Adolescents

The downloadable guides listed below are intended to be used by adolescents. By studying individual works of art, they explore themes such as contrast, myths, repetition, iconic forms, and figurative abstraction.

Koren Der Harootian Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Depicting myths and stories
Activity: Create a drawing or painting that depicts a myth or story
Materials: A sheet of paper and graphite pencil for drawing materials. For painting materials: a brush; acrylic, oil, or tempera paints; and paper, canvas, cardboard, or fiberboard
Vocabulary: Abstract, direct carve, figurative, metaphor, mythology

Mark di Suvero Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Balance and lift
Activity: Creating a sculpture with balance and lift
Materials: Acrylic paint (optional), sticks, wooden beams, or metal rods (such as discarded curtain rods or rebar)
Vocabulary: Balance, crane, lift

Walter Dusenbery Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Contrasting textures
Activity: Create assembled pieces from found texture samples
Materials: Different texture samples; for example, sandpaper, soda cans, leaves, cotton balls, stones, clay, etc., and adhesive
Vocabulary: Contrast, interstice, texture, travertine

Bryan Hunt Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Transforming everyday objects
Activity: Create a clay sculpture that depicts an everyday object
Materials: An object of student’s choice, modeling clay
Vocabulary: Aviation, conceptually based, consciousness, dynamic energy, topography

Frederick Kiesler Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Iconic forms
Activity: Using an iconic form to create both a geometric and an organic drawing
Materials: Two pieces of paper and a pencil
Vocabulary: Commemorate, geometric forms, iconic, microscopic organisms, organic forms, surrealist

Donald Lipski Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Repetition and juxtaposition
Activity: Creating a sculpture using repetition
Materials: A large number of small objects, such as bottle caps or push pins
Vocabulary: Conceptual artist, elaborate, found objects, irony, juxtaposition, pun

Seymour Lipton Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Abstract expression of feelings
Activity: Create a painting, drawing, or sculpture of a feeling
Materials: Choose your own materials
Vocabulary: Abstract, abstract expressionism, brazing, direct carving, Monel metal

Bernard Meadows Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Figurative abstraction
Activity: Create a figurative abstract sculpture
Materials: Small boxes/milk or juice cartons, glue, or string
Vocabulary: Biomorphic, direct carving, figurative, imperial rule

Eduardo Paolozzi Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Making a collage by juxtaposing elements
Activity: Create a collage robot
Materials: Magazines, catalogs, etc., along with paper, glue, and scissors
Vocabulary: Casting, collage, juxtaposition, semiabstract

Joel Perlman Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Manipulation of positive and negative space
Activity: Create a shape sculpture
Materials: Cardboard or foam core, glue, scissors
Vocabulary: Abstract, aesthetics, geometric, pictorial

Ursula von Rydingsvard Guide for Adolescents
Subject: Repetition of forms
Activity: Make a sculpture from small wood pieces
Materials: Small, similarly sized pieces of wood and glue
Vocabulary: Expressive, graphite, organic, postminimalist