Step 1 - Introducing the Alexander Calder Slideshow Guide

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Lizbeth Melton
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2 Step 1 - Introducing the Alexander Calder Slideshow Guide MOTIVATION BEGIN READING HERE I want you to think of your bedroom. Think of how it looks today. Did you straighten it up or did you leave it a mess? Did you make your bed, hang up your clothes, put your toys away? Is your room is neat, clean, and tidy or is your room messy. What if you were an artist? Would your art workshop or STUDIO look like your bedroom does now? Would your studio be neat or messy? While you re thinking about that I m going to show you the studio of our master artist for today. His name is Alexander Calder. Do you think Calder s studio will be neat or messy? Let s find out! Click Start Lesson To Begin 1. PHOTO OF CALDER S STUDIO Does this remind you of your room? Calder s studio always looked as though everything was piled up in a careless mess. But Sandy, as he was called, knew where each thing was, and would pick up just what he needed, even if it was buried under what looked like a mound of junk. As you can tell, he didn t like to throw away the bits of scrap left over from cutting. He said, You can always find new ways to use scrap metal, so it isn t scrap anymore. From what you see in his studio, what kind of art do you think Calder makes with all that metal? (MODELS, SCULPTURES) Yes, Calder made things with metal, wood, and wire. The art word for that kind of art is SCULPTURE. A special kind of sculpture that moves is called a MOBILE. (SHOW VOCABULARY WORD) Have you ever seen a mobile? You might have seen a MOBILE hanging over a baby s crib. Calder made very interesting and exciting mobiles. He became very famous and his art can be seen all over the world. Calder was born in the United States, so we can be proud of our American artist! Do you like to make things with your hands? So did Alexander, or Sandy, as he was called. From the time he was a small boy of 10, Sandy always had a workshop or studio. His parents wanted him to make things for himself. He and his sister, Peggy, made their own toys and games. When he was younger than you, 5 years old, Sandy made wood and wire people and animals. At 8 he was making jewelry for Peggy s dolls out of little beads and wire that a telephone repairman had left in the street. When he was a famous artist he was still making jewelry for his wife, friends, and Peggy. 1 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

3 Through the years, his workshops were all different. One was a tent; some were in basements of his homes. The one you see here was a separate building big enough for his huge sculptures. Let s take a look at one of his SCULPTURES. He began making metal sculptures as a child and continued as a skilled adult artist. Click Next To Change Slide 2. HORSE What kind of animal do you see in this Calder wire sculpture? (HORSE) Does it look like a real horse? (NO) What did he change? (HEAD IS TOO SMALL, LEGS ARE TOO THIN, AND BODY IS TOO LARGE) When an artist changes the way something really looks, we call it abstract. (SHOW VOCABULARY WORD) Calder liked to make ABSTRACT art. He could have made this horse look exactly like a real one. But he didn t want to! He wanted to show something different. He made it HIS horse by changing it. Sandy was very talented, and wanted to try other kinds of art, too. Can you guess what else he made that was his favorite type of art? Let me show you and see if you guessed right. Click Next To Change Slide 3. LOBSTER TRAP AND FISHTAIL Were you right? Do you remember what this is called? (MOBILE) Mobiles are Calder s most important works of art, and they are the American sculpture most liked by people all over the world. Calder was the first artist to try mobiles like this. Do mobiles move? (YES) That is what makes a mobile so beautiful and interesting. Let s use our great imaginations to make this mobile move. Let s blow at the mobile on the screen and let our imaginations watch it move in so many directions. Ready Blow! It moves up and down and around, doesn t it? Alexander Calder also started learning about moving things as a child. His sister Peggy remembers races of cars pulled by horned toads when she and Sandy were children. And how do you suppose he managed to get those toads to move? He dangled flies in front of them! He connected his matchbox cars to the toads with thread, and off they raced! Do you think that sounds like fun? Movement is one reason mobiles are interesting. The way they BALANCE is another reason they are fun to watch. Have you ever played on a teeter-totter? Did you quickly find out that if you were to have fun going up and down, the teeter-totter had to be balanced? What happens if your friend on the other end is bigger and heavier than you? Will it work? (NO) When an artist makes a mobile, he has to work out perfect balance, just like on the teeter-totter, or the mobile won t work either. 2 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

