Object[ed]
BinaryInBalance
ContrastingMaterialSculptures
Grades3-12
Summary
Studentsbuildtheirknowledgeofwhohascreatedsculptureaswellashowsculpturehasbeen
createdthroughoutarthistory,beforelearninghowcontemporarysculptorscanbothwork
withinandchallengethesetraditions.Studentsfocusonthepotentialofmaterialtohold
meaning,specificallygenderedideassuchasstrong/weak,hard/soft,andtough/flexible.
Studentsexaminevisualrelationshipsbetweentwocontrastingmaterials,woodandfabric,to
explorevariouscombinations.Then,theycreateasculpturethatcombinesthesematerialsto
underminestereotypicalexpectations.
ThislessonisbestsuitedforGrades7-12,butwillalsoworkwellforGrades3-6with
increasedteacherpreparationtime.ForGrades3-6,teachersshouldhot-gluethe3D
woodenstructuresoutofPopsiclesticksaheadofthein-classproject.Studentsshould
usethepre-madePopsiclestickstructures,string,fabricandscissorsfortheirproject,
focusingoncreatingareasofcontrastbetweengeometricandorganicforms.
CurriculumTies
FineArts:3-8.V.CR,L1-3.V.CR
SocialStudies:U.S.HistoryI–S2.O2;U.S.HistoryII–S3.O1,S5.O2,S7.O2,S9.O1
HealthEducation:Grade4–S3.O2;Grade5–S3.O1;Grade6–S1.O2
TimeFrame
90minutes
Materials
Longwoodendowels(forlargersculptures)orpopsiclesticks(forsmallersculptures)
Hotglue
Wireandwirecutters,orstringandscissors
Fabricscrapswithstretch(ifneeded,repurposeoldT-shirtsandswimsuitsinvariouscolorsand
patterns)
IntendedLearningOutcomes
1. StudentscandescribebasiccharacteristicsoftraditionalWesternsculpture,aswellas
somewaysinwhichcontemporaryartistsbothworkwithinandchallengethese
sculpturalconventions.
2. Studentsunderstandtheimpactofgenderinequalityonopportunitiesforandvisibility
offemalesculptorsthroughoutarthistory.
3. Studentsunderstandthatmaterialcanevokemeaning.
4. Studentsusetheconceptsofcontrastandbalancetocreateasculpturethat
underminesstereotypicalexpectations.
Resources
LizzeMäättäläcreatessculpturalcompositionsthatcontemplateourphysicalenvironment
usingfoundandmanipulatedmaterials.Uponacloserlook,seeminglyaccidentaljuxtapositions
ofrubber,foam,glass,metalandstonearerevealedtobecarefully“measured”arrangements
oftextureandcolor.1Asdescribedfora2015exhibitionatUMOCA,“Määttäläfindsmaterials
onstreets,insalvageyards,anddumpsters.Thesematerialscollectinpilesinherstudio,the
coldslabsofstoneminglingwiththecushionoffoam,enablingarelationshiptodevelop
betweentheobjects.Temperaturesoftensionreadhottocold,indirectionsdifficultto
distinguishandpossiblybetterleftwideopen.”2
Määttälä’sUntitledsculpturesinUMOCA’sexhibition,Object[ed],presentdifferent
combinationsoflarge,verticalmetalgrateswithpliable,spongymaterial.Betweenandaround
therigid,greybarsofdirtymetal,orangewirebindsandbends;thinrubberstripssqueeze;blue
foamquietlyfills;andthicktubingdrapes.Marksofwearonthematerialevokeahistoryofuse
andabandonment.Visualrelationshipsbetweenhardandsoft,roughandsmooth,toughand
malleable,askviewerstounderstandeachmaterialinoppositiontotheother.
Untitled
ViewObject[ed]:www.utahmoca.org/portfolio/objected
1
artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/index.php/material-girl-material-world-lizze-maattala-at-umocasprojects-gallery
2
www.utahmoca.org/portfolio/lizze-maattala
StudentsShouldUnderstandtheFollowingVocabulary
Sculpture-A3Dartwork.Traditionalsculpturalmaterialsincludestone,clay,metalandwood.
However,contemporarysculpturesaremadefromfoundmaterials,paper,fabricandmuch
more.
Medium-Thematerialsusetocreateaworkofart.
Contrast-Thedifference,opposition,orjuxtapositionoftheelementsofaworkofart.Contrast
canbecreatedusingline,form,color,value,orevenchoiceofmedia.
Balance-Arrangingelementsequallysothatnoonepartoverpowersanother.Balancecanbe
symmetrical,asymmetricalorradial.
“MasterSculptor”-TheEurocentricideaofanartistwhoskillfullycraftssculpture.InWestern
arthistory,thetermisusedtorefertosculptorswhohavebeendeemedthemostskilledand
havelastingimportance,suchasDonatelloandMichelangelo.Thesesculptorsarevirtuallyall
whitemales.Themasculineideaofwhocancreatesculptureremainstoday;onecurrent
sculpturestudio’swebsitedescribes“mastersculptor”asahumbletitlegivenbyasculptor’s
peersthat“isaselusiveorasobviousaswhenaboybecomesaman.”1
Stereotype-Anoversimplifiedideaaboutindividualswhobelongtoaparticulargroupof
people.Stereotypesarebasedonassumptionsandunfairjudgments.Racist,sexistand
homophobicstereotypesarecommonexamples.
