| Stacked Bead Scuplture
In a moment of inspiration last year, John Matthews came up with a truly creative way for his students to express themselves both as individual artists and as a collective group. In something he calls Stacked Bead Sculpture each student made up a “bead” which was the size of a small basketball (although of varying shapes). These “beads” where then stacked one on top of another like a totem pole.
The Artistic Heritage of Clay
A unit from a high school ceramics course with a studio emphasis was enriched with content from art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. This four-week unit, entitled The Artistic Heritage of Clay: Survival and Revival of Traditions, demonstrates how elective studio courses might be enhanced with the discipline-based approach. In four sections, the unit moves from a general historical investigation of ceramic objects, to study of the pottery of ancient Americans, the Mimbres culture of the Southwestern United States, to a specific focus on the work of María Martinez, the celebrated Native American potter of San Ildefonso Pueblo. The fourth section engages students in the creation of clay vessels using methods similar to those of the artist.
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