Main Objective Students will construct a geometric sculpture inspired by the work of Sol LeWitt.

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1 Focus on Shape and Form Geometric Structures Art-making Lesson High School Introduction The collection of the Museum is displayed thematically within six Overview Galleries located throughout the two floors of the building. Collectively titled AMERICANA, these six galleries present artwork produced by artists working in North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. A section of the exhibition presents contemporary artists primarily exploring the grid as a structuring element, and shape and form as they relate to mathematics and architecture. The art-making lesson plan presented here invites students to explore these themes. Go to pamm.org/learn for more classroom resources, including slide presentations, images and art-making lesson plans. Please send feedback to educator@pamm.org and tell us how this lesson worked in your classroom. Main Objective Students will construct a geometric sculpture inspired by the work of Sol LeWitt. Materials Colored card-stock paper, cut into a square (8 x 8 ) Pencils Rulers Scissors Scotch tape Vocabulary Three-dimensional objects Three-dimension is having the appearance of height, width, and depth. Two-dimensional objects Two-dimensional is a shape that only has two dimensions (such as width and height) and no thickness. Squares, Circles, Triangles, etc are two dimensional objects.

2 About the Artwork Sol LeWitt Untitled, (Cube), x 10 inches Lower grid element 81 x81 x 28 inches This work from 1966 is an early example of Sol Lewitt s use of the grid and the cube, both rational and linear elements that became central to his investigations. These three-dimensional works, which he called structures instead of sculptures, follow pre-determined, mathematical systems and were often produced by manufacturers following diagrams and instructions given by the artist. Here, a single white cube is placed at the center of a delicate, floor-based grid that is made up of squares each equal in surface area to that of the cube. This organization implies a set of relationships between these constructions, of potential movement and future placement; a game of hypothetical sequences that are played out in the mind of the viewer. Preparatory Work Make a copy of the accompanying instruction sheet for this lesson for every student in your class (available on PAMM website). Discussion & Art-making Steps Introduce the work of Sol LeWitt: Let s start to look at this work by identifying the grid. How is the artist the standard grid system in this artwork? Now let s identify the 2-Dimensional elements versus the 3-Dimensional elements. What shapes and forms repeat in this work? How are the forms in this work similar to each other? How are they different? Imagine you were in the room when the artist created this work, Describe step-by-step how the artist made this piece. Think about order of operation: What section did he work on first? What next? Now that you have a sequence in your mind, imagine the artist came back to add another element to the piece. What would he add? Why?

3 Give every student a sheet of cardstock, a ruler, a pencil and scissors. Ask students to measure and cut out a 9 x 9 square card stock paper. Students will then label the corners A, B, C, D, start from the top right and going clockwise. Ask students to draw two diagonal lines connecting opposite corners of the square using a ruler.

4 Next, draw a 3 x 3 grid over the diagonal lines. Remind students to use their rulers and take time to measure even squares. Starting with corner A and going clockwise, label each line 1-8. Draw lines to connect points 2 with 3; 4 with 5; 6 with 7; and 8 with 1. Next, draw lines which connect points 2 with 7; 3 with 6; 1 with 4; and 5 with 8. Ask students to score all the lines by opening their scissors and pressing the sharp edge into the cardstock firmly. Demonstrate yourself and present this video on how to score: should be careful not to cut through the sheet of paper. Bend and fold all scored lines in both directions to make them more flexible.

5 Ask students to tape point B with 8, 3 with 7, D with 4, and C with 6 to create a form. Finished geometric shapes can transform into different forms by pushing and bending individual triangles. Divide students into groups of 4-5 students. Ask them to connect their geometric forms in a unique arrangement. Gather and discuss: Does this feel like a work of art? If yes, why? If no, why not? What would make this more like an art? Have you ever made something like this before for which you had to follow a set of instructions? How is this process different from other ways that you have made art? Did you find the process challenging? What part of it was difficult or easy? Compare everyone s sculpture or structure. Do any two look identical? Everyone started with the same materials. Why and how are they different? If you made another, would you make it the same, or try something different? How many different sculptures do you think are possible from the same grid? Assessment Ask each student to write a set of instructions for a drawing that fits on a single sheet of paper. Ask them to write step-by-step how to create the drawing and be specific with their instructions. Once they have finished the instructions, they will have to give it to a

6 classmate. The classmate will create the drawing based on the set of instructions. For a closing discussion, discuss the process of creating a drawing in this manner and share the drawings as a class.