Cool Dubuffet Sculptures! (Grade 5)

Objectives:
·         Identify the use of repeated lines(Benday patterns), shapes, and colors to create rhythm and variety in artworks
·         Identify positive and negative space in artworks
·         Create an abstract construction
·         Identify and explore the art of Jean Dubuffet
Materials:
·         Unruled index cards
·         Fine point Sharpies
·         Red and blue markers                                                                                           
·         Scissors
·         Pieces of mat board for bases
·         Glue gun and glue sticks (For teacher use)
·         Power Point presentation on Jean Dubuffet

Links to music by Dubuffet ( http://www.ubu.com/sound/dubuffet.html ),
his biography- for teacher only (http://www.brain-juice.com/cgi-bin/show_bio.cgi?p_id=55 )  and images of his art works (Google images of Dubuffet…there are so many to choose from!))

Process:
This was a 2-3 week project. Introduce the biography of Dubuffet with a Power Point presentation.  Play some of his music. Discuss images of his art work, concentrating on his sculptures.  Look for rhythm of repeating lines, shapes, and color. Examine the positive and negative space in these constructions. Show an example of the project. Demonstrate how to make the base and use the index cards to create a sculpture. Students will cut the index cards into large organic and geometric shapes. Then use the Sharpie and the markers to make shapes and lines on the index card pieces. Join the pieces by cutting slits and fitting them together. Secure to the base with hot glue and then put a dot of glue between each part of the construction to secure it.  Some students chose to use two other colors other than red and blue. Some wanted to create a large one for the school.  Students became very excited about these constructions. For display, some were placed in the library and the office as free standing sculptures. All the others were mounted next to each other on the wall with bottom of base stapled to the wall so that the actual construction was sticking out from the wall. I had shown them a picture of a display of Dubuffet at a museum where his sculptures were coming off the wall. Our display looked a lot like that.