Sculptural Space/s

In this activity, you will:

• discuss and analyze the sculptural and architectural elements of a 20th-century site-specific sculpture
• choose a space that will serve as a setting for a sculpture you design
• draw a plan for a large-scale, site-specific sculpture
• write a persuasive speech to convince decision-makers to build your sculpture

• Multiple Parts

• Camera
• Pencils
• Paper

In this project, you’re going to do exactly what real public artists do: pick a location that matters, design a sculpture that belongs there, figure out how to make it work in the real world, and then persuade a decision-making panel about why it should be built.

Learn About That Profile

Look closely at the picture of That Profile by Martin Puryear. Then read Explore That Profile to gather background information.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• Where is That Profile? What is it near?
• Is this sculpture representational—having some ties to reality—or is it abstract?
• Would it mean the same thing if it were somewhere else?
• Can you think of something in your own neighborhood or town—a mural, a monument, a fountain—that feels like it belongs exactly where it is? What makes it work?

Choose a Site for Your Design

Brainstorm three spots in your community that could be a place for a site-specific sculpture. It could be somewhere on your school grounds, in a park, or an outdoor public space. If you’re able to, it would be helpful to either visit these places or find photographs of them to help you think about what they’re like.

Write notes with your responses to the following questions for each location on your list.

• What can you see from this location? Where would a person’s eyes go first as they approach it?
• Who actually uses this space, and how? Is it busy with people, or quiet and tucked away?
• What’s the ground like? Is it concrete, grass, gravel? How might that affect what could go here?
• What’s the mood of this space? Active, peaceful, forgotten, welcoming?
• Sketch a rough bird’s-eye view. Where are the paths, trees, roads and buildings?

After brainstorming about each of your possible sites, ask yourself if any of the sites feels more ready for a sculpture than the others. Choose the one site you want to work with. Before you start designing, write down your answer to the following question:

• What does your chosen site offer a sculpture?

Plan and Design Your Sculpture

There are many questions to think about as you develop your ideas for a site-specific sculpture. Start by making some notes and quick sketches to capture your ideas in response to each of these questions.

• What is your sculpture about?
• What idea, feeling, or story does it carry?
• How does it connect to the specific location you selected?
• What shape is it? Is it abstract, representational, geometric? Why did you choose that form for this idea?
• How big is it?
• How do people interact with it? Can they walk around it? Sit near it? Look up at it? Look through it?
• What is it made of—metal, stone, wood, ceramic, recycled materials, something else? Why does that material work for this concept and this site?
• Where exactly does it sit in the space?
• Does it change with light, weather, or seasons?

After you’ve brainstormed and answered these questions, draw designs for your sculpture. You will need at least two sketches that show your sculpture design idea: a front view of your sculpture and a bird’s-eye plan showing where it sits on your site. Add a human figure into your front view drawing so the size of your sculpture is clear.

Get Feedback on Your Design

Share your concept and site sketches with someone else. Ask them the following questions:

• What feels right about this design for the site?
• What questions do you have?

Make a Case to Build Your Sculpture

Site-specific art can be costly to build. Additionally, if it sits on a public site, the community may control the grounds and budget for that site. In order to have your sculpture built, you’ll need to convince the local community members that it’s a good idea. They want to support student art—but they have concerns about cost, safety, maintenance, and whether the whole community will get behind it. It’s your job to convince them!

Write a 3 to 4 minute speech (400-600 words) to persuade your community to approve building your sculpture. Include the following information:

• What’s your idea?
• Who is it for?
• Why is it perfect for the site you’ve selected?
• Think about issues such as maintenance, safety, etc. Address those concerns in your speech.

If you only talk about how great your sculpture idea is, without also addressing any potential concerns or questions, your speech won’t be persuasive. A speech that names any potential concerns and answers them directly will be much more convincing. (For example: “This metal sculpture will have sharp edges, so we will install a low fence around it for safety.”)

Art that uses shapes, colors, and lines instead of showing real things exactly as they look.

Artwork that clearly shows things, people, or scenes from the real world.

Artwork created to exist in a specific location.