PAPER-MACHE TAXIDERMY
Origins of paper-mache
Tutorial - One way to make a unicorn
Creative & Unconventional Approaches to Taxidermy
Paper-mache Recipes
BIG IDEA:
Students will create a 3-D animal or mask totem, paying close attention to details such as; color, shape, size, texture and facial features.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
KEY KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING:
STUDENTS WILL:
DESIGN PROCESS:
- Gather picture references of your animal selection and a description: symbolism, where it lives, habitat, etc.
VOCABULARY:
MAGNET THEME CONNECTIONS:
Students will create a 3-D animal or mask totem, paying close attention to details such as; color, shape, size, texture and facial features.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
- How might sustainable living and creating an eco-friendly animal sculpture relate to human nature and natural history?
- How might taxidermy be an effective art form and learning medium?
- If you could create a new species of animal what would it be and why?
KEY KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING:
- Investigate processes and beliefs used by various cultures and artists, past and present, to create works of art.
- Produce/explore works of art based on their environment and personal experiences - Use symbolism to portray "self."
- Recognize how technical elements affect works of art - demonstrated skill and craftsmanship in applying layers of paper-maché and painting.
- Be introduced to the ideas of sustainable living and re purposing materials. Why might this subject be relevant in today's society?
STUDENTS WILL:
- Design and execute a paper maché head/mask using recycled materials - build an armature
- Students will create a sculpture at least 6 inches tall that is structurally sound and can hang from a wall or stand.
- Students will create a representational sculpture. (fantasy or real animal)
- Students will use actual texture on the surface of the sculpture.
DESIGN PROCESS:
- Select an animal of your choice.
- Gather your information.
- Gather picture references of your animal selection and a description: symbolism, where it lives, habitat, etc.
- Begin building your armature using re-purposed materials (be sure to use your references for recognizing spatial relationships) Begin to think about your final outcome, how might you select your texture? Paint, fabric, tissue, etc.
- Follow the directions for paper-mache applications.
- Prepare your sculpture for final details and process.
- Reflection and rubric.
VOCABULARY:
- Shape - a two-dimensional area or plane (free-form, geometric or natural)
- Form - a three-dimensional volume or the illusion of three dimensions
- Texture - the surface quality of materials, either actual (tactile) or implied (visual)
- Natural History - The study and description of living things and natural objects, especially the origins, evolution and relationships to one another. Natural history includes the sciences of zoology. mineralogy, geology, and paleontology.
- Taxidermy - The art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals so that they appear lifelike.
MAGNET THEME CONNECTIONS:
- Lisa Black is a Sculptor, Jeweler and Artist based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her love of animals and their form, combined with a preoccupation with an imminent future where technology and biology are intimately combined, led her to create her ongoing series of modified animals. Her work showcases animals with carefully integrated mechanical additions and reflects our technological progression and its potential impact on the natural world and natural history.
- Jessica Joslin is a California artist, with a background in biology and anatomy. She utilizes the skeletal remains of animals and mechanical parts to create unconventional sculpture. Of her work she states, “There is a lot of engineering and finesse that goes into making them seem natural and effortless, as if they were meant to be”. Consumers are looking for products that feature an unconventional style. Items that are fantastical appeal to shoppers who want to experience something new in their lives.
- The development of the biotechnology and engineering industry took off in 1976 when Genentech Inc. became the first corporation formed to develop technology that employed the introduction of genetic material from one species into another. In 1980 scientists at Ohio University in Athens transferred human growth genes into mice to create the first transgenic animals. A transgenic animal is one that carries a foreign gene that has been deliberately inserted into its genome. The foreign gene is constructed using recombinant DNA methodology.
- Museum of Natural History, Harvard, Boston Massachusetts (Mrs. G.s favorite museum)
- Images from the Museum of Natural History
- Yet another mad scientist of a taxidermist - Andrew Lancaster
- Artist faces jail time due to illegally importing and manipulating endangered species in his taxidermy - How NOT to make art.