Have students find out what kind of trees grow
in your region and how they are used.
Visit a local woodworking studio, sawmill, or
state or national forest.
After viewing the vegetable-inspired furniture
produced by Craig Nutt, use the lessons on either
of these sites:
After viewing the animal carvings of Minnie
Adkins, use the lessons on either of these sites:
After viewing the horse carving by Virgil Ledford,
try
this site for a horse sculpture lesson.
Mark Lindquist’s art in the exhibit is from
a series of sculptures called Ichiboku, literally “one
tree.” It is a type of Japanese sculpture
made from a single block of wood. Challenge your
students to find out more about this ancient Japanese
art and to identify the other
references in the names of Lindquist’s work.
In his audio interview,
Craig Nutt said, “Having
worked with
antiques, I do like the idea of sending a message
into the future in the form of my work, hoping
that it would communicate something about me, my
culture, and my time - to someone in the future.
I have been the recipient of such messages in museums,
in objects I have acquired, and in repairing those
objects. Basically, I hope I am creating some work
that resonates with someone out there, in the present
or in the future.”
Challenge your students to identify some object
that has given them a “message” from
the past, whether in a museum or in some family
heirloom. Ask them to draw a picture (or take a
photograph) of the object and to describe the experience
of feeling connected to the past through that object.
This can be a springboard for a personal narrative,
a poem, or a fictional piece.
Ask your students what objects they would put
into a time capsule to be opened in the future
that would carry a message about our times. Ask
them to explain the significance of each object.
This can be an individual or small group assignment.
Jean Horn is a luthier, a person who makes stringed
instruments. After viewing his work, demonstrate
simple concepts of the luthier’s trade
with a rubber band guitar. Make it by cutting
a circle in the top of a sturdy box for the sound
hole. Stretch rubber bands or elastic around
the box and lift the elastic off the box with
pencils at each end to avoid buzzing. Have students
experiment with different thicknesses, lengths,
and tensions and discuss the effect. You could
extend this by having each student create a “stringed” instrument
of some sort and then sharing them with the class.
Wood Turning
If you are fortunate enough to have a woodworking
shop at your school, you could lead students
in making a wooden bowl using the instructions
found at:
http://psischools.com/how-to_bowl.html.
If you don’t have a woodworking shop, you
can use this site to demonstrate to students the
processes involved in turning wood to create functional
art.
The
Wood Gallery PowerPoint™
The PowerPoint™ for this gallery has images
to help you lead a discussion about how three
different
carvers have used the elements of art to create
their own distinctive style of animal sculpture.
You could use this same process to discuss other
works of art in this gallery or in other galleries.
If you want to lead students in a discussion
about the purposes of art objects made from wood
(and there is quite a variety in this gallery),
you could use the PowerPoint™ in the fiber
arts gallery as a model.
Download
the presentation
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