DESCRIPTION: Students match works and concepts with particular materials.

OBJECTIVES: Students gain an understanding of the role of materials in the meaning of an artwork. They apply that understanding to analyze a work of art and use their imagination to discover the meanings of artworks.

PROCEDURE: Let's imagine that we are all sculptors. I want you to think about the types of materials you might use. Here is a list of materials that we have available:

Paper,
Wood,
Glass,
Marble,
Bronze,
Metal,
Sand,
Rock,
Plaster,
Clay,
Or you can go to the junk yard and get anything that you want.

Now if you were going to make a sculpture about a lake, write down what materials you would use. Write down how you would use it. What would you do to it? (Ask 2 or 3 students for their idea and be sure to have them explain why they made the choices they did. Repeat for the subjects such as their best friend, war, school, etc.)

Let's look at some of the different materials artists used and compare their choices with ours.

MINNESOTA GRADUATION STANDARDS:
(1) Read, View, Listen
(2) Write and Speak
(3) Literature and the Arts

Age level: Appropriate for grades 2 and up.
Artworks used: Use sculptures that make use of materials to express different kinds of subject matter.
Props needed: Paper and pencil.
Related to Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: Yes


© 1998 WALKER ART CENTER