Sculpting a Vessel

(Click here to register for the lesson)

Presenter Information
Lesson Information
Pre-Lesson
Tele-Lesson
Post-Lesson
Standards & Assessment

Presenter Information

Presenter: Jerome Dubas

Email Address: jdubas@gips.org

Presentation Date: January 25, 2006

Web site URL:

Meet Your Presenters: Jerome Dubas, a Nebraska art educator for over 20 years, serves as the middle school art instructor at Walnut Middle School, Grand Island Nebraska. Mr. Dubas also serves as the Art Curriculum coordinator for Grand Island Public Schools. In addition to his middle school position, Mr. Dubas is an adjunct instructor for ceramics for Hastings College.

Mr. Dubas has presented at numerous conferences and actively exhibits his and his student's art on the state and national levels.

Top of Page

Enrichment Information

Grade Level Audience

Middle School - High School
Curriculum Targets

Language Arts

Visual Arts

Lesson Description:

The activity for this lesson follows the theme of "cycles". First a persuasive writing assignment will begin this activity and students will stamp the clay surface for content rich texture. Second, student's may sculpt the clay form into a figure, vase, or basket.

Lesson Objectives:

By completing this lesson, the student will:

  • interpret visual images in their cultural/historical contexts. ( cultural/historical)
  • demonstrate a technical knowledge and creative use of the formal elements of design in a variety of media. (aesthetic)
  • discuss the way form has contributed to the meaning of their work. (technical, creative)
  • will analyze and discuss the sources of their own work. (cultural, technical, creative)

Top of Page

Pre-Lesson

Description:

In preparation for the upcoming lessons, students should complete the 'metamorphous persuasive writing assignment.' Click here to download the assignment.

Students should also be provided with a copy of the evaluation rubrics. The rubrics will provide a "heads up" preview of expectations. Clic here to download the rubric evaluation form.

Top of Page

Tele-Lesson

Description:

1. Mr. Dubas will explain the different methods of clay building. (slab, coil, pinch, mold, throw) He will demonstrate the different ways to make a slab. We will discuss the purpose of making something by hand and how much a machine should be involved.

2. Examples of work made out of slabs will be shown. Work using text as decoration will be presented. And finally, examples of amphoras, cycladic figures, and baskets will be shown to give ideas for the vases, figures, and baskets that the students will turn the form in to.

3. Mr. Dubas will offer ways to augment the clay surface by using stamps and lettering. Using words, phrases, sentences or the entire writing assignment, the surface will incorporate the metamorphous story. Guidelines to principles of surface design will be given. Different stages of clay will be explained so that a demonstration on assembling a form made from slabs can be given.

4. To finish the session, examples of heads, handles, or spouts will be constructed and add to the piece. Choices for glazing types and methods will be shown.

Top of Page

Post-Lesson

Description:

Assessment of the project should include:

  • Technique: What clay building technique did you use to make the vessel? What did you have to do to make your project stay together? How did you smooth the seams? What doe the term "leatherhard" mean?
  • Content: Where did you get the story from? Is that a good idea for decoration? Why did you pick a basket, vase, or figure? What is the purpose of your vessel?
  • Context: How does your surface treatment resemble that work done by other ceramic artists? Who are some artists that make vessels in clay and how is their work similar to yours?

As part of this two part lesson, you will have an opportunity to create a clay product. Upon completion of the vessel, the class instructor or possibly the students can use the evaluation form that can be downloaded by clicking here.

Top of Page

Standards Connection

Grand Island Art Standards

Standard 1: Developing skill in a variety of media

  • Reflecting upon the effectiveness of their choice
  • Intentional use of art media to enhance communication of ideas.

Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions.

  • Using the elements and principles of design.
  • Discerning between applied art, craft, fine art, and folk art.
  • Defining art with the components of technique, content, and context

Standard 3: Making choices in creating art to achieve the student's original voice.

  • Relating to themes in historical and cultural art
  • Understanding and concentrating philosophies of artists and not an artist's style.

Standard 5: Reflecting upon and assessing the content, context, and technique of their work and the work of others using rubrics, oral critiques, and written evaluations.

  • Developing a personal working definition of art.
  • Analyze, describe, and compare contemporary, historical, and individual art work.

Standard 6: Connecting the visual arts to other disciplines to understand self and environment.

  • Using language arts to inspire self expression

Standard 7: Structuring a disciplined personal philosophy in order to foster creativity.

  • Identifying methods used to nourish creative growth

Standard 8: Inventing tools to understand contemporary thought.

  • Using writing assignments to guide contemporary thinking
  • Using materials, technology, and media to align with today's practices

Top of Page