High School

Artwork by Taylor S., grade ten.

The Essential Question
How can the viewer interpret a nonobjective work of art?

Objective
Students will create a freestanding nonobjective sculpture.

Materials
sketchbooks, ebony pencils, erasers, balsa wood (four pieces at 24" [61 cm] long per student), rulers, craft knives, cutting mats, sandpaper, wood glue, masking tape, acrylic paint, paintbrushes, water cups, paper towels, cardboard

Procedures
1. Students design a preliminary sketch of a freestanding abstract sculpture based on their allotted balsa wood. Students are encouraged to cut pieces to size based on their sketch.
2. Students determine the sizes of balsa wood needed for their sculpture and mark their measurements with a pencil.
3. Students cut the pieces for their sculpture with a craft knife and sand the edges until the ends are smooth and even. The ends can be flat or cut at a forty-five-degree angle.
4. Students assemble their sculpture using wood glue and reinforce the joints with small strips of masking tape.
5. Students paint their sculpture with acrylic paint, using a color scheme, themes, and other imagery. When dry, the finished sculptures are mounted on a sheet of cardboard.
Extension Students draw a 14 x 14" (35.5 x 35.5 cm) pencil drawing of their finished sculpture in one-point or two-point perspective.

Assessment
 Students participate in small group critiques and share their artistic process.

Frank Juárez is an art teacher at Sheboygan North High School in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.