Art project.....

After having a discussion about abstract art, I had the students construct these abstract sculptures. The nice this about these is that they can be stood up on their own, or hung from the ceiling.

Cut 12 Strips of white paper for each student...2” x 12”, stacked on top of each other and stapled together at one end.

(In the photo it looks like there is one strip of white paper....there really are 12 pieces there. Biggify and see...)

Prepare Multi colored strips of Railroad board (sorta thin colored cardboard)(google it..) , 3” wide x 20 (+)” long, one for each student.

Close up of the stack....

Don’t do anything to the first strip on the stack.

Take the second strip and start rolling, bending, folding, twirling etc. into some design. Make sure the ‘strip’ folding keeps the strip aligned in a straight line. (you don't want your strips going to the right or left and then sticking out all over the place later.) (well, maybe you do!)

Two strips folded or curled....

Do the same type of thing to all the rest of the strips except for the last one.

When all the middle strips are manipulated, staple the top and bottom strips to each other at the opposite end of the first staple.

Manipulate the designs happening within the top and bottom strips to get the look you want.

Close up of stapled end....

Select a strip of 3” wide railroad board in the color and length of your choice.

‘Fence in” the white paper construction with the cardboard and decide how big a ‘fence’ you are going to make around it.

You decide this by tightening the 'fence' and looking at the resulting design within the cardboard ring.
The smaller and tighter you make the circle, the more the design gets compacted.

Mark off where you want the strip to end for the size you pick. Actually cut it a little bigger so you have a place to glue it together to make the ring. There should be just a little overlap. Secure with 2 paper clips until the glue dries.

Here I glued three of mine together to make an interesting mobile.

This took less than one 80 minute period. They came out great and it was a good project to do early in the semester because even the 'nervous' artists were successful.

P.S. Don't even ask me why my fonts are different sizes and colors....as my student's say, " I didn't do it."

I don't have time to figure it out.......!