Submitted by Judy Decker
Unit: Contemporary Art- Keith Haring - Sculpture
Project: Dance Sculpture - Plaster addition  (See paper maché below)
Grade level: Middle school 
     
     
      Examples are paper maché - from Linda Hoffelt, Mickelson Middle School,
      Brookings, South Dakota - Lesson Plan below

1. Video: Keith Haring- Drawing the Line
2. Scholastic Art: Keith Haring
3. Jazz music- Dancers from the school (student can in and did some dance)
4. Demonstrations of sculpture and painting technique
5. Internet sites on work by Keith Haring

1. Discuss video- how artists get ideas. Discuss Scholastic Art issue, Keith Haring
2. Listen to jazz music- watch dancers- sketch movement - Simply to "haring like" figures
3. Make dance figure sketches on 12x18 paper- simplify figure (see work of Haring) -make animal head if desired (personal totem). 18 x 24 inch paper was also available for those who wanted to work large.
4. Select best dance figure- transfer to 12x18 Styrofoam (trace over lines to make an impression)
5. Cut out Styrofoam dance figure using hot wire - may make some parts more three dimensional. Note: I rough cut the figures out for the students. They cut them outside with the hand help cutters. I took some home and rough cut on my band saw to save time in class. I needed to get this project done in about one week)
6. Cover figure with plaster gauze
7. Gesso figure
8. Paint - choose one color bright acrylic paint (I had several latex paints in bright colors)
9. Outline figure with bold black line- use black paint marker and/or permanent markers to fill with personal symbols (Black Acrylics also available) 
10. Critique
11. We displayed ours on dowels stuck into wood bases for 8th grade graduation. The bases and dowels were painted black. The theme for graduation was Celebration

Objectives: similar to above 

Materials: 18" x 24" newsprint (or smaller), scissors, corrugated cardboard, Styrofoam cups (or blocks of Styrofoam from packing materials), newspapers, brown paper grocery bags (or other cheap paper source for final layers - like newsprint rolls from local paper), Wheat paste (flour and water paste -- or thinned Elmer's glue), Masking tape, Acrylic paints (or latex). wide brushes, White and black acrylic - smaller brushes. Optional: Paint markers, puffy paints.

Motivation: similar to above

1. Design simplified figure on 18 x 24" newsprint (12 x 18 could also be used). 
2. Cut out patterns shape - trace onto corrugated cardboard. Cut two figures the same size.
3. Tape some small Styrofoam cups between the tow cut outs (or Styrofoam blocks from packing materials).
4. Cut 3" (to 4" - depending on spacers used) cardboard strips. Tape strips between the two layers.
5. Apply a layer of wide masking tape to the cardboard surfaces to prevent warping. May tape on a layer of aluminum foil.
6. Tear newspapers into strips - apply a minimum of two very smooth layers.
7. Add a finishing layer of brown paper bags, brow paper toweling end rolls - or other inexpensive paper source. The local newspaper often will give school white newsprint end rolls.
8. Paint with acrylics when dry.
9. Select a contrasting color for lining and symbols. Paint a thin border around shape and fill in with personal symbols to show "self". Fill in negative spaces with line and pattern.
10. Allow to dry - critique work.

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