Lesson Reflection
The lesson began by introducing artist, Tara Donovan, as we discussed the use of everyday objects in her work. She approaches her materials with an attitude of experimentation and we talked about the effect repetition has in her artwork. One of the main elements we focused on was the use of overlapping. Students pointed out its use in both sculpture and print examples. Students were challenged to incorporate this idea during their own art making activity. We also discussed why Tara Donovan might have made specific choices of materials which lead back to our essential question: How can ordinary objects we inspiration for works
of art?
The students did an amazing job creating their own sculptures. Everyday materials such as paper bags and chip board strips were used in a similar process to Tara Donovan. Students employed paper art techniques such as folding, rolling, twisting, and cutting the paper to manipulate the material. By overlapping and creating a design based on radial symmetry, students explored the idea of artmkaing under very specific parameters. However, it is amazing to see the diversity and variations in the final pieces. I was so impressed with the level of creativity displayed in this lesson. Each individual sculpture will be added to the final group artwork, a mandala, to create a unifying element to the design. Mandala informational handouts were provided to each student to serve as a discussion extension at home and hopefully to generate more questions about the role of art in our lives.
Click a photo to enlarge.
The lesson began by introducing artist, Tara Donovan, as we discussed the use of everyday objects in her work. She approaches her materials with an attitude of experimentation and we talked about the effect repetition has in her artwork. One of the main elements we focused on was the use of overlapping. Students pointed out its use in both sculpture and print examples. Students were challenged to incorporate this idea during their own art making activity. We also discussed why Tara Donovan might have made specific choices of materials which lead back to our essential question: How can ordinary objects we inspiration for works
of art?
The students did an amazing job creating their own sculptures. Everyday materials such as paper bags and chip board strips were used in a similar process to Tara Donovan. Students employed paper art techniques such as folding, rolling, twisting, and cutting the paper to manipulate the material. By overlapping and creating a design based on radial symmetry, students explored the idea of artmkaing under very specific parameters. However, it is amazing to see the diversity and variations in the final pieces. I was so impressed with the level of creativity displayed in this lesson. Each individual sculpture will be added to the final group artwork, a mandala, to create a unifying element to the design. Mandala informational handouts were provided to each student to serve as a discussion extension at home and hopefully to generate more questions about the role of art in our lives.
Click a photo to enlarge.