4th Grade Environmental Sculpture Exploration

In fourth grade art, we are continuing to explore the relationship between art and nature and have begun a focus on three-dimensional art in a unit on sculpture. The fourth grade artists learned about the Scottish environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy who works exclusively with natural materials. We discussed the difference between art that is permanent and displayed in a gallery and art this temporary and displayed outside.

 The fourth graders then had the opportunity to create their own temporal sculptures using natural materials. After splitting into groups, they had only ten minutes at each station to create their artwork. After it was photographed, they dismantled it and moved on. They enjoyed working spontaneously and doing some creative problem-solving as they adapted to using new materials!

The following week we took a walk across the street to the wonderful outdoor sculpture garden at Abington Art Center. The fourth grade artists had insightful conversations about a variety of artworks and took some time to create observational drawings of the works that they saw. Some fourth graders were familiar with the Art Center, while others were delighted to discover this new art oasis just across the street! We will be continuing to work with sculpture and make more connections to the environment and sculpture during our ongoing visits to Meadowbrook Farm.