Submitted by:  Larry Prescott, Madison Middle School, Rexburg, Idaho
Unit: Environmental art - Sculpture - Technology
Lesson: Natural Collaboration: Building With the Five Elements of Art
Grade Level: 7th Grade (middle school)

Objective:

Students will assemble found natural objects into an arrangement emphasizing one or more of the 5 elements of art and decide upon the best view of their work to be photographed.

Goals:

• Students will be able to identify the five elements of art in visual work i.e. line, shape, value, texture, and value.

• Students will defend/discuss their constructions using the five elements of art.

•  Students will discover relationships between the environment and their creation i.e. light and setting.

• Students will use Photoshop to enhance the visual elements in their work.

See more examples on Larry's Web site

Materials:

Andy Goldsworthy slide presentation (Internet Resources)
collection of natural objects
Digital camera
Photoshop
Student work slide presentation

Procedures:

Day 1: View the work of Andy Goldsworthy. (teacher-made slide presentation). Discuss his work in terms of the 5 elements of art.  Students will be able to identify the elements in his work and order the elements in terms of visual importance.

Day 2: Walk to the community arboretum to look for interesting natural objects.  Discuss possibilities and gather items (bring favorite stones, shells, bones etc from home if desired).

Day 3: Begin assemblage of art.  Experiment and gather more items from the school ground. Students arrange items and make sketches of most successful compositions. You might want to put a tarp/drop cloth (secured with stakes) over the area where students are working over night.

Day 4: Refine ideas. Complete construction. Photograph work.

Day 5: Work with the digital image in Photoshop.  Manipulate the color and values to enhance the visual image.

Day 6: View slides of student work (teacher made presentation). Evaluate each work in terms of the 5 art elements.

Evaluation:

Students will write one paragraph addressing the following points:

• Students will identify the significance of the 5 art elements in their work.

• Students will describe at least one relationship between the environment and their art

Note from Larry: I wish I had recorded a few of their comments.  Many were very insightful…learning did take place!  This was a fun project that the majority of the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

Extension:

Have students do a "focus down" drawing of all or part of their "installation" (lay a cardboard frame over the work to find an interesting part - photograph that part up close to capture details) - Draw from photograph observing carefully the details. Students could begin drawings outside if time permits. Paint focus down drawing with watercolors - or render with colored pencils. See Focus Down Drawing lesson . Use circular, square or rectangular format. See nature paintings by George Dombek for a contemporary artist.

Internet Resources:

Earth Works -Putting Art Together for the Sake of the Earth  Online Project by Craig Roland 

Andy Goldsworthy Online (Artcyclopedia) 
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/goldsworthy_andy.html

Center for Global Environmental Education - Andy Goldsworthy http://cgee.hamline.edu/see/goldsworthy/see_an_andy.html

21st Century British Sculpture -Andy Goldsworthy  Andy Goldsworthy Portfolio

What is Art? What is an Artist? Photograph by Andy Goldsworthy - additional links provided
http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/artartists/photoandy.html

Nature and Nature: Andy Goldsworthy  - video clip Roland Collection

Book: Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature

Video: Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working With Time 
http://www.documentaryfilms.net/Reviews/RiversAndTides/

http://www.metmuseum.org/   http://www.art-word.com/goldsworthy/goldsworthy.page3.htm  
http://www.the-artists.org/

Also see Lucien den Arend Environments and Landscape Projects

Earthworks - links  Robert Smithson

More Environmental Art