Sculpture
Endless Possibilities - Endless Materials
SCULPTURE WITHIN SECONDARY ART AND DESIGN EDUCATION
SCULPTURE SCHEMA
Sculpture signifies an art form that encompasses the transformation of any solid material into a form or shape (Scholten, 2011). There are many reasons why sculpture is of great importance to art education and should be taught in Australian Secondary Schools.
Methods of sculpting assists students to develop self-discipline. In order to fashion a sculpture, one needs to learn patience and skills within the industry. Sculpture further challenges students’ imagination and perception of objects and things as they develop techniques that broaden their talents and creativity. Through implementing this method into the art classroom, students will also advance their observational skills as they learn how to look at subjects in full detail and understand objects from different angles. In doing so, students will become more aware of sections of objects and how this can further enhance their drawing skills (Wallis, 2016).
Finally, Sculpting aids in fostering students’ manipulative skills and techniques. This process within art promotes the association of three-dimensional shapes and objects and how to place value on shapes rather than present forms (Ward, 2019).
Schematically, sculpture is intertwined between all art forms through the observational and problem-solving skills that it promotes and through the process of installation and space. However, sculpture is closely aligned and upheld through the skills and key knowledge fostered within drawing. Sculpture relies on base drawing skills and techniques to be fully established and grasped.
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SCULPTURAL KEY SKILLS:
1. Communication Skills:
· Discuss the process of producing a sculpture
· Understand and follow instructions
2. Learning Skills:
· Master techniques through practice
· Literacy skills to read and understand safety instructions and cues
· Numeracy skills to measure quantities of materials and temperatures.
· Planning and organisational skills in order to prepare materials and work spaces and also to document work.
· How to work with a wide range of materials
· To learn how to observe and analyse space and objects
SCULPTURAL KEY KNOWLEDGE:
1. Materials, tools and equipment that is commonly used in sculpting
2. Major styles of sculpting and techniques that have been used throughout history
3. Cleaning and maintenance techniques of tools that is used
4. Elements and Principles of Art and Design
5. OH&S Procedures that may be needed
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(Australian Government, 2012)
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In conclusion, Sculpture is built upon 7 different skills that work within all forms of sculpting. These include: Planning, Creating, Documenting, Adapting, Modifying, Installing and Reflecting.
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References
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Australian Government. (2012). CUVSCU201A Develop sculptural skills. Retrieved from https://training.gov.au/TrainingComponentFiles/CUV11/CUVSCU201A_R1.pdf
Scholten, F. (2011). European sculpture and metalwork. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Wallis. S. (2016). Object lessons at the Hepworth Wakefield: the importance of sculpture. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/oct/22/object-lessons-at-the-hepworth-wakefield-the-importance-of-sculpture
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Ward, A. (2019).The Sculpture in Schools: Connecting Students and Schools to Sculpture. Retrieved from https://www.adrianward.com.au/artist-in-schools-sculptures
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Porcelain Slip Casting
Lesson 18 - The Art of Casting
Introduction:
The ‘Porcelain Slip Casting’ lesson brings the process of casting into the classroom. This lesson is designed to expose students to the process surrounding Porcelain Slip Casting and how this process can be utilised within their own practice.
Through educating students with basic skills regarding casting within ceramics, students will be given agency to broaden their skills throughout the year to further develop and explore new ways of creating artworks whilst building upon knowledge acquired from previous years schematically.
By clearly setting out this task in a controlled and safe manner, students will be inspired to further enhance their skills surrounding casting and ceramic techniques in future class to develop their own body of work throughout the year. As students gain a variety of skills and understanding from previous years, casting can be fully embraced and investigated through their maturity. This skill takes great responsibility to complete accurately and is encircled with many different skills and concepts that take great lengths of time to fully comprehend within a classroom setting.
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Key Overview and Focus:
In this lesson, Students in this class will create their own Porcelain Slip Casts using plaster two-part moulds. These casts will reflect objects and sculptures that were previously developed by students as their individual personal response to the unit ‘Now and Then’. In order to complete these casts, the classroom must be set up specifically to facilitate the activity. Students will begin by using the plaster two part moulds that they had previously made. They will learn how to secure the mould together whilst pouring in the porcelain slip. Students must learn how to observe the layers created throughout the drying process and how to gauge when the cast is ready to be removed.
Links to The Victorian Curriculum:
Visual Art:
Visual Arts 9&10: Explore how artists manipulate, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and express their intentions in art works (VCACAE041)
Visual Arts 9&10: Explore the visual arts practices and styles as inspiration to develop a personal style, explore, express ideas, concepts and themes in art works (VCAVAE040)
Visual Arts 9&10: Conceptualise, plan and design art works that express ideas, concepts and artistic intentions (VCAVAV043)
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Key Artists:
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Fred Wilson
Lorna Simpson
Real Blak Tingz (Gabi Briggs and Arika Waulu)
Where to Next?
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This lesson can be extended in a variety of ways through further manipulation or documentation.
Students can glaze their porcelain sculptures once they have been fired
Students can re-use their two part moulds to create other casts such as using wax.
