ALEXANDER CALDER. Before getting started, we d like to highlight some teaching points for parent volunteers to consider:

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1 ALEXANDER CALDER LESSON OBJECTIVES: Introduce students to the work of Alexander Calder, one of the most innovative and iconic artists of the 20 th century, and specifically, for this lesson the inventor of the mobile Experiment with balance, composition, and the infinite possibilities of sculpture in motion Help students design and build their own mobile sculpture in the style of Alexander Calder LESSON SUPPLIES: All lesson supplies are in the Project Cabinet located in the PTA room. Please confirm you have the following supplies before heading up to your child s classroom: 1. PROJECT BOX includes materials for all grades Laminated visuals for classroom discussion Project example(s) Hole punchers Tape Extra scissors (for adults, students to use their own) Extra pencils (for adults, students to use their own) 2. PROJECT MATERIAL BAG (one bag / class) Colored, plastic-coated, copper wire in 30 lengths Colored papers LESSON OVERVIEW: 1. Introduction to Artist & Key Work with visuals (10 minutes) 2. Classroom Discussion (5 minutes) 3. Student Project (30 minutes) ************************************************************************************************* Before getting started, we d like to highlight some teaching points for parent volunteers to consider: CLASSROOM TEACHING POINTS: There are several key terms bolded throughout the lesson. It will be valuable to share these terms with the students and explain their meaning, as they are key concepts in understanding Calder s artistic achievements. For your quick reference, we have included a Glossary of Terms (see page 7). 1

2 Throughout this lesson plan, we have provided quotes from Calder and critics to add interest and perspective to the presentation. Please feel free to use these at your discretion and/or omit them for younger grades. ************************************************************************************************* 1. Introduction to the Artist & Key Work: Use the following laminated visuals to share the story of Alexander Calder s life and select examples of his most important work. VISUAL #1 Alexander Calder was born on July 22, 1898 in Lawnton, Pennsylvania into a family of artists. His mother was a painter. His father and grandfather were sculptors and they were both named Alexander. Relatives and friends called him Sandy for short. As a child, Calder loved to tinker. When he was 8 years old, his parents gave him his first tool set and a workspace where he constructed toys and gadgets. He loved to make toys and jewelry for his sister s dolls. VISUAL #2 When Calder was 11 years old, he gave his parents a Christmas present a beautiful duck make out of pieces of metal. This wasn t any ordinary duck. This duck could move back and forth if you tapped it on the head! Calder loved playing and inventing things that moved. When Calder grew up, he went to college and earned a degree in mechanical engineering the study of how machines are designed, built, and operate. Calder was fascinated with the math and science of how objects move through space and time, however, he was unhappy with the work. He enrolled in art school and decided to move to Paris, France. 2

3 VISUAL #3 Calder first made art that looked like real things, like he did as child. He liked the circus so much that he created his very own miniature circus! He made more than 50 figures out of wire, cork, cloth, and leather. There were jugglers, lion tamers, balancing acrobats and knife throwers. Calder attached the characters to wires so that he could move them around. He even put on performances for many of his famous artists friends. This became Calder s FIRST masterpiece Cirque Calder, It wasn t the daringness of the performance nor the tricks or the gimmicks: it was the fantastic balance in motion that the performers exhibited. -- Alexander Calder VISUAL #4 A few years later, Calder visited the studio of his famous friend, Piet (pronounced Pie-et) Mondrian. Admiring the painted rectangles of Mondrian s soon-to-be-famous masterpiece, Calder said, I think they should move! Mondrian disagreed. VISUAL #5 The simple shapes of Piet Mondrian and abstract art inspired Calder. He stopped creating realistic figures and began to represent things using geometric shapes (circles, triangles) and biomorphic forms (suggesting living organisms). Calder wanted to create abstract painting in motion. When I have used spheres and discs, I have intended that they should represent more than what they just are. More or less as the earth is a sphere but also has some miles of gas about it, volcanoes upon it, and the moon making circles around it, and as the sun is a sphere but is also a source of intense heat, the effect of which is felt at great distance. A ball of wood or a disc of metal is rather a dull object without this sense of something emanating from it. Alexander Calder 3

4 VISUAL #6 Naturally, Calder began twisting and bending wire by hand. He then cut and attached metal shapes, using trial and error to balance each piece. Calder s use of industrial materials steel, aluminum, and wire - was new back then. His engineering background came in handy as he balanced different materials and shapes. Instead of anchoring these three-dimensional works to the ground like traditional sculptures, Calder suspended them from the ceiling to allow them to float freely through space. Calder had invented a new type of sculpture! His famous artist friends admired these creations and called them mobiles, the French word for move. When his creations moved randomly with the breeze, they changed shape and cast interesting shadows over time. They became four-dimensional. Inventing the mobile was Calder s SECOND masterpiece! Calder s mobiles signal a paradigm shift in the history of sculpture and unprecedented innovation. The integration of the time element into sculpture is an innovation that no artist since Calder has fully assimilated, much less superseded. Jed Perl, art critic VISUAL #7 4

