids of All Ages. 2005.
Walpole, Lois Walpole. Crafty Containers: From Recycled Materials.1997.

Young Adult/Adult

Collins, Judith. Sculpture Today. 2007.
Roig, Gabriel Martin. Drawing with Charcoal, Chalk, and Sanguine Crayon,2006.
Sentence, Bryan. Basketry: A World Guide to Traditional Techniques. 2007.