Overview: This is a project that I did with my High Schoolers during Student Teaching. The students got really inspired and took the project farther than I had hoped. Many chose to make sitting sculptures. Remind you students, however, that you cannot plan how the Shrinky Dink will curl, so there has to be a bit of flexibility in their plan. This was a difficult project for my "perfectionist" students.
Vocabulary:
Procedure:
Assessment:
Extensions:
Resources:
- Macchia: in Latin, it means "stain," or "spot," but since the Renaissance, it is the process of loosely applying the first layer of color to a painting or drawing. Later it came to represent an artist's idea before they create it. For more information, visit Chihuly's page about macchia.
- Contrast: the difference between two unlike things, like colors on the opposite side of the color wheel
- Form: form has depth, length, width, and resides and space. It is perceived as three-dimensional
- Students will neatly create two macchia of opposite, contrasting colors.
- Students will accurately identify several of Dale Chihuly's glassworks.
- Students will thoughtfully arrange their own macchia forest.
Procedure:
- Talk to students about Dale Chihuly and his glass works. To give them a well-rounded view of his work, show them his chandeliers, towers, persians, walla wallas, ikebana, reeds, boats, floats, and macchia.
- Talk about what a macchia looks like and what the word means. Ask students to say what they think they look like.
- Introduce the project by telling your students about Chihuly's Macchia Forests
- Show pre-made example
- Distribte three sheets of Shrinky Dink paper and permanent markers to each student
- Two sheets are for the base. Students must create two large organic forms with bring, consistent color. It cannot be patchy.
- The other sheet must be sectioned off into long strips. Students will color each strip with clean, consistent color.
- Cut out each strip and the two large shapes. Keep them together and hand them in to the teacher.
- Read the directions for the Shrinky Dink and heat each piece in the oven on Parchment Paper on cookie sheets. Bake only a few minutes.
- Leave the oven light on, so you can see the pieces
- Redistribute student work and hand out hot glue guns.
- Students will arrange their pieces using the two large pieces as the base.
Assessment:
- Students neatly created macchia pieces of opposite, contrasting colors.
- Students accurately identifyed several of Dale Chihuly's glassworks.
- Students actively participated in arranging their own macchia forest.
Extensions:
- Students could work together in small groups to create a larger macchia forest improve group skills.
- If there is a Dale Chihuly sculpture in your area, it would be very beneficial to see it in person.
Resources:
- http://hollysartcorner.blogspot.com/2011/07/2011-project-6-chihuly-inspired.html