5 Calder went on to make hundreds of mobiles inspired by plants, animals, nature, and the universe. (See laminated examples: Mobile, Big Red, Snow Flurry, Constellation, Arc of Petals, Hanging Spider) Calder died at age 78. Throughout his long prolific career, Calder produced more than 16,000 works of art ranging from sculptures, paintings, and tapestries to jewelry, theatrical sets and toys. That is an average of one work a day for over forty years! The quality of his work was consistent, always having a sense of joy, pleasure and a child like quality. When everything goes right, a mobile is a piece of poetry that dances with the joy of life and surprise. -- Alexander Calder 2. Classroom Discussion Now that you know all about Alexander Calder and his mobiles How many of you have had a mobile hanging in your house? Why do you think parents hang these for young children? Like watching puffy clouds move across the sky, observing mobiles encourages relaxation and focus. We call this mindfulness today. Viewers may be able to best appreciate mobiles by looking slowly and thoughtfully. *PARENT VOLUNTEER FUN FACT: This phenomenon echoes the early 20 th century child-development theories of Maria Montessori that were revived in the 1960 s, at which time the practice of using small mobiles to promote infant development was popularized. It was (and still is) believed that gazing at these types of hanging structures improves focus and concentration. Encourage students to consider what makes Calder s mobiles unique. Some questions may include: What do you like about these compositions? How do the compositions make you feel? What if Calder changed the colors or shapes? What if he didn t make them move? Do these look easy to make? Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to achieve! Back in the 1930 s, Calder s wire circus sculptures were wildly imaginative and innovative. With his mobiles, Alexander Calder pioneered a new type of abstract modern sculpture. He worked a quarter of a century before me and managed to create real, absolutely extraordinary sculpture, with joy and substantial humor. Let s just say that he opened a door through which I could enter. -- Jean Tinguely, sculptor 5

6 FUN FACT: In 1943, Albert Einstein visited the Calder exhibition at the Museum on Modern Art, where he intently studied this motorized sculpture A Universe (1934). Einstein reportedly shooed away visitors who approached and remained transfixed by the piece for 40 minutes. Afterwards he responded, I wish I had thought of that! The underlying sense of form in my work has been the system of the Universe, or part thereof. For that is a rather large model to work from. Alexander Calder S.T.E.M. or S.T.E.A.M? (Science. Technology. Engineering. Art. Mathematics.) Either way you look at it, Alexander Calder s mobiles capture the essence of the movement integrating subjects to create new ideas. These are the works of a poet, but a poet guided by the steady instincts of a scientist. -- Jed Perl, art critic 3. Student Project Now it is the student s turn to create art inspired by Alexander Calder! SET UP: 1. Distribute four (4) colored wires to each student 2. Distribute variety of colored papers for each group of students to share 3. Ensure students are able to share the following materials: Tape Scissors Hole punchers Pencils Students are welcome to create their own mobile using their own unique designs or themes inspired by nature. With the help of parent volunteers, students will: CUT shapes out of the colored paper provided HOLE PUNCH the shapes ATTACH shapes to wire (which may be cut into smaller lengths) TWIST and BEND wires until students are happy with composition SIGN name on the back of shape(s) CLEAN UP: 1. Identify safe area in classroom to hang or rest mobiles before taking home 2. Ensure all lesson materials go back into PROJECT BOX so that it may be ready for the next class. 3. Return PROJECT BOX and any unused supplies to Closet after lesson. 6

7 Thank you for all of your time and support! This art appreciation experience would not have been possible without your help. We hope you enjoyed your time in the classroom! NOTE: Upon conclusion of the in-class project, an will be sent to all parents of the class, which recaps the student s Calder art appreciation project experience. This recap may be downloaded directly from the AA website by the Class Lead. ************************************************************************************************* GLOSSARY OF TERMS abstract existing in thought or as an idea, but not having a physical or concrete existence. balance to arrange so that one set of elements equals another. biomorphic a free form shape that suggests the form of living organisms engineer one who applies scientific and mathematical principles in his or her work. An engineer may plan and design bridges, roads, airplanes, or other structures. four-dimensional having the dimensions of height, width, depth, and time. geometric shape composed of lines, points, and angles, such as a square, triangle, or circle. mobile a sculpture that has parts that are suspended and move in response to air currents organic shape free form or unpredictable shape, not geometric. sculpture a three dimensional work of art (having length, width, and height) symmetry a balanced grouping of parts on either side of a line or around a center three-dimensional having the dimensions of height, width, and depth. 7

8 QUOTES: My fan mail is enormous. Everyone is under six. Alexander Calder I think best in wire. Alexander Calder I want to make things that are fun to look at. Alexander Calder I am not trying to make people happier by my work. But it happens that all those who have something of mine say that it makes them very happy. Alexander Calder A mobile is a private little party. Jean Paul Sartre, existential philosopher Revealing his fascination with the mobile: an object defined by its movement and nonexistent without it Calder suggests nothing. He captures true, living movements and crafts them into something They (mobiles) feed on air, breathe it and take their life from the indistinct life of the atmosphere. They are midway between matter and life (and) are neither entirely alive nor wholly mechanical. Jean Paul Sartre, existential philosopher A mobile is a dance to the music of time. Jed Perl, art critic ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Calder pieces are currently on display at the following nearby locations: The Whitney Museum of American Art The Museum of Modern Art Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate (Sleepy Hollow, NY) Storm King Art Center (Mountainville, NY) JFK International Airport Terminal 4 The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (online only) Twisteez Wire may be purchased online. Visit for locations. 8