I am currently teaching a class called Multi-Cultural Crafts at Clayton that is also considered to be 3D design. The format of the class alternates between a collaborative then independent study of multiple mediums like Clay, Paper, Fiber, Wood, Print making, Glass, Plaster, Metal, and Recycled Materials. Techniques and/or themes center largely around the Cultural heritage Celebration of the month or Engineering challenges have been my focus at Clayton. I would like to go deeper with high school students and explore the significance of three dimensional art forms.
Building or creating an artifact that serves a purpose is usually the definition of craft. It takes art beyond the personal and into the communal. It connects the artist to their cultural surroundings, helping to fulfill a need while at the same time celebrating an aesthetic. When craft is taken beyond utilitarian ends into artistic ones, they offer the sculptural experience of any other 3 dimensional form that enters our world, shares our space and in so doing, comes to life. Their story is enhanced because of their interaction with us. Mediums such as carving, modeling , casting , assemblage, installation, earthworks, ephemeral and performance art are some of the 3 Dimensional art forms that move back into the realm of “high art”.
Two of my favorite texts for this class are “From Ordinary to Extraordinary” by Ken Vieth. Though dated (1999 ), this book was revolutionary for me in terms of developing creative problem solving assignments, trying multiple approaches, and building on initial ideas in 3D design. Another book that I just recently discovered is called “Art From Many Hands, Multicultural Art Projects” by Jo Miles Schuman. This book divides art mediums by culture and explores the “why and how” of the original process and not just how to simulate with readily available materials.
Art forms I would like to add to my curriculum..
· As a glass artist, I have wanted to teach art glass techniques to my students. I attended a week long workshop last summer in Portland that introduced glass fusing to kids, with the promise of a glass fusing kiln in my middle school. Unfortunately that never happened, so I bought a small fusing kiln of my own this summer to explore further this potential in the classroom.
· This week I attended a workshop called “When Robots Collide” that repurposes found objects into new art forms. The engineering and mechanical implications of this medium were very exciting, as we used hot and cold connections and various tools to assemble and disassemble, reminiscent of the Small Metals classes I took in Art School at the U.
· This summer I did a residency in Logan with Mountain Crest High school where the students designed and assembled mosaics for cement benches. This was a community art project that was featured at their local art festival as students assembled their tesserae under canopies for the public to observe and participate.
Mountain Crest High School student working on her mosaic bench, June 2014