CREATING SCULPTURE in SUNDAY SCHOOL

This thread is for sharing various ways to make and teach with sculpture in the Art Workshop.  Please add your suggestions.

Some suggestions originally posted by Neil MacQueen:

• Sculpture allows for the expression of emotions and concepts through your hands and heart, touch and feel.
• Sculpturing can fit any part of the lesson, open, dig, reflect, prayer.
• Sculpture requires perception, reflection, and movement/mainpulation (multiple intelligences!).
• Completed sculptures are objects for discussion.
• Re-posable sculptures allow a student to change with the story.
• Sculpture as a medium "self-adjusts" to the age of the hands and imagination manipulating it.
• Sculpture on display invites others to contemplate the artist's intentions and creates discussion.
• Large sculpture displays can allow participants to join in the scene (see example below)
• Sculpture helps non-verbally inclined students to express themselves.
• Sculpture can be a group project encouraging sharing and cooperation.
• Sculpturing time gives the teacher the opportunity to teach/help/reflect with individual students during the process, rather at the end.
• Sculpture is a movable display.
• Sculpture can go home.

1. Wire Sculptures

Use heavy vinyl coated wire to make shapes, characters, symbols. Bend to reflect emotion, meaning, posture, attitude. There are several lessons in the Exchange which use wire sculpture, including one of the first posted in the Prodigal Son Art Workshop forum. See it's notes and pictures about how to wrap a basic wire forum to add bulk/musculature in a way that makes the characters more expressive.

Here's one way to create a simple wire body. Once created, you can twist more wire onto the body to create bulk. Check this video on YouTube for more "how to." https://youtu.be/Gjh38Yk_idQ?si=XOS5yZ1MOF1t3af7

Amazon has inexpensive bundles of colorful 20 gauge "craft" wire.

2. Aluminum Foil Sculptures

Aluminum foil is inexpensive and very pliable. Folded over many times on itself many times, or scrunched together, it can hold many forms and support weight. Use to create people, settings, symbols. It catches the light as well and can easily hold objects, be glued, stapled, strung, and drawn on. Purchase in a commercial roll to save money.

See the post below with more Aluminum Foil ideas and photos.
See the Ruth lesson that has several "foil" ideas as well.
The Writing Team's Ten Commandments Art Workshop also uses wire + foil sculpture.

3. Posable PVC Pipe People

Purchase a large quantity of 1" pvc pipe and a variety of fittings to form a re-usable "sculpture pipe kit" to design characters, settings, symbols. Pipe sculptures can be dressed with costumes, decorated, positioned to express ideas, emotions, actions, attitudes. Sculptures can be posed throughout the retelling of the story express essential scenes, verses, and concepts. Props and other decorations can be added to sculpture or display.

Lesson example: Call of the Disciples Display of PVC People from all walks of life running ashore to greet Jesus. Create a stand with big shoes fastened to it for children to be called into the sculpture. (Your kit can expand with use.

Lesson example: Psalm 8, "when I look to the stars, I wonder..." Create a sculpture looking up. Hang foil stars above.

Lesson example: Sculpture of the woman who touched Jesus cloak bent down touching a cloak hovering over a pair of sandals ...which invites participants to stand in Christ's sandals and ask, "Who is reaching out to us?"

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Your suggestions welcome.