| Sculpture
Creating sculpture is about changing one thing into another. Clay takes
on the shape of an animal. Marble transforms into a mythological creature.
Wood becomes an animal. Bronze is cast into the form of a human figure.
This transformation requires creativity and imagination on the part of
the sculptor.
Sample some of the following activities to learn more about the imaginative
process in sculpture.
Places To Go | People
To See | Things To Do | Teacher
Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out
about sculpture and sculptors.
International Sculpture
Center
This site invites teachers to send in their exemplary lesson plans about
sculture and sculptors.
 Chartres
Cathedral
Travel to Chartres Cathedral just outside of Paris. Its decorative columns
and interior decorative elements are beautiful examples of medieval sculpture.
Statue of
Liberty
Cruise to New York harbor and view the Statue of Liberty. It was created
by French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The statue is 151 feet
tall from its toe to the tip of the torch. It was actually created in
France and then shipped in pieces to America.
Mount
Rushmore
If you like big sculpture, visit Mount Rushmore.
 Hang out on the rooftop edges and nooks and crannies of the nearest Gothic
cathedral and visit with gargoyles. They were, of course, commonly carved
on medieval churches. Have students research why churches and cathedrals
contained these sometimes frightening-looking creatures. (To scare people
into being "good"? To keep away evil spirits?) Gargoyles often served
the practical purpose of acting as rain spouts and diverting water from
the rooftop. In fact, the word gargoyle comes from the French word for
"throat" because these stone figures often had water spouting from their
mouths. Some gargoyles weren't  monsterous-looking at all. Some were in
the shape of normal humans, and many had the fanciful forms of different
animals.Most gargoyles had exaggerated features such as deeply set eyes
and large ears and noses so that people far below could still see their
faces. Have students design their own gargoyles. They can use these photos
of gargoyles inNew York to give them ideas.
Alexander
Calder
Travel to Chicago and see Alexander Calder's imaginative sculptures and
mobiles.
12
Years of Italian Sculpture
Virtually visit Italy and see sculpture from medieval times to the present.
People To See
Henry
Moore Foundation
Meet Henry Moore and view his unique sculptures.
 Musee
Rodin
Chat with Auguste Rodin, one of the most notable sculptors of the 19th
century. (The main page of this website has a photograph of Rodin---don't
you think he kind of looks like Zeus?)
The
Sculpture of Edgar Degas
Meet Edgar Degas. He is well-known for his unique pastel paintings of
ballerinas and circus people. But you may not realize that he was an accomplished
sculpure as well. Check out his delightful sculptures of ballerinas.
Constantin
Brancusi
Meet Constantin Brancusi. He specialized in sleek, streamlined sculptures
that have a feeling of lightness and airiness.
Claes Oldenburg
Get to know Claes Oldenburg. He takes everyday objects and transforms
them into large-scale sculptures. Look at this enormous hamburger sculpture
or his gigantic spoon with a cherry on the tip or his king-size clothes
pin.
Gargoyles
and Grotesques
Meet Walter Arnold. He carves gargoyles.
Things To Do 
KinderArt
- Sculpture
Help students create their own sculpted works of art. This site has ideas
that range from soap carving to constructing 3-D houses.
Paper
Sculpture
Make a scupture out of paper.
Ice
Gallery
Ice is a medium that is availale to everyone. Have students view these
sculpted ice figures and then see what they can do with an ice cube or
a bucket of snow.
Teacher Resources
Hotlists from UEN provide internet sites to
visit to find out more about specific topics--in this case, sculpture!
(You can learn how to use this WWW
Activities tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Virtual Field Trips are teacher and student-created
tours of curricular topics. (You can learn how to use this UEN Virtual
Field Trip tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Lesson Plans/Webquests
Bibliography
- The Art of Sculpture.New York : Scholastic Inc., 1995.
- Bassett, Jane. Looking at European Sculpture : A Guide to Technical
Terms. Los Angeles, Calif. : J. Paul Getty Museum in Association with
the Victoria & Albert Museum, c1997.
- Heslewood, Juliet. The History of Western Sculpture : A Young Person's
Guide. Austin, Tex. : Raintree Steck-Vaughn, c1996.
- Pekarik, Andrew. Sculpture : Behind the Scenes. New York: Hyperion
Books, 1992.
- Reynolds,Donald M.. Masters of American Sculpture : The Figurative
Tradition from the American Renaissance to the Millennium. New York
: Abbeville Press, c1993.
- Romei, Francesca. The Story of Sculpture from Prehistory to the Present.
New York : Peter Bedrick Books, 1995.
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