Alexander Calder Paper sculptures

Fifth graders learned about the life and art of Alexander Calder, a prominent US artist. Calder was born in 1898 into a family of artists.  He set up his own studio by the time he was 8, and loved to make animals made from metal that moved.  He went to school to be a mechanical engineer, but got swept up in the abstract art movement, inventing the widely-known and used mobile. He described the mobile as a form of art that took up space and moved without using gasoline or electricity.

After discussing what makes sculpture and 2-d art different, students tried to make their sculptures as interesting as they could from all angles. They explored new folding, twisting, and attachment techniques in the process.