4 Let s listen to Calder tell us how he makes a mobile. Listen to see what he uses to BALANCE his shapes. Click Audio I start by cutting out a lot of shapes. Next I file them and smooth them off. Some are bits I just happen to find. Then I arrange them on a table with wires between the pieces for the overall pattern. Finally I cut some more on them with the shears, figuring the balance. You put a shape here and then you put another shape at the other end and then you balance them on your finger. I begin with the smallest and work up. End Of Audio Continue Reading How does he make them balance? (USES HIS FINGER) Does he start with the biggest or smallest pieces? (SMALLEST) Good listening! Look carefully at this mobile and see if you can come close to Calder s title. (HINTS IF NECESSARY: YOU WOULD FIND THEM IN THE OCEAN; IT S A RED FISH PEOPLE LIKE TO EAT IN RESTAURANTS, IT S CAUGHT IN A BASKET) Calder s title is Lobster Trap and Fishtail. Can you find the lobster s claw, the trap, and the skeleton of the fishtail now that you know the title? (YES) Does this mobile show balance? (YES) Do you think he balanced this on his finger as he told us earlier? (PERHAPS) Click Next To Change Slide 4. PHOTO OF CALDER WORKING IN STUDIO What kinds of tools do you think Calder needs to build his mobiles? (PLIERS, WIRE CUTTERS, SAWS) Calder always made his mobiles simple, with simple tools. He always carried a few small tools with him when he traveled so that he could set up a workshop anywhere. He did not like to use power tools. All his mobiles were made to be taken apart easily, flattened out they could be mailed or shipped in surprisingly small packages. His smallest mobiles were made to fit into envelopes. Wouldn t that be an interesting envelope to receive and open? We ve seen a wonderful hanging mobile. But not all mobiles hang from ceilings. Can you think of another position for a mobile? Click Next To Change Slide 5. BABY SPIDER This is a standing mobile. Can it still move? (YES) There are three kinds of mobiles: hanging, standing, and those that attach to walls. Calder designed all three kinds. The title of this standing mobile is Baby Spider. How does it remind you of a spider? (LONG LEGS, UNUSUAL ANGLES, CRAWLING) Notice the colors Calder has used. In 3 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

5 Lobster Trap and Fishtail, he used two of these colors. What were they? (BLACK, RED) And what color did he add in Baby Spider? (YELLOW) Is this abstract art? (YES) Calder used his favorite colors again and again. What were those colors? (RED, BLACK, YELLOW) Let s see which ones he used in this next work of art. Click Next To Change Slide 6. RED, BLACK AND YELLOW Is this a mobile? (NO) This is a sculpture made in Calder s colors. I want you to look at the bottom of the sculpture, the part that sits on the floor or table. Let s see if you can guess what that is called in art. I will give you a clue to help. My clue is: What do you step on in baseball as you run around the diamond? There are three of them. (BASES) That s right, and that is what the bottom part of this sculpture is called, the BASE. In your art activity you will make a base to hold your sculpture, just like Calder did here. Click Next To Change Slide CONCLUSION 7. PHOTO OF CALDER HOLDING MOBILE What kind of a man was Alexander Calder? After looking at his artwork and this photo, do you think he was a happy man who enjoyed life? (YES) You are right! He was always happy, joking, grinning and giggling. He showed us in his work that he really enjoyed putting together interesting shapes, bright colors, and lively motion. That s why we enjoy looking at his artwork! Listen to a reporter who interviewed Calder about his work. Click Audio Have you ever experienced sadness? No, I don t have the time. What do you feel art should be? Above all, I feel art should be happy. Were there other artists in your family? My mother was a painter, my father and grandfather were sculptors. Yes, I came from a talented family who encouraged me from my earliest memories to be creative. End Of Audio Continue Reading Let s remember Alexander Calder by playing a game. Do you like games? I thought so! Answer True or False to the questions about Calder. Click Next To Start Review Game 4 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

REVIEW GAME Let s remember Alexander Calder by playing a game. Do you like games? I thought so! Here is how you play. If my statement is true, you stand up and click TRUE.

