Grade 7

First and Second graders built sculptures made from recycled materials then applied layers of papier-mâché and acrylic paint in this multi-step investigation of shape and form.

 The Third Grade has been working on a collaborative installation piece for Furey Hall. Colorful creeping “vines” made from drinking straws and wire seem to grow from blue cylinders making their way up and across the walls.

In conjunction with their study of contemporary public sculpture, the Fourth Grade class visited The Fields sculpture park at Omi International Arts Center where the class got up-close and personal with larger-then-life works by American and international artists.

Fifth Grade students viewed the documentary film, “Waste Land” which follows artist, Vik Muniz as he journeys to his native Brazil at to the world’s largest garbage dump near Rio de Janeiro. Over 3 years, Muniz works with local ‘pickers’ to recreate photographic images of themselves out of trash. Then, the group visited artist and BCD alum, Eli Merritt, who creates large-scale assemblages from recycled materials, in his West Stockbridge studio. Back at BCD, the class made self-portrait photographs which were then transformed with household and natural materials including rice, beans, sand, sawdust, and pebbles. Their final piece exists as a photographic print of the “2.5-dimensional” assemblage.

After seeing examples of masks and mask-making from a variety of cultures, the Sixth Grade class embarked on a large-scale sculpture project to make imaginary being masks of their own. Using cardboard, newspaper, and tape, forms and features were built up then sealed with papier-mâché, and, finally, painted and embellished.

Mr. Evans’ Ceramics class has been learning about early Greek pottery through the creation of a series of pinch pots that involve burnishing with traditional terra sigillata. Last week, the class built an outdoor kiln for a smoke firing. Bricks, wood shavings, newspaper, and a ceramic covering made up the kiln, which smoldered for 24 hours before the students’ pieces were ready to be removed.

Students of Mr. Spitzer’s Sculpture class have been working with found and traditional sculptural materials to create artworks based on quickly-made maquettes. The group will travel to the Williams College Museum of Art next week to see a Franz West sculpture exhibit.

In Mr. Knoll’s Drawing With Confidence class, students continue to learn formal rendering skills as they draw mostly from observation. The students are working on independent drawing projects with a focus on realism.

Stay tuned for more and be sure to check out exhibits and installations in Furey Hall!