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This site is useful for discussing the meaning of
“commissioned work” as well as for taking
students through both the technical and artistic processes
of his work. It is also an excellent site to use to
discuss the impact on the Internet on art and artists
and e-commerce in the arts.
Vega also has a number of podcasts on his website with
video and audio documentaries of his work. They take
a while to load but are outstanding.
You can compare and contrast both the artistic and
technical processes Vega uses with the artistic and
technical process presented in the Metals Gallery power
point, Doug Harling, Goldsmith.
4. Sketch Design – HS Vega begins
his work by sketching his concept of the finished piece.
View
some of his sketches.
After your students view the sketches, lead a discussion
about the importance of sketching to many artists in
different media. Have your student practice 3-D sketching
skills by using this
lesson plan.
Extension 1:
Challenge students to create an original
sketch for a 3-D work in any medium and then to create
that piece. They could do a paper relief sculpture
using the ideas from this
site.
Ask them to reflect in a journal how the piece evolved
from sketch to finished piece. Did the final piece
turn out like the sketch? How do they feel about the
process?
Extension 2:
Philip Simmons also works from sketches when creating
his gates and room dividers. Look at the picture of
his room divider in this exhibit and then visit this
website to see his gate with a fish and star design.
Draw students’ attention to Simmons’ use
of line, the way he contrasts graceful, curving lines
against the strong, straight lines of the form. Challenge
them to draw a design for a gate or room divider using
both straight and curving lines. If possible, have
them use their design to make a miniature gate or
room divider from wire. Ask how they could possibly
make the same design as a full scale divider or gate
using steel or wrought iron? Revisit Vega’s
website to look at the process of heating steel in
order to be able to shape it with tools.
Extension 3:
Many artists work from a more intuitive approach.
In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Tom
McCarthy said (referring to his jewelry), "It's
always different from the original concept. I'm seduced
by the materials first and then try to find the technique
for them. Technique is a grammar. I'm interested in
the essay."
Lead a discussion about these two approaches to the
creative process or ask students to write a journal
entry about their own creative process. Consider factors
like size and materials as well as personal preferences.
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5. Gender roles in Craft – MS
and HS: In an interview with Anvil Magazine, Elizabeth
Brim said, “The next summer at Penland I signed
up for the blacksmithing course with Peter Hapney. I
called my mother and told her how excited I was to be
taking a blacksmithing class. She got really quiet on
the phone and said, ‘Well, Elizabeth, I have to
tell you that I just don’t approve of that. I
don’t think blacksmithing is a very ladylike thing
to do.’ So I told a friend of mine what my mother
had said, and he answered, ‘Oh, just wear a string
of pearls and you’ll always be ladylike.’
I started doing that, kind of a joke, and it stuck!
After awhile, if I had on my overalls and I didn’t
have on my pearls, people wanted to know where they
were. So that’s how I got started wearing pearls
while blacksmithing.”
Excerpt from http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/brim.htm
Brim’s imagery also emphasizes her femininity
in a predominantly male career. Show your class some
of Brim’s work from this
website and lead a discussion about gender roles
in the craft world.
Visit http://www.abana.org
for a discussion about women blacksmiths of the past.
Why would some crafts have traditionally been male
or female dominated? How have society and technology
changed to allow more freedom in selecting careers?
What stereotypes still exist? (This is just as relevant
to young men interested in needlework or other so-called
“feminine arts” as it is to young women.)
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6. Purposes of Art: Brim’s work
also provides a wonderful springboard for a discussion
on the purposes of art. Traditionally, blacksmiths forged
functional items like fireplace tools. Today, most blacksmith
artists forge items that are decorative or artistic
expressions. Brim’s work is striking because she
uses an image of a functional, everyday object to make
something that is totally non-functional. In the interview
quoted above, Brim says, “You know, in a way,
I’m making fun of myself, and letting my work
express who I am. It’s important for people to
try to express something they know about—like
themselves. That’s what makes it interesting to
other people.”
Ask students what they think of this statement. What
is the purpose of Brim’s work? What other artists
are they familiar with that create as a form of personal
artistic expression? (You could show the work of Alice
Ballard or Bonnie Seeman from the Clay Gallery, Mark
Lindquist from the Wood Gallery or Gwen Magee or Geraldine
Nash from the Fiber Art Gallery.)
Does humor have a role in art? What other artists use
humor as a part of their artwork? (You could show the
carvings of Minnie Adkins or the furniture of Craig
Nutt from the Wood Gallery.)
7. Wild Shoe Art – 5-12th: Brim’s
work is unique because she forges objects not usually
associated with blacksmithing – aprons, hats,
high heeled shoes, pillows, etc. Visit this
website to see some additional images of her work.
Let your student have some fun making artwork that
has the same power of visual surprise by using this
lesson to decorate any kind of shoe with Paintsticks
(oil paint in stick form).
8. Funky Jewelry – Elementary-High:
When describing his materials for making jewelry, Tom
McCarthy says, "All materials are fair game."
Challenge your student to collect and use unusual materials
for jewelry. Have students make jewelry and other personal
accessories using cold-connection joining. Cold metal
work involves the connecting of metal fragments (and
other materials) without the use of heat. Students can
connect found metal objects and metal hardware items,
stones, rubber tubing, and other materials by wrapping
them with wire, joining, tying, riveting, etc.
9. Collage Pin 4th-HS: Another inexpensive
jewelry project using non-traditional materials can
be found at http://www.maaa.org
( Adobe PDF page 78)
10. Wire wrapped jewelry – MS
and HS: Your students can make more advanced jewelry
still using inexpensive and found objects by using a
wire wrapping technique described in this
lesson plan.
11. Etched metal jewelry – MS
and HS: This
website has a wonderful jewelry project, but it
does involve using toxic materials.
12. Copper Box – HS: While gold
and silver are too expensive for most classroom work,
copper is more accessible. In
this lesson, students create a copper box incorporating
their own expressive ideas as well as their understanding
of organizational principles of art.
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13. Zany Wire Sculpture – K-8:
An
adaptable lesson plan that allows students to explore
wire sculptures.
14. Wire
Jewelry – MS and HS ( Adobe PDF page 98, Part
III)
15. Metal Foil Journal – 5-12th:
Another inexpensive
metal project involves tooling metal foil (copper
or gold, depending on your budget) to use as a journal
cover.
16. Gold Foil Egyptian Fan –
5-12th: Douglas Harding, writing about the gold cup
he created for this exhibit, said, “Throughout
history a gold cup, even a small one, is an object of
great extravagance. No one is so deserving they are
entitled to drink from gold. It is something beyond
any expectation. Even Philip II of Macedon, Alexander
the Great’s father, slept with his gold cup under
his pillow for fear of its theft.”
Give
your students the experience to create a luxurious work
of art using a method of working with gold leaf similar
to that used by the ancient Egyptians. (Adobe PDF)
17. Metallic Vessels – 3-8th:
Both Julia Woodman and Gary Noffke create vessels from
silver. To give your students an affordable experience
in making a metallic vessel, use one of these lesson
plans:
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