SchoolArts - November 2007

mystic and poet, who used revolving discs to illustrate his complex philosophy. Other early movable books included anatomical studies, where pages could be flipped to reveal internal organs. In the early nineteenth century, movable books entered the emerging field of juvenile literature, and the illustrated examples on this site date from this time to the late twentieth century. Highlighted are artists/paper engineers Voitech Kubasta, Robert Sabuda, Brian Wildsmith, Jan Pien-kowski’s Robot, and Gary Greenberg’s The Pop-up Book of Phobias, among others.

Many of the examples on this site are animated; there are paper dolls that don different outfits with a click of the mouse, flip books, tabbed scenes, pictures that dissolve and transform through a sort of Venetian blind technique, overlays, three-dimensional pop-ups, and a short video clip.

After perusing the examples on this site, visit artist Robert Sabuda’s website ( www.robertsabuda.com) to find a bibliography, learn some simple pop-up techniques, and see examples from all over the world.

—Rebecca Arkenberg is a museum consultant from Stratford, Connecticut.

H i g h

S

c h o o l

S t u d i o

L

e s s o n

Spaces

Ken Vieth

H^{aveyouevernoticedhow qualityofspirit- justa wordortwocangrab uality. Theidea yourattention? Youcan intriguedme, yet Idid}thenthinkaboutthose notactonituntilthisyear, wordsanddevelopthemintoacon- aftermyretirement, whenalocal contentsoftheinteriorspace. ceptworthinvestigating.Aboutten highschoolartteacherkindlypro- Thegoalofthisprocessistohave yearsago,acolleagueofminesug- videdmetheopportunitytowork studentscreateaplacetoremind gestedtheideaofcreating“sacred withherstudentsforthreeweeks themofwhattheymostvaluein spaces.”Hefeltthatthisideamight tofullydeveloptheideaofsacred life,aplacewheretheyarevalued, offermyart spaces. andaplacethatrepresentsasanctu-studentsa aryfromlife’sstressfulsituations.

T
h
e
g
o
a
l
o
f
t
h
i
s
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
rewarding SacredSpaces
i
s
t
o
h
a
v
e
s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s
c
r
e
a
t
e
a
challenge. Inthisinvestiga- Process
p
l
a
c
e
t
o
r
e
m
i
n
d
t
h
e
m
o
f
Aftersome tion,students Studentsbeginwithanoverviewof
w
h
a
t
t
h
e
y
m
o
s
t
v
a
l
u
e
i
n
l
i
f
e
,
thought,I createathree- thequalitiesoftraditionalspaces
realizedthis dimensional suchaschurches,synagogues,and
a
p
l
a
c
e
t
h
a
t
r
e
p
r
e
s
e
n
t
s
a
wasanoppor- structureusing temples,includingNotreDame
p
e
r
s
o
n
a
l
s
a
n
c
t
u
a
r
y
f
r
o
m
l
i
f
e
’
s
tunitytolook simplenatural CathedralinParisandBuddhist
s
t
r
e
s
s
f
u
l
s
i
t
u
a
t
i
o
n
s
.

atstructure, roundreedand templesinKyoto,Japan.Tobroaden makeaper- paperthatrepre- students’understandingofcon-sonalconnectionthroughsymbol- sentsapersonalyetsymbolicsacred temporaryarchitectsandarchitec-ism, producegreaterunderstanding, space. Thestructureistobevisually ture, wealsodiscussthe workof andarticulatea obscureontheexterior,yet,when CanadianarchitectFrankGehry,

hungfromtheceiling,itrevealsthe Americanarchitect Frank Lloyd 30 SchoolArts November2007

Continued from page 27.

reflecting the students’ generated information and images.

Students can apply their own drawings, watercolors, manipulated photocopies of selected images, color transparencies from photographs, and manipulated computer images that they have scanned. The repetition of images or colors is important for visual continuity and a strong overall design.

Teacher Observations Organization of materials and focused instructional content are important in order to maintain the time frame of this project. Work was suspended from the ceiling for daily storage, as well as in the final exhibition space, so that both the interior and exterior can be viewed.

Evaluation
Evaluation includes teacher and
student daily critique. The work
is viewed in terms of artistry, cre-
ativity, and effort. Effort includes
focused time on task each day in
class, and creative effort to develop
a unique, well-constructed struc-
ture.

Student Self-Assessment

Have students answer the following questions on a piece of paper or prepared handout. Consider all answers to be confidential unless the student chooses to share:

• How well, from a material perspective, is your sculpture created?

• How well, from the concept of a “sacred space,” is your work developed and articulated?

• Can others get a richer sense of who you are symbolically? How and why?

• Have you created a place that represents a personal retreat or sanctuary for you? How?

Conclusion

Though this was a challenging concept to explore, I was pleased to discover that students on the high school level did embrace this opportunity, created varied structures, and gained insight into themselves. So often we underestimate the ability of students to delve deeply into a concept and produce meaningful work. We can be focused on teaching the elements and principles of art and design, yet, in reality, it is how students apply these in dramatic ways that inspires meaning in their work. The power of believing in your students’ potential should not be underestimated.

Special thanks to Karen Rosen-burg, New Hope Solbury Public High School, New Hope, Pennsylvania, for allowing me to work with her and her students. Also, heartfelt thanks to my friend Dan Bush who videotaped this project so it could be shared with art educators in the future. Dan’s video work of my previous high school projects is available through Davis Publications

( www.davisart.com).

Ken Vieth is the author of From Ordinary to Extraordinary and Engaging the Adolescent Mind, and coauthor of The Visual Experience, all published by Davis Publications. kvieth@crusoe.net

NATIONAL STANDARDS

Students create multiple solutions to specific visual arts problems that demonstrate competence in producing effective relationships between structural choices and artistic functions.