In this article, the author describes how her students constructed a three-dimensional sculpture of a dragon using plaster wrap and other materials. The dragons were formed from modest means--using only a toilet-paper tube, newsprint, tape and wire.

In this article, students create a "faux" cake sculpture. It is a three-dimensional artwork made of paper, colored with markers, and decorated with old marker caps and polystyrene packing peanuts for icing swirls.

Louise Nevelson, who is called the "architect of shadow," was a "dumpster diver" of her time, collecting found objects in the wee hours of the morning before trash pickup. Recognition evaded Nevelson until she created "Mood Garden + One" (1958), when she was almost 60 years old. In this article, students create their own assemblage using…

The term "Scribble Stage" highlights how first efforts appear in student independent work. Age does not correlate with "scribble" work as does experience; upper grade students and even adults will often approach new materials and techniques in an experimental manner as a means to become familiar with them. Everyone is a beginner at the things they…

Since Pen Argyl High School in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania was in the process of redeveloping its mascot, the Green Knight, the author decided to implement a studio project based on armor. In groups of three, students would research an assigned type of historical armor, replicate it in cardboard, and fit it to a group member. The lesson had heavy…

To celebrate a milestone in eighth-graders' lives--leaving middle school and moving on to high school--the author assigns them the "Coming of Age" project, which examines the big idea of identity and promotes the move from self-reflection to self-expression. The project also includes writing components that correspond to each of the nine…

Two years ago, a fortuitous event occurred at the author's school: the pre-K classrooms across the hall from her artroom received a grant that covered the installation of new bathrooms inside the room. Despite the obvious benefits, this construction project generated one of the most engaging student art projects they've ever created: plaster…

An abstract art project can be challenging or not, depending on the objectives the teacher sets up. In this article, the author describes an abstract papier-mache project that is a success for all students, and is a versatile project easily manipulated to suit the classroom of any art teacher.

It seems like everybody's "going green" these days. People do what they can to save the environment. Their cars are greener, their buildings are greener, even their clothes are greener. But what about going "brown"? It's cheap, it's readily available, and it has endless uses--especially in art. It's cardboard. The author describes a project that…

The purpose of the "Identity Pole" was to explore the big idea of identity. Students would confront issues of personal and cultural meaning, and draw upon interdisciplinary connections for inspiration. The author chose to present totem poles of the Northwest Coast Native Americans/First Nations of Canada, as well as school, state and national…

Ed Ruscha's exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco presented a fantastic and challenging teaching approach not just to art creation, but also to the whole definition of art. Ruscha painted with pastels and drew with pencils, but he also made art using Pepto Bismol, carrots, and spinach. In this article, the author describes an art…

When the glass artist Dale Chihuly exhibited his work at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the author took a class of fourth-grade students to view the artist's extraordinary sculptures. Just as the author predicted, the students were in awe of Chihuly's organic three-dimensional sculptures. Before taking the field trip to the Missouri Botanical…

Challenging one's brain is the beginning of making great art. Tangrams are a great way to keep students thinking about their latest art project long after leaving the classroom. A tangram is a Chinese puzzle. The earliest known reference to tangrams appears in a Chinese book dated 1813, but the puzzles existed long before that date. The puzzle…

Toilet-paper food sculpture is an integral part of the art curriculum at Silver Creek Middle School in Sellersburg, Indiana. The author describes techniques on how to create realistic food sculptures using toilet paper, water, and tempera paint. Students of all ages and skill levels enjoy this project because everyone relates to food and a sense…

Each August, third grade artists at Apple Glen Elementary in Bentonville, Arkansas, start the school year planning, creating, and exhibiting a clay relief mural. These mural projects have helped students to acquire not only art knowledge and techniques, but an even more important kind of knowledge: what it means to plan and successfully complete a…