Reflections
artists with an audience as adults
being sold as commercial products on This lesson worked because it was a
walked around with drinks and cheese
the shelf of a local Korean or Japanese great;way;to;capture;students’;inter-
and;viewed;their;sculptures.;Some
store.
ests and imaginations, while also
young visitors grabbed at the sculp-
allowing them to explore another
tures because they saw them as toys.
Getting Started
country through its popular culture. It I smiled because we had succeeded in
I asked Maria Teresa Cardenas, a room was also an excellent way to introduce blurring the line between art and con-
mother and art teacher, to assist me
art history from our own country
sumerism and had a lot of fun in the
with this project.
through the art-
process.
Since;we;didn’t
We had succeeded in
ists of the 1960s
have a kiln, she
and how their blurring the line between art
John Purcell is a first-grade teacher at the
suggested we use
a polymer clay
work related to and consumerism and had a
32nd Street USC Magnet School in Los
Angeles, California. drjohnpurcell@yahoo.
that could be
lot of fun in the process.
the Japanese work com
we were study-
oven-baked. Maria
ing. It was also a
Teresa had students draw ideas for
good way to introduce sculpture since Students demonstrate how history,
what they wanted to create. Then she it connected easily to the playfulness culture, and the visual arts can influ-
went over color choices based on their and creativity of another consumer
ence each other in making and study-
drawings and gave them the colors of product children like: Playdoh.
ing works of art.
clay they wanted.
Most of all, it was a great introduc-
It took about two or three one-hour tion to the concepts of art and com-
sessions for the class to complete their merce and what they may mean now
