SchoolArts - August/September 2007

ART

Shannon Sweny Stephens

DIORAMAS

Elliot Eisner said, “The arts teach children to think through and within a material. All art forms employ some means through which images become real.” Working with simple materials like paper, scissors, and glue forces children to seek inventive solutions and makes this project available to everyone. Dioramas provide students with infinite possibilities to create whole worlds in tiny spaces.

were challenged to create their own dioramas. Students eagerly began to design, build, and arrange.

Constructing Dioramas

Students first selected a color for their walls. The walls and floor of the dioramas were constructed by folding a 9" ( 23 cm) square of paper in half vertically and horizontally. After unfolding the paper, students cut carefully along one of the creases to the center of the paper. The squares on either side of the cut

Discussion were overlapped and glued together
To introduce the lesson, I displayed to make the floor.
paintings of interior spaces. Vincent Flooring was added first. Precut
van Gogh’s The Bedroom and Henri fabric scraps were available to stu-
Matisse’s The Red Studio served dents who wished to install car-
^as ^spring- ^pet. ^As ^an_boards _for I shared a diorama that reconstructed _{alternative,
discus-}van Gogh’s The Bedroom painting. wooden
sion about Students were challenged to create ^craft ^{sticks
personal} their own room dioramas. ^offered ^aspaces. stylish and
Students enjoyed carefully inspect- convincing hardwood floor (nine
ing and identifying objects located sticks fit exactly in a 4. 5" [ 11 cm]
within both works of art. They square floor).
compared and contrasted their own Students then learned how to
bedrooms at home with The Bed- construct furniture out of paper.
room and the artroom with The Red Paper straws (available from art sup-
Studio. ply catalogs) provided a wonderful
solution for bed, chair, and table
legs; however, some students sought
faster and simpler solutions. Some
students made pieces appear three-
dimensional by simple folding and
attaching to the wall or floor. Mirror
paper was distributed for mirrors

and television screens, although foil worked just as well. Magazines provided miniature posters, pictures, and windows for the walls. Wallpaper scraps, cotton balls, and beads were ingeniously put to use. Using materials frome around the artroom students decorated their walls, made pillows for couches and beds, and added finishing touches. They were encouraged to add as many details as they wished. Some brought materials from home.

Discussing These seemingly small, personal spaces generated big ideas. From start to finish, students were fully engaged in designing and constructing the tiny rooms. They took charge of their learning, becoming young inventors, engineers, interior designers, and artists. Moreover, students were eager to share their ideas and learn from each other. The experience was invaluable.

Shannon Sweny Stephens was a student teacher at W.S. Ryan Elementary in Denton, Texas, when she taught this lesson. shannonsweny@charter.net

Motivation

After students were familiar with The Bedroom, I shared a diorama that reconstructed the famous painting in three dimensions. Following the oohs and ahhs, students