UMASS - Practicum Teaching: Paper-Mache Sculpture

A lesson that has become really popular with the 8^th grade classes at Williams Middle School is the annual animal/cartoon character sculpture project.  This was a lesson created by my supervising practitioner Ed O’Gilvie and later taught by myself during the practicum semester.  The purpose of said lesson is to teach students how to build out and create organic forms (animals, cartoon characters, objects etc.) by using geometric forms (sphere, cone, etc.) as a foundation.

 

Below are several pictures of the teacher example that I created (it’s a bust of Homer Simpson).  I began to create the base form of this sculpture by using many cardboard strips (cut from cereal boxes) and masking tape to create the ellipsoid internal structure.  From there I added various details like eyes, nose, hair, mouth, etc. I then covered everything with two layers of paper-mache newspaper and one layer of paper-mache paper towel.  Once dry I then painted the whole sculpture with acrylic paint. 

 

Examples of the motion sculptures my students created can be found here: 

https://hurleyteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/williams-middle-school-practicum_28.html   

UMASS - Practicum Teaching: Motion Sculpture

This past semester at UMASS I completed my final art education course titled ‘Student Teaching 5-12’.  One major requirement for this class was that each student had to complete 300 hours of practicum teaching at a local Massachusetts School, under the direction of a supervising practitioner.  For the entirety of my time at Williams Middle School I had to: assist groups of students with projects, work one-on-one with individuals who were struggling with artistic processes, as well as create and teach full lessons to 6^th through 8^th grade art classes.

 

One of the major lessons I taught to both of my 7^th grade classes was a multi-stage motion sculpture project.  This was a lesson created by my supervising practitioner Ed O’Gilvie and the purpose of said lesson was to motivate students to begin thinking about how still art, like sculptures, can still create a sense of movement.  Below are pictures of the teacher example that I first brainstormed, then sculpted (using plaster strips) and later painted. 

 

Details of face with sunburns.

 

Examples of my students’ motion sculptures can be found here:

https://hurleyteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/williams-middle-school-practicum_27.html