6 REVIEW GAME Let s remember Alexander Calder by playing a game. Do you like games? I thought so! Here is how you play. If my statement is true, you stand up and click TRUE. If what I say is false, you sit down and click FALSE. Are you ready? Remember, True - Stand up, False Sit down. REVIEW GAME ANSWERS (For Instructors Only) 1. Calder was from the United States. TRUE - Up 2. Calder was a grumpy, unhappy man. FALSE - Down 3. He used a scale to make things balance. FALSE - Down 4. Some of his favorite colors were red and black. TRUE - Up 5. His artwork is abstract. TRUE - Up 6. He used the color green a lot in his work. FALSE - Down 7. Some of his mobiles could fold into an envelope. TRUE - Up 8. What a sculpture sits on is called a base. TRUE - Up Your excellent listening would have pleased Alexander Calder! Have fun making your very own sculptures on a base in Calder s colors! Click Next To Finish Lesson to exit this unit click Back To Units 5 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

7 Step 2 - Learning From: Alexander Calder Mobiles Several shapes hanging together can make a mobile. Shapes that are not alike, don t seem to belong together. These shapes are not alike. Shapes that are alike, do seem to belong together. These shapes are alike because they all have wavy sides. These shapes are alike because they have straight sides. With your pencil, draw three shapes that seem to belong together. 6 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

8 Abstract Shape A shape that does not look like something real is an abstract shape. You can make an abstract shape that shows a feeling. Use your crayons to draw an abstract shape in each box below. Make the shape show the meaning of the word. 7 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

9 The last few pages of this section contain the Art Activity for Alexander Calder. This stepby-step outline will be a guide for instructing your child(ren) through the activity. The parent/instructor should review all steps necessary to complete this project before beginning any work. Cut out the Artist Profile Slip below and attach it to the bottom of the completed art project. Alexander Calder (KAWL-der) - American Alexander Calder is well known for his sculptures, especially his mobiles which are sculptures that move. He called his mobiles, poetry that dance. And Calder s mobiles now dance all over the world. ART ACTIVITY EMPHASIS: Abstract shapes, balance MEDIA: Wire, construction paper, stickers Alexander Calder (KAWL-der) - American Alexander Calder is well known for his sculptures, especially his mobiles which are sculptures that move. He called his mobiles, poetry that dance. And Calder s mobiles now dance all over the world. ART ACTIVITY EMPHASIS: Abstract shapes, balance MEDIA: Wire, construction paper, stickers 8 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

10 Step 3 - Working With: Art Activity Instructions ARTIST Alexander Calder (KAWL-DER) American ART ELEMENT Space MEDIA Wire, construction paper, stickers EMPHASIS Abstract shapes, balance TECHNIQUE Wire and paper stabile VOCABULARY Mobile, stabile, balance, abstract VISUALS Print: Cow SUGGESTED MUSIC (On CD-Rom) Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring MATERIALS FOR INSTRUCTOR AND CHILDREN Two 6 x 12 pieces of black construction paper One 6 x 6 piece of yellow construction paper One 6 x 6 piece of red construction paper Three 1 or 1. white self-sticking round labels Two 9 long pieces of stiff wire (22 gauge) *Note: There is no artist profile slip for this project. Extra pieces of 9 wires Black electrical tape (one 2 piece per child) Large pipe cleaner (for instructor demonstration) Masking tape (for instructor only) Scissors Glue PREPARATION Construct an example of the stabile to become familiar with the project. Use colored pipe cleaners for wire demonstration for better visibility by the children (Groups Only). SET-UP [ 5 minutes ] Distribute the following materials to the students: SUPPLIES: Wire (explain safety), stickers, electrical tape PAPER: Black, red, and yellow construction paper ORIENTATION [ 5 minutes ] Do you remember the name of our artist who made very interesting mobiles? (CALDER) Mobiles hang freely and move in the air. If it does not move it is called a STABILE. You as 9 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

