At the beginning of the semester, I have my eighth-graders each select a theme to pursue for the entire course to help eliminate artist’s block along the way and encourage them to think creatively within one topic/field of study. For this project, students had to think of an object that in some way relates to their theme. We reviewed the concept of “sculpture in the round” and how Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen made objects look visually interesting from all sides while also being self-supporting and in proportion.
I have a hard time saying “no” when people ask to donate unused materials to my classroom. Finding myself overwhelmed by all of the extra paper, packaging material, and fabric scraps that I don’t have the storage space for, I decided it was time to have my students create with it, which brought to mind the soft sculptures of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
Local Connections
Our school is located near San Francisco, so several of my middle schoolers have seen Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s Cupid’s Span on the Embarcadero, as well as Corridor Pin, Blue at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.
As an introduction to this unit, I created art cards with photos of a variety of these two artists’ large-scale sculptures of everyday objects with accompanying facts (title, location, media, date created, etc.) and had students investigate and discuss the sculptures of their choice. We also talked about how an ordinary object can embody the various principles of design and whether or not the objects themselves could be considered art.
Thematic Pursuit
At the beginning of the semester, I have my eighth-graders each select a theme to pursue for the entire course to help eliminate artist’s block along the way and encourage them to think creatively within one topic/field of study. For this project, students had to think of an object that in some way relates to their theme. We reviewed the concept of “sculpture in the round” and how Oldenburg and van Bruggen made objects look visually interesting from all sides while also being self-supporting and in proportion.
Constructing Soft Sculptures
I showed students some of the artists’ soft sculptures, such as Floor Burger and Soft Fur Good Humors, and shared our supply of various donated paper, foam, cardboard, and fabric to further inspire them.
After basic demonstrations of crumbling, squishing, and forming paper, as well as how to tape in different directions to create stronger bonds, students drew preliminary sketches before constructing their own soft sculptures. When they completed the basic forms using paper and masking tape and recycled materials, students finished their sculptures by gluing construction paper or fabric to the surface or by taping the entire surface and painting it with tempera.
Creative Problem-Solving
Students faced spatial, proportional, and engineering challenges throughout the process, and they often stepped up to help one another, whether by lending a hand or providing problem-solving suggestions.
My biggest challenge became the familiar problem of storage. I was forced to put size limits on some sculptures before students went too far, and we became creative with using parts of the classroom and a closet I don’t normally use for works in progress. The discussions about what constitutes art and the challenges students faced in creating a visually interesting, freestanding sculpture added to the excitement and satisfaction they experienced when their work was complete.
Brigid Horgan is an art teacher at Corte Madera School in Portola Valley, California. BrigidHorgan@Gmail.com
National Standard
Creating: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work.
This issue focuses on various interpretations of contemporary art and what art means for students today. Young students investigate their connection to the natural world and print with leaves, elementary students combine elements from historical and contemporary artworks to create a new work of art, middle-school students explore the large-scale sculptures of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, high-school students channel contemporary themes into a self-portrait photo composite, and more.
