Mini Monets

For our final clay sculpture of the year, we returned to Model Magic for our Boogie Monsters. I told the sculptors that we were going to make Monsters that could Boogie! I read the book Boogie Monster by Josie Bissett about a Monster from Planet Boogie who comes to learn about all the ways we can dance on Earth. While I was reading, the sculptors were busy kneading and preparing the clay. Once I finished reading, we began making our Monsters. We made two since they would have to be small for the pipe cleaner legs to be able to hold up the clay. We also had to make them in pieces so the clay could harden to make the legs attach to the body better. I love Model Magic but sometimes it’s a bit too stretchy! Once we made large feet for balance, the sculptors created whatever body shape they wanted. To make the legs and arms, we used pipe cleaners. They have a stronger gauge then the Twisteeze we used for the Calder mobiles and could hold up the bodies. I gave a few demonstrations on ways to bend the pipe cleaners and encouraged them to make coils/springs for the legs.

Since these Boogie Monsters were small, we used fine tip markers to color them during the second class. It was during this class that I began to read the book, The Goat in the Rug by Charles Block and Martin Link. It’s a long book that explains the process of weaving a Navajo rug as told by the Goat, Geraldine, of a Navajo weaver named Glenmae. During the next class, we will use ribbon to practice the art of weaving.