11 artists today will have fun making a stabile using shapes and colors that Alexander Calder might have used. So let s get ready! DEMONSTRATION AND ACTIVITY (Have children watch each step then follow immediately with their materials.) ORGANIZE YOUR WORK AREA [ 2 minutes ] 1. Place your wires (stress safety) and stickers at the top of your work area. 2. Put your yellow and red paper in a corner out of the way. 3. Place your black construction papers horizontally (demonstrate) on your work area. BASE [ 15 minutes ] Every stabile needs something to sit on - called a BASE. Watch how to make one: 1. Fold one piece of black construction paper in half by matching the two short sides, then pressing down on the paper to crease it. When you finish the fold, hold it up like this, so I know you are ready for the next step. 2. Fold it again from corner to corner. What shape do you have? (TRIANGLE) Press hard on the paper to crease it. 3. Lay it on your desk and open the folds. Find the two outside triangles (demonstrate) and put a dotted line of glue along the outside edges. Then fold them back down again (demonstrate). What shape do you have? (A LARGER TRIANGLE) 4. Fold this larger triangle in half (along the center fold line). Set this triangle upright on your desk (demonstrate). Place the remaining sheet of black paper in the center of your work area. (Repeat steps with the children.) 5. Now you have two triangles standing upright on your desk with two legs each. Place them side-by-side to look the same. Hold two of the four legs together. This forms a three-legged base for your sculpture. Now glue these two legs together by putting a line of glue along the three edges of one triangle and pressing the two together straight and even. 10 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

12 SHAPES [ 5 to 10 minutes ] Let s cut two abstract shapes like you drew in your Learning Packet. 1. Fold the yellow or red paper diagonally and cut an abstract shape with your scissors through both sides. Make the shape fill the paper (it must be larger than a sticker). Try to keep the cuts long and simple like Calder s. 2. Fold the other color and cut a different shape. If the first shape is soft-sided, the second shape should also have soft lines. If the first shape has sharp corners, the second should too. ATTACHING THE WIRES [ 3 to 5 minutes ] 1. Carefully pick up one of the wires and rest it on your desk so that one end is hanging over the edge of your work area. Make it hang over about one finger s width. (Demonstrate with the colored pipe cleaner.) 2. Hold the wire down with one hand. Press down on the part of the wire that is hanging over the edge so that it bends. Lift the wire up so you can see the bend you made. Bend it a little more to make a hook. 3. Place one of your shapes in front of you on your work area. Rest the hook on top of the shape. Move the hook until it is in the middle of your shape. Lift a sticker off the paper and put it right on top of the hook. Press the sticker down. You have to press and rub hard to make sure it will stick. Rub and press and count to five to make sure it will hold! 11 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

13 4. After the sticker is secure, run a line of small glue dots around the edge of this shape (on the sticker side). Have the children find the matching shape and glue together. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 with the other color (2 matching shapes). ARRANGING THE PARTS [ 5 minutes ] Now it s time to put the stabile together: 1. Lay your base on its side. Find the seam of the base and avoid attaching the wires there. 2. Hold your two wire pieces together so they are even at the bottom. 3. Lay the wires right in the centerfold. The wires should extend at least three fingers down into the base from the top. (Demonstrate.) 4. Put the black tape over the two wires in the fold near the top of the base. Rub and press and count to five to make sure the tape will hold. The wires and the fold should be in the middle of the tape. 5. Write your name on the third label and then stick it to a corner. 6. Stand the stabile up and bend each wire once. CONCLUSION I think Alexander Calder would be so very happy to see your beautifully balanced works of art. And to think you created them exactly the same way Sandy did. Let s review how you did that. What is the black stand called? (BASE) What did you cut out? (ABSTRACT SHAPES) Great! And for your final question: What is the name of this kind of art? (STABILE) Excellent! GUIDANCE Glue sticks work very well for gluing the base in this project. It is quicker and easier for the children. Also, stress safety of wire handling before the children begin the work. THIS CONCLUDES THE ALEXANDER CALDER UNIT. 12 ALEXANDER CALDER Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

Step 1 - Introducing the Edward Hopper Slideshow Guide

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