KATIE KUTZ
Artist/ Student/ Art Educator
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CLASS FIVE: GIACOMETTI SCULPTURES
Project Description
We as a class will be exploring Giacometti Sculptures to create full body self portraits in sculpture form. We’ve been scaffolding on forming and shaping animals, masks, hot air balloons, etc, now we will explore forming and shaping the human form as well as learning about a historical artist that did not sculpt in naturalistic style.
Essential Understandings
The essential understandings for this project are for students to implement the problem-solving skills that they have built throughout previous lessons to form and shape using pipe cleaners and aluminum foil. This facilitates the creating of form that represents movement and expression.
Intended Outcomes
Students will be able to sketch their ideas
Students will be able to explain how they intend to create their figures
Students will continue working on forming and shaping techniques
Students will be able to reflect on themselves through a full body self portrait.
Skills
Learn how different materials can be used to make human forms
Creating dynamic poses
Using foil in a was that is not traditional
Continue to use building techniques previously learned in class
Learn about an artist who had an impact on the art world.
REFLECTION
In this last lesson something that went really well was how we had structured the class. We started the lesson by finishing up our masks from the last lesson and as the students finished we individually taught the last project we had for them. This worked really well because we all got the chance to teach the lesson and we were able to teach it at the pace of the students. It was really great to see how the students finished their masks as well. When we did that lesson it was really hard to see where the students were planning on taking their ideas, I was worried that they were all going to look the same, but after painting them they were all so unique. During the Giacometti sculpture project I was surprised at what the student’s came up with. They all took their ideas in a different direction than what we had even talked about or shown examples or pictures of. During this experience it was really incredible to see how everyone thinks differently and approaches projects and challenges differently.
Something that was a bit of a challenge for this class was that some students had a hard time with the Giacometti sculptures. One of the students that I worked with could not figure out how to twist the pipe cleaners together. I explained it to her, showed it to her, went step by step with her, guided her hands, but she just wasn’t getting it. Every time after she would try and it would fall apart she would throw it and say that she gives up and it’s too hard and that she couldn’t do it. I kept encouraging her and telling her that we would do it together, but she was very distracted by her mask that was drying and couldn’t focus on the pipe cleaners which also made it really hard to try and help her with it. Another student that I worked with had no attention for it at all. She got half way through it and then when I was trying to help her with the head she just stopped and did not want to continue with the project, she walked around and talked with us and the other students until we started to clean up and talk about our projects. It reached a point with both of them that I no longer knew what to do or say.
Something that I would do differently is perhaps offering more options for creating the form than just pipe cleaners. I think that this would remedy the issue of some students not understanding the pipe cleaners and allow for more choice as well.