Myths and Symbolism in Art Sculptures from the Noguchi Partnership Student art from Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Course. L o n g I s l a n d C i t y H i g h S c h o o l . 1 4 -­‐ 3 0 B r o a d w a y , L o n g I s l a n d C i t y , N Y 1 1 1 0 6 Myths and Symbolism in Art Myths and Symbolism in Art Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Prints: Mythical Creatures We began our study of symbolism and abstraction by reading several myths from Classical Greece and thinking of ways we could symbolically represent the ideas and characters from these stories. At the Noguchi, students looked at the sculptures of Isamu Noguchi that were inspired by myths and sketched the artworks. We then looked at drawings by Pablo Picasso and discussed the different levels of abstraction we saw. After this, we made prints by selecting a mythical creature and simplifying their form. Above: works by Leticia Garcia and Luis Mayancela. Below: works by Gustavo Grande and Jahid Rahman. A Study in Abstraction The mythical creatures shown in these student prints are from Greek and Roman Mythology. They represent centaurs, chimera, Pegasus, and Capricorn. Above: works by Toma Taher and Pavel Ahmed. Below: works by Waleed Yafai and the print plate from Leticia Garcia’s work. The Printing Process Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Investigations of Art Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. The Noguchi Museum Exploring Sculpture Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. A New Medium Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Ashraf Ahmed Ashraf Ahmed is a ninth grader from Bangladesh. His sculptural projects were about the was for liberation of 1971 and about myths from Bangladesh. My first monument represents the war between Bangladesh and Pakistan. There is a rifle in the picture. The rifle means war. The three people in the picture are representing the masses. The bullets represent the killing of the people and their anger. The story of The Sun and The Air is a myth from Bangladesh. In this myth, Sun and Air compete because they had an argument about who was stronger. They asked the God to decide and the God told them to see who could unfold the scarf from around an old woman. Air fails to remove the woman’s scarf because the more wind he makes, the more she holds her scarf. At last, the sun makes it too hot and succeeds in making the woman remove her scarf. Ashraf Ahmed-­‐ I made a sculpture to symbolize the story of the sun and the air. First, I made a circle and next, I made the sun and air. Finally, I carved using a knife and sandpaper and a drill. My sculpture was beautiful because the sun and egg shape also looked like eyes. National symbols are different around the world. I will compare the national symbols of Bangladesh and America. The flags of the two countries have different colors and symbolism. The United States’ flag is red, white and blue. The flag of Bangladesh is red and green. The colors represent freedom for the US, but for Bangladesh, the color green represents trees and red means the sun. The national animals are represented by the tiger and the magpie, but for the US the animal is the eagle. Pavel Ahmed Pavel Ahmed-­‐I made a fish to represent Bangladesh. First I drew my fish for the first time. Then, I poured plaster into a mold. Next, I carved the plaster into my design. I used tools and scrapers and drills to carve. The first fish broke into three pieces so, I had to make it again. Finally, I finished my project. I learned how to represent Bangladesh and to carve. Arelis Javier Camacho For my project I chose to symbolize a heart for Dominican Republic because I love it. Maria Casiano Victor Cuevas If I was in charge of building a monument that commemorates an event of importance, a serious event for Dominican history, I would choose the story of the Mirabel sisters who symbolize the fight for freedom because they were against the dictatorship of Trujillo. The Mirabels believed he would lead the country to economic disaster and decided to form a group to oppose the regime. Known as the policy group, on the fourteenth of June, some of the group known as La Mariposa were imprisoned and tortured on several occasions. Despite these situations, they continued their struggle to end dictatorship, but then Trujillo sent people to kill them. The Mirabel sisters are so important to me because they belong to Dominican history. Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Leticia Garcia-­‐ I like this picture because it is very nice and also the head represents the head of the Olmecas. This sculpture represents my country, Mexico. The head is located in the capital in Mexico. It was found beneath the earth. Me gusta esta pintura porque es muy bonita y tambien la cabeza representa la cabeza de los olmecas esta escultura representa mi pais de Mexico. La cabeza es localizada en la capital. Esto fue encontrado debajo de la tierra. Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Gustavo Grande El monumento que yo hario seria la figurade Azteca que representa ajuna de las culturas mas antiguas del mundo que se establesieran Mexico. The monument that I would make would be the figure of an Aztec. This would represent one of the oldest cultures of the world and the people who settled the Mexican country. La piramide del sol es una de las obras de la cultura azteca. Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Jabid Khan Luis Mayancela Luis Mayancela-­‐ To create this sculpture, I mixed plaster with water. Then I poured the plaster into a milk carton. Next, I shook the carton to get out the bubbles. Then, I waited for the plaster to dry. After that, I began to carve my sculpture. It represented the Island Galapagos. Because there are turtles on the island. Jahid Rahman Blahblah blah wheeee Toma Taher The Sundarban of Bangladesh In the south of Bangladesh there is a forest named Sundarban. It’s the biggest mangrove forest in the whole world. It’s full of varieties of animals, birds, plants, and trees. There is a tree called “Sundar” from which the forest is called “Sundarban.” There are many animals such as deer, snakes, monkeys, and the world famous Bengal Tiger. Beside the beautiful Sundarban, there is the Bay of Bengal. Cox’s Bazar which is the world’s largest beach is in Bangladesh. The sea looks beautiful and gorgeous. Many visitors from different places of the country go there, to see the charming beach scene. The name “Sundarban” can be literally translated as “beautiful jungle” in the Bengali language. The forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the super confluence of the Ganges, Brahma Putra, and Meghna rivers across Saiyan Southern Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. The Bangladesh part of the Sundarban is estimated to be about 4, 110 kilometers squared, of which about 1, 700 kilometers squared is occupied by bodies of water in the form of canals and creeks with widths varying from a few meters to several kilometers. Sundarban has also been listed amongst the finalists in the New Wonders of Nature. If I were commissioned to construct a monument that commemorates an important event in history, I would construct a monument that symbolized the war between Bangladesh and o Pakistan. In our country, Shriti Shoudha is a national monument. The reason I chose this event is because it symbolizes the war when Bangladesh won their independence. During the war, a lot of people lost their life and this monument represents the sacrifice of these people. The war started because we couldn’t speak or mother language. This monument has the word “Bangla” on it. That shows our independence to speak Bangla whenever we want to. We have the color of the flag of Bangladesh on the symbol, but I made the flag into a new and different design. Toma Taher-­‐ First, I drew a picture. Then, I made a model out of play dough. Next, I carved my sculpture and I sanded it. I made designs to represent the forest and the coin called a taka. I got my inspiration for this sculpture from Bangladesh. This forest is called Shundurbon. Shundur means beautifuland bon means forest, I learned about myths and stories. Finally, I learned symbols of Bangladesh. Symbols of Our Countries Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism. Waleed Yafai Students in Ms Smith’s ESL Beginners Class began their project on cultural myths and symbols with a visit to the Noguchi Museum. They met on Fridays with their visiting artist, Anne Spurgeon and her assistant Carmen. They discussed works by Isamu Noguchi and applied their understanding of abstract art to research they were doing into cultural symbols and mythology. From their research and investigations into artistic forms, they conceived of and created abstract sculptures to represent myths and important historical events through symbolism.