MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE

 

Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Newspaper or newsprint sheets 24” x 36” (computer paper or lined paper can be substituted)
• Masking tape 
• Pencils and sketch paper
• Yardstick or measuring tape to measure dimensions of finished sculpture

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Classroom Tips: Have ample space in the room so groups can move far enough apart during the creating process to enable maximum space for the construction process.

 

• Show students an image of “Mutual Support” by George Hart. Do not tell students the name of the sculpture.
• Ask students to work collaboratively to make at least ten objective observations about the sculpture (i.e. color, line, angles, overall shape, etc.).
  • Have students share observations as a whole class.
• Next, ask students to guess how Hart constructed the sculpture. Have students share ideas as a class. Students should justify their answers by referring to specific things that they can see in the sculpture.
• Show students the title of the sculpture, “Mutual Support”. Ask students how the design of the sculpture demonstrates the name.
• Tell students that this is an example of sculpture in the round.
  • Tell students that sculpture is always three-dimensional and that sculpture in the round means that the viewer can walk all the way around the sculpture to view it from all sides.

 

Work Session

• Tell students that in this lesson, they will be creating sculptures in the round inspired by the work of George Hart.
• Introduce the design process to students. 
• Next, divide students into groups of 2-4.  
• Begin by demonstrating how to create building sticks by rolling sheets of newsprint from corner to corner using a pencil as a guide. The sticks are fastened at the end with a small piece of masking tape.
  • Each team will need 20 sticks total.

 

• Ask students to experiment with the types of geometric shapes they can create with the sticks. Tell students that in their actual sculptures, they can bend the sticks to make smaller shapes.
• Next, have students make a basic drawn design for their sculpture (Grade 8 students should focus on incorporating right triangles in order to utilize the Pythagorean Theorem).
  • Tell students that they will need to start with a triangular or square base.
  • Remind students that a sculpture is always three-dimensional, so their final sculpture should not be flat.
  • Tell students that their sculptures must meet the following guidelines:
    • Sculptures must be made up of geometric shapes. 
    • Constructions must be three-dimensional.
    • All materials must be fully incorporated into the group constructions.
    • Constructions must be able to stand on their own and be transported easily.
• Students will work intuitively attaching sticks with masking tape until their construction is completed. 
• Encourage students to be mindful of strong construction, balance, and counter balance. 
• Once sculptures are complete, students will:
  • Calculate the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes.
  • Grade 8 students will use right triangles in their sculptures to demonstrate a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem in their design and sculptures.

 

Closing Reflection

• Students will reflect on the design process. Students should look at their original sketches and observe how their final product changed through the creation process.
  • Students should reflect on the following questions. This can be written or done orally through conversation.
    • How did the design change?
    • Why did the design change?
    • What design choices did you make to ensure that your sculpture could stand on its own?
    • If you were to design and create this artwork again, what would you do differently?
• Students will present their sculptures to their peers, as a whole group or several small groups can present to each other, and discuss how their design changed from the original design to the final sculpture.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, collaboration during the design process and sculpture creation, and conferencing with students throughout the creative process.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can work collaboratively to create a geometric sculpture in the round that demonstrates geometric concepts.
• Students can use the design process to design, create, and refine a sculpture in the round.
• Students can describe their sculpture in mathematical terms.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Have students write step by step detailed instructions to tell another person how to recreate their sculpture using mathematical concepts. If time permits, two groups can swap instructions and attempt to build each other’s sculptures. Then, the groups should reflect on the results and evaluate the clarity of their written instructions. Remediation:  Show students an example of a completed sculpture so that students can visualize the end result. Analyze how the sculpture was created so that students can see the steps needed to create their sculpture. Provide an alternative to creating paper sticks, such as straws.

 

 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Sculptures by George Hart

 

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Ideas contributed by: Darby Jones. Updated by: Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: August 2024 @ ArtsNOW