Ages 4-5
Louise Nevelson Inspired Recycled Sculpture
Skill Builders:
-Gluing
-Color Recognition
-Form
-Sculpture
-Depth
-Overlapping
-Cutting/Ripping (optional)
Supply List:
-Glue Bottle
-Cardboard
-Paint
-Paintbrush
-Recycled Collage Materials
Alternative Supply List:
-Glue Bottle can be substituted for other forms of glue
-Cardboard can be substituted for paper (thicker preferable), foam tray, a box, etc.
-If you do not have paint the sculpture can be left unpainted
Overview:
During this project children will have the opportunity to look artwork done by the artist Louise Nevelson, discuss recycling, and build a sculptural relief form. Sculptures are three dimensional works of art. In the round sculptures are meant to be viewed all the way around the sculpture and typically sit on something (ground, floor, table) such as a statue or ceramic pot. Relief sculptures are meant to be viewed from all sides except the back and typically are hung on the wall or created on the wall. The goal for children completing this project is to create a sculptural form with depth. Objects glued should be placed next to each other as well as overlapping.
Project Directions:
Step One:
Cut down cardboard to a 12 by 12 square. This is an adult step- cardboard is tough to cut! If you don’t have the right size cardboard or are using another material feel free to substitute the material and size as needed.
Step Two:
Collect recycled materials. Some materials include but are not limited to: paper towel rolls, caps, straws, cups, bottles, etc. Materials such as old toys, puzzle pieces, popsicle sticks, tooth picks, etc. can also be used.
Additional Learning Opportunity:
If you would like to, you can discuss what objects are recyclable and why recycling is important to our environment.
Step Three:
Glue collected materials onto the 12 by 12 piece of cardboard. Materials should be glued next to each other as well overlapped (on top of each other).
Additional Learning Opportunities:
-Questions to engage your child in while they are learning. What are you creating?
How can you overlap your recycled materials? Can you create a tower, a bridge, a
robot, a swimming pool, a tunnel, a cave, etc.?
-As your child is working on gluing materials onto their sculpture they can additionally
cut or rip materials.
-Before your child starts gluing take a look at artwork by Louise Nevelson and
discuss how she builds relief sculptures with depth and form. These discussions
help your child learn art history, understand how/why other people create art, and
give them an idea as to how to create their own sculpture.
Step Four:
Paint your sculpture excluding the back (the section sitting on the table). Have your child pick one color they would like to use to paint the sculpture. If preferred you could paint your sculpture a variety of colors. You can either start with a variety of paint colors or paint the entire sculpture one color and when done drying then come back and paint details with other colors.
Additional Learning Opportunity:
-If you ask your child what color they want before handing them the paint or putting it in front of them
you can engage them in their color recognition skills.
-Pose the following question and see if your child can determine where to put the paint without you
telling them. Imagine that the sculpture was hung up on the wall, what sections would need to be painted so that way the viewer would see a completely painted sculpture?