1
carolinasculpturestudio.com/sculpture
InstructionalProcedures
Leadaclassdiscussiontointroducetheideaofsculpture(limitedbyaWesternarthistorical
lens)andbuildabasicdescriptionoftraditionalcharacteristicsofsculpturesthroughout
Europeanhistory.Theseexamplescanbeusedasvisualaides:
• NaxianSphinxfromDelphi,Greece;570-560BCE;marble:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:028MAD_Sphinx.jpg
• DavidbyDonatello;1430-1432;bronze:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_-_David_by_Donatello.jpg
• TheThinkerbyRodin;1880-1904;bronze:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Thinker,_Rodin.jpg
• PortraitofMademoisellePoganybyConstantinBrancusi;1912;marble:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Constantin_Brancusi,_Portrait_of_Mlle_Pogany,_1912,_Phila
delphia_Museum_of_Modern_Art,_Philadelphia.jpg
Askyourstudents:Whatisasculpture?Whatdoyouthinkofwhenyouthinkoftraditional,
Western(European)sculptures?Brainstormedanswerscanincludethese(generalized)
qualities:representationalandusuallyfigurative;carvedormodelled;madeoutofahard,solid
materiallikestone,wood,ormetal;tallandmonolithic;builtonapedestalthatseparatesthe
sculpturefromtheground;andderivedfromclassicalGreekandRomanideasofsculpture.
Placeparticularemphasisonmaterialsbyaskingstudentstodescribethecharacteristicsofthe
materialsinmoredetail:Whatkindsofadjectiveswouldyouusetodescribethesematerials?
Aretheyrigidorflexible,movingorstatic,hardorsoft?
Next,askyourstudentstoconsiderwhomakessculpture.Havemostlymenormostlywomen
createdthesculpturewelearnabouttoday?Whyaremostsculpturesthroughoutarthistory
createdbymen?Havewomenbeengivenasmanyopportunitiestocreatesculpture?When
womenhavecreatedsculpture,aretheyasvisibleinourhistory?Isthereastereotypethatstill
existstoday,thattobeasculptoryouhavetobeaman?Whenyouviewanewsculpture
withoutanybackgroundinformation,doyouassumethattheartistismale?
Althoughtheyareinfluencedbyartworkcreatedinthepast,contemporaryartistsworking
todayaremuchlessrestrictedinboththeconceptstheycanexploreandthematerialstheycan
use.Forthisproject,eachstudentwillbeacontemporaryartist,usingbothexpectedand
unexpectedsculpturalmaterialstocreatearelationshipbetweencontrastingideas.Inthisway,
theirsculptureswilltietogethermaterialandmeaning,allowingtheirmaterialstostandinas
abstractrepresentationsofcontrastinggenderedideas,suchas:
• Strong/weak
• Hard/soft
• Tough/flexible
• Geometric/organic
• Old/new
• Loose/tight
Howcanideasofmasculinityandfemininitybelinkedtophysicalmaterials?Forexample,do
sculpturesmadeoutof“hard”materialsandthosemadeoutof“soft”materialscommunicate
differentideas?Howcouldyoucreateasinglesculptureusingboth“hard”and“soft”to
complicatetheseideas?
Haveyourstudentsbeginbyusingwoodendowels(orpopsiclesticks)andhotgluetoassemble
a3Dgeometricframefortheirsculpture.Individualstickscanbecombinedintotriangles,
squaresandrectangles,beforefurtherassemblingtheseshapesinto3Dforms.Additional
piecesextendingfromthecentralbaseofthestructurewillprovideamoreinteresting
frameworkontowhichthefabricmaterialwillbeaddedinthenextstep.
Aftertheirwoodenstructureisfullygluedtogether,haveeachstudentconsiderhowtoadd
contrastingfabricpiecestothesculpture,usingwireorstringtohelpthemattachthefabricto
thewoodifnecessary.Howwillyouusethefabrictostretchbetween,wraparound,andattach
tothegeometricstructureinawaythatbalancesouttherigid,geometricqualitiesofthewood?
Howcanyoucreateothercontrastingrelationshipsbetweenthesetwomaterials?Studentscan
createadditionalareasofcontrastandbalanceintheirsculptures,suchas:
• Tension/rest
• Open/closed
• Static/dynamic
• Solid/see-through
• Tight/loose
• Dark/light
• Vibrant/dull
Example1
Example2
QUESTIONSTOASKATTHEENDOFTHEPROJECT:
• Howdoestheopennessofcontemporarysculptureallowforgreaterpossibilitiesforartmaking?
• Howhasgenderinequalityinfluencedourunderstandingofthosewhohavemade
sculpturethroughouthistory?
• Whatdoesitmeantocombinedifferentartmaterialsinwaysthatareunexpected?
• Doesexpressingourselvesthroughartinnewandchallengingwaysalsoallowusto
understandeachotherbetter?