Famous artworks become 3D mini dioramas as students creatively explore materials and techniques.

Karen Williams

This gave students the opportunity to see multiple artworks in one lesson while analyzing and interpreting the best medium to use for reproducing each piece. It also gave them the freedom to explore materials in ways that reflect their own artistic styles.

I started by introducing the project, telling students that they would be reproducing a famous artwork, but the focal point would be created using air-dry modeling clay to create a 3D aspect.

I had selected artworks that I thought would be interesting to students with a focal point that was easy to identify. I ended up with nineteen different artworks. We looked at each one as a class and discussed the main focus of the artwork and what medium the artist may have used. Then we brainstormed ways we could get a similar look by using materials and techniques we were familiar with. Some students thought the Alma Thomas painting would look good using collage, others thought the Matisse cut-paper design should be reimagined using markers. I loved how this discussion prompted so many different ideas and new ways of reproducing an artwork.

At this point, each student chose an artwork and was given a copy of it. I had each student draw a horizontal line across the middle of the artwork and then divide the top half with a vertical line. Afterward, they decided what medium they would use.

I had previously cut cardboard in 6 x 6" (15 x 15 cm) squares for the base and 12 x 6" (30 x 15 cm) papers for the back “walls.” We started with the 12 x 6" papers, folding them in half to create two 6 x 6" walls. We created tabs so this piece could be glued to the base. Along the fold, we cut about a quarter of an inch (0.5 cm) and folded tabs. Now students were ready to work on the top/upper part of the artwork. We talked about using a grid and using the lines we drew to help guide us.

Recreating the lower part of the artwork, the base, proved a little tricky for some. Each student had a 6 x 6" paper. I had them stand the first piece they created up like the corner of a room. They put the 6 x 6" piece in and connected any shapes and lines from the top part onto the bottom part. We found it was better to color the 6 x 6" piece before gluing it to the cardboard.

Once both papers were finished, they were glued together. Now students had the “stage” for the focal point. Each student was given a 1 oz. pack of white air-dry modeling clay to create the focal point. We used markers to color the clay after it had dried and glued it to the base.

When all of my classes had finished, we grouped together student interpretations of the same artwork and displayed them alongside a photo of the artistʼs original painting. Students really enjoyed seeing the many ways that each artwork had been reimagined. It was interesting to observe the different focal points and materials that had been used to represent the same artwork. We also enjoyed noting how each artist had a unique creative take on the masterpiece and that no two interpretations were alike. Students gained insight into new techniques and were inspired by their fellow artists. We opened our mini museum to the entire school for a week of awesome wonder. My fourth-grade artists received many compliments on their creativity.

Karen Williams is an elementary art specialist at Sisters Elementary School in Sisters, Oregon, and an art integration coach at Elk Meadow Elementary in Bend, Oregon. artspaz134@gmail.com

3D Mini Museums: Reinterpreting Art through Materials and Form