During the earlier part of the year, our focus in art class was on the renowned sculptor, Alberto Giacometti. As part of our exploration, we embarked on a paper mache project, where the students created "people sculptures" inspired by Giacometti's unique style. Beginning with foil, they carefully shaped their figures to reflect their desired poses. Subsequently, they meticulously covered the sculptures with masking tape, a step that elicited a range of reactions from the students—some loved it, while others found it messy.
For the next phase, they employed a mixture of watered-down glue and torn paper towels to envelop their sculptures. Surprisingly, a number of the boys disliked this step due to the inevitable mess it created. Once the glue had dried, the students eagerly painted their sculptures, expressing their creativity and personal touch. The final pieces brought immense satisfaction to most of the students, making it one of their favorite projects of the year.
During this project, I had a student who completed her sculpture quickly. Intrigued by her talent, I requested that she create a sculpture representing a "teacher." The objective was to examine the extent to which the sculptures would resemble their respective teachers, with the intention of presenting them as gifts for Teacher Appreciation. Impressively, she crafted a remarkably accurate sculpture of Mr. Hartman, which sparked the idea for a fun endeavor.
Throughout the remainder of the semester, the students intermittently dedicated their time to the project, and their commitment paid off. They all did an outstanding job, and I am genuinely pleased with the remarkable replicas they created.
