REMEMBERING LIKE JUDY: STUDYING THE WORK OF JUDY ONOFRIO
USING OUR OWN MEMORYWARE
Created by Therese Cacek, Holdingford, MN
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Learn to use plastercraft medium and build trust by casting a partner's face. Face casting sets the stage and allows student to personalize their assemblage.
Work in a cooperative group to brainstorm an imaginative short narrative based on 1–3 items provided by the teacher, then present to class.
Learn about Minnesota Artist Judy Onofrio's work through visuals and discussion. Describe, interpret and analyze.
Identify the ART ELEMENTS and/or ART PRINCIPLES and be able to apply them to their assemblage art work.
Demonstrate appropriate skills and use of tools & materials to create an assemblage artwork.
Include a message about self through the narrative about their finished art work.
Respond and reflect to feedback about their project.
Quality participation and effort.
MINNESOTA GRADUATION STANDARDS –VISUAL ARTS
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Use appropriate tools and processes.
- Use the elements and principles to effectively communicate ideas.
- Associate artwork with various cultures or historical periods.
- Describe selected works of art in terms of the elements and principles of visual art.
Task Descriptions
Students will use plaster casting techniques to cast partners' faces.
Students will work cooperatively in groups to create an imaginative narrative using provided unique items as a springboard for their imagination, then present to the class.
Students will describe, interpret and analyze Judy Onofrio's work along with the work of other artists. Teacher will use the Terry Barrett approach to guide student participation
Students will begin their own personal brainstorming through journaling, sketching and collecting of "memoryware". With assistance from teacher, students will proceed to more detailed planning sketches.
Students will construct a base/pedestal to build their assemblage on using cardboard and/or styrofoam insulation board.
Students will carve imagery from styrofoam and assemble memoryware items & carvings onto base and/or pedestal then proceed to "gem up" or mosaic fill items.
Students will write a short narrative about their work and participate in guided arts critique sharing the strength of each art work and an idea to help improve. Students will be asked to reflect on the response from others.
Resources
Books
Terry Barrett, (1997). Talking about Student Art. Art Education in Practice Series. Davis Publications.
Internet resources
Judy Onofrio's Site: www.judyonofrio.com
Includes images of Judyland, links to on-line publications, lists her current shows and galleries
American Visionary Art Museum: www.avam.org
Interesting exhibitions of outsider or visionary art.
Downloadable curriculum
The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota: www.weisman.umn.edu
Current exhibitions, tours and programs
Simon Rodia's Watts Towers: www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/watts/tower.html
Includes images and curriculum ideas
Dickeyville Grotto: www.pbs.org/riverofsong/music/e1-faith.html
The Grotto was profiled in the PBS series River of Song. Good visuals and music connections
ArtsNet Minnesota: www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/theme.html
This site is the originator for this project on Outsider Art.
Resources for this project and other art curriculum projects are located on this site.
Materials
Internet connections in lab
Prepared worksheet for online project
An assortment of memoryware and mosaic materials
Cardboard
Large paper cutter for cutting cardboard squares, rectangles, triangles, etc.
COOL Glue guns
Tile Adhesive
Styrofoam of various thickness
Styrofoam saws & carving files (wood & plaster files)
Sand paper of varying grits
Primer latex & acrylic or latex paints
Grout (mixture of mod podge and silica sand colored with liquid tempera)
Gloves
Sponges
Safety Goggles to protect eyes when breaking mirrors & plates etc.
Prepared checklist
Procedure
Task One:
Give students a brief overview of the project explaining to them that there will be several steps before it is finished. Ask them to be flexible, creative and have fun—important parts of the process.
Share video taped shorts of Judy Onofrio's sculptures at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center.
Demonstrate face casting techniques, discuss need to be caring and trusting. Students are to partner up at their tables and be courteous and polite to everyone - no one is left out, if there is an odd number have students in a group of three and be sure to help them. Provide list of steps for face casting instructions for students to follow after the demonstration. Click here for a printable handout.
Task Two:
Provide each student group with an unusual item that could provide a springboard for a narrative. Items can be small plastic toy characters, puppets, odds & ends from garage sales. Provide simple worksheet to guide cooperative grouping activity. Discuss expectation that student narrative and assemblage/sculpture will relate to each other. Narrative should be shared with the class.
Task Three:
Introduce Judy Onofrio's work to class in computer lab. Visit the Judy Onofrio Site at www.judyonofrio.com.
Click here for a printable internet research worksheet.
Use guided discussion with the Terry Barrett approach. Using Barrett's techniques the teacher guides and encourages discussion while the students respond. Students are asked which work they would like to discuss and then questions are directed to the students who continue discussion mainly centered around the meaning or message within the art work. "Why do you think the artist makes you feel that way?" "How is she doing that?"
Visit internet site: www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/inner/onof.html, view Big Catch and provide a study worksheet.
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Students will work on a rough draft of their narrative and sketches of their ideas. Drawings and narrative need to be shared with instructor before proceeding to materials.
Introduce materials for production of work, primarily cardboard & construction styrofoam .
Students will need to start with a pedestal base. Cardboard pedestals built from simple rectangles, squares, triangles, etc. Assist students with cutting cardboard on large hand cutter, instruct on safety and allow students to cut their own as far as you are comfortable with their ability.
Be flexible if students come with alternative ideas for pedestal bases such as old mirrors or clocks. Use glue guns to secure pedestal, encourage columns (paper tubes), arches, porches.
Use sketch ideas as a base to assist students in construction ideas.
How will these forms fit with the assemblage items that they have gathered? How will these items relate to each other as they are secured to the pedestal base? Consider art principles of BALANCE, UNITY, RHYTHM.
How does Judy use these principles in her assemblages? Do you think that these are important in the success of her sculptures?
Sketch onto the styrofoam and cut out blocks, have students begin carving. Assist students in securing the amount of styrofoam needed (or it all may disappear very quickly). Foam carves easily yet provides strength, broken pieces can be easily glued with glue gun & toothpick guide pins.
Carve and use sandpaper to get a smooth styrofoam finish. Prime surface of styrofoam with latex primer & paint with acrylic or latex. Secure carvings and larger memoryware assemblage items to pedestal base with tile adhesive.
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Begin to "gem it up" (Judy term) or apply mosaic patterning.
Apply finishing grout. Encourage students to "pat" in the grout mixture and clean before the mixture begins to dry.
Task Five:
Provide checklist for project. Students should complete checklist. Write an artist's statement / narrative to accompany their finished sculpture. Students participate in guided "arts critique" sharing the strength of each art work and an idea to help improve.