Clay Faces
Lesson 19: Sculpting Portraits using Air Drying Clay
Introduction:
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This lesson sits within the ‘Faces in Australian Art – Migration and Inspiration’ Unit. This Unit encourages students to consider their own personal views and understandings in relation to migration whilst focusing on portraiture techniques. Students are also given the opportunity to consider how they are inspired by Australians around them. Through personal reflection and response, this Unit encourages students to be innovative and creative through adopting a student-centred, guided inquiry approach. Students will be encouraged to explore this concept through practical based learning strategies and experimenting with materials and techniques.
Artworks and artists discussed throughout this Unit will highlight ideals and techniques surrounding migration and portraiture. Through embracing this unit theme, students (young artists) will understand and investigate how portraiture techniques can be fostered using a range of materials including sculpture.
Key artists that will be covered in this Unit include William Ricketts, Anh Do, Emma Uber, Judy Drew and Joy Hester.
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Key Overview and Focus:
In this lesson, Students in this class will work independently to begin to complete their clay portraits. This lesson is designed to encourage students to begin to understand how ideas can be manipulated from one form to another. It is this process that allows students to understand how one theme/idea can be converted with a variety of materials and mediums.
The teacher will discuss and demonstrate to the students how air-drying clay can be used to create sculptures of portraits simply and easily. They will learn techniques and methods that can be used to create clay portraits, as well as being introduced to clay tools and materials involved.
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Links to The Victorian Curriculum:
Visual Art:
Visual Arts 7 & 8: Create and display artworks, describing how ideas are expressed to an audience (VCAVAP037)
Visual Arts 7 & 8: Explore visual arts practices as inspiration to explore and develop themes, concepts or ideas in artworks (VCAVAE033)
Visual Arts 7 & 8: Explore how artists use materials, techniques, technologies and processes to realise their intentions in artworks (VCAVAE034)
Visual Arts 7 & 8: Experiment with materials, techniques, technologies and processes in a range of art forms to express ideas, concepts and themes in artworks (VCAVAV035) 
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Key Artists:
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William Ricketts
Anh Do
Emma Uber
Judy Drew
Joy Hester
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Where to Next?
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This lesson can be extended in a variety of ways through further manipulation or documentation.
Students can paint their clay face sculptures once they have dried and can glaze them using PVA glue.
Students may wish to display this artwork on tiles that can then be tiled onto a wall to create a collaborative artwork.
ModRoc
Lesson 20: Using Plaster to Create Collaborative Installations
Introduction:
The ‘ModRoc lesson is a lead on from the lesson found in Printmaking titled ‘Lino Printing Landscapes into Shapes’. This lesson encourages students to re-form their previously made lino prints into 3D sculptures using mixed media. Through this, students will learn how artworks can truly be extended into objects that differ from their original forms, yet, can be just as effective. This lesson is an excellent introduction into sculpture as it is easy to implement as students can copy key sections within their lino prints.
Key Overview and Focus:
In this lesson, students will use their lino prints to inspire new sculptural works. In order to complete this, students will fist take their lino prints and re-draw sections of their prints in order to fashion a new 2D drawing that they will use as a base. They will then be given the option to use a variety of materials such as wire, string, card and paper to re-create these drawings into a 3D form. Once they have created the base of the form, students will then be able to cover sections of their sculptures in plaster in order to form a finished work. Teachers are to encourage the students to be selective regarding the areas they choose to cover.
Links to The Victorian Curriculum:
Visual Art:
Explore the visual arts practices and styles as inspiration to develop a personal style, explore, express ideas, concepts and themes in art works (VCAVAE040)
Conceptualise, plan and design artworks that express ideas, concepts and artistic intentions (VCAVAV043)
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Where to Next?
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This lesson can be extended in a variety of ways through further manipulation or documentation.
Draw the new sculptures in visual diaries inform documentation and to further enhance the skills of drawing a 3D object.
Attach each individual artwork together to make one large ModRoc collaborative sculpture.
3D Illustrations
Lesson 21: Sculpture In Response to Text
Introduction:
The ‘Sculpture in Response to Text’ lesson encourages students to explore the concept through practical based learning strategies whilst experimenting with materials and techniques. Further to this, it also aids in highlighting the concept of forming sculptures from written work and how ideas can form within this process. Students will be exposed to how emotions and moods from a piece of literature can be converted into sculptural forms. Through drawing conclusions between literature and symbols or visualisations, students can create artwork that is based on written text.
Key Overview and Focus:
In this lesson, students will all select a piece of writing that has meaning to them. This could be a poem, children’s story book or a page in a novel. Each student will select a partner and they will each read their text to one another. While one person is reading their text, the other student will draw in their visual diaries key images that emerge from them out of the literature. They will draw ideas, moods and feelings found within the literature in order to form a character. At the end of this process, each student should have a few sketches in their visual diaries that they imagined whist hearing their partners text. They are then to choose one subject from their sketchbooks and refine the object. They are then given the opportunity to re-create this object out of air-drying clay and may paint it at the end and seal it with PVA glue.
Links to The Victorian Curriculum:
Visual Art:
Visual Arts 9&10: Explore how artists manipulate, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and express their intentions in art works (VCACAE041)
Visual Arts 9&10: Explore the visual arts practices and styles as inspiration to develop a personal style, explore, express ideas, concepts and themes in art works (VCAVAE040)
Visual Arts 9&10: Conceptualise, plan and design art works that express ideas, concepts and artistic intentions (VCAVAV043)
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Key Artists:
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The collaboration between Kristin Headlam and Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Shaun Tan
