Sculpting people out of recyclables
Using a variety of materials, some recycled, Port St. Joe Elementary’s third, fourth and fifth graders recently teamed up on a creative journey where they created cone sculptures of people
Under the direction of art teacher Kelly Deal, the assignment, inspired by a holiday craft at The Joe Center for the Arts, drew on many recyclable items, such as wire hangers, paper towel tubes, and styrofoam trays that had been collected by the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program.
Deal said the project began with each student drawing a picture of a person and deciding how they wanted their figure to look by planning the pose and size of their sculpture before they started building it.
The base of each sculpture was a cone made from poster board, which became the body. For the arms, the students used bent coat hangers to create different poses. They used Styrofoam heads for faces, and toilet paper tubes, paper towels, pipe cleaners, and leftover cardboard helped to create other parts of the body.
Deal said the project helped students to learn about three-dimensional design, as they discovered how to make their sculptures balanced and lifelike. They practiced making their sculptures look like they were in action, instead of just standing still.
After building their figures, the students added fun patterns to their sculptures by using paint pens called Posca markers to draw on them colorful designs. The students also learned about Zentangles, a fun way to draw repeating patterns, which made each sculpture unique.
Deal said each student titled their sculpture, like naming a character in a story, which helped show what the sculpture was about or what story it was telling. The students also signed their sculptures with a special artist mark.
To complete the sculptures, students sprayed them with bright spray paint which brought the designs to life by making the colors stand out and showing off the unique ideas of the artist .
Deal said this project wouldn’t have been possible without community help, as local businesses donated spray paint and other supplies. The Posca markers were funded by monies raised from last year’s art show.
“This project wasn’t just about making art; it was about learning new skills and expressing ideas. The students worked hard, used their imaginations, and had a lot of fun,” said Deal.
The cone sculptures were on display in the library at Port St. Joe Elementary through March 14.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.