Summer SAVY 2018: Session 1, Day 3 – Mighty Metamorphosis (Rising 3rd and 4th)
For today’s opener, the students had to choose where they’d rather attend school: a traditional red brick building or a red brick building with a massive cartoon crocodile mural on the front. Answers varied, but many noted that the crocodile building did seem more exciting or interesting. We used this discussion to kick off further exploration of how adding something – in this case, art – transforms what surrounds it. We tied this concept back to our blackout poems to solidify the idea that whether adding or subtracting, creative transformation can happen.
Our primary focus throughout the day was sculpture, specifically the famous New York works Charging Bull and Fearless Girl, but also the Vanderbilt campus sculpture, Come Play. We worked not only to analyze what these sculptures might mean and the techniques used by the artists, but also the effects of their placement. How did Charging Bull impact the people of New York? Visitors to New York? Other artists? And then again, how did the addition of Fearless Girl change the way people saw the bull? The girl herself? Why is Come Play placed outside of Vanderbilt’s Hobbs building?
(Here’s a great link that includes a live webcam of Charging Bull. Take a look for yourself to see how his presence is transforming the space and jump into our conversation: http://chargingbull.com/video.html )
(Here’s a link that provides an overview of the Come Play sculpture at Vanderbilt: http://cpc-fis.vanderbilt.edu/view.php?label=3 How would you transform or respond to the piece? )
With these ideas in mind, we set about developing our own plans for transforming the Vanderbilt campus with sculptures of our creation. The students had to choose whether to create an original work to fill one of the blank spaces on the Peabody campus OR add to Come Play in the way of Fearless Girl responding to Charging Bull. Students identified an idea that they wished to communicate – respect nature, work hard to complete your goals, read to grow, etc. — and worked to include specific details in their sculpture models to send that message. Their ultimate goal is to create a proposal for their sculpture’s addition to the campus. They’ll need to work on their persuasive skills (tomorrow’s transformation…) to achieve that goal. We’ll be finishing that component out with presentations tomorrow.
Onward!
-Mr. Finn
Sculpture Proposals
