Artist Study with Kids: Alexander Calder

We had an artists week in art camp last summer (yes, it’s taken me this long to post everything). I’ve already shared with you our Henri Matisse “painting with scissors” collage project, and our Siona Delaunay paintings. Today I am presenting you with our Alexander Calder face sculptures. Ta-dah! Aren’t they so fantastic?

Alexander Calder was an American artist of the 20th century who was know for his playfulness with his art. From his iconic hanging mobiles to his drawings, jewelry, imaginative toys, and circus rendering (my fave!) Calder always put a smile on people’s faces.

I was hoping the kids would be excited about working with wire because it was such a new material. And I was right! They really worked hard and almost got blisters from all of that bending! But it was thrilling, too.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

Supplies:

~ wire (18 gauge craft wire)

~ wire coat hanger (bent into a circle)

~ scissors

~ colored tapes

Process:

Step 1: I started by sharing the images and words I had put up on the wall. We also looked through this cool pop-up book that gave them a really good sense of Calder’s playfulness, sense of humor and style.

Step 2: Next I gave them each a few 2-foot pieces of wire (they cut it with scissors). I explained that we couldn’t just make two eyes, a nose and mouth. They would not just float in the air. We had to connect them to the sides. They totally got this, even though it was hard. (And it didn’t help that I bought the wrong wire which was a bit thicker and harder to manipulate). The kids were ages 9, 7, 6 and 5. All but the 5-yr old did it completely on their own. The 5-yr old needed some help with bending it around the sides of the coat hanger.

Step 3: When their faces were done, I brought out some colored wire for hair and some colored tapes.

Voila! I wish I could have kept them. They were so inspiring to me. Kids are just so free and nonjudgmental in their expressions and interpretations. I want to be a kid again sometimes just so that I can work without hesitation.

Oh, and I did a pre-k version for the 4-yr olds. They used pipe cleaners and tape!

Let me know what you think, and maybe even you and your kids could try this! There are so few supplies so it’s actually quite fun and easy (the bending of the coat hanger is the hardest part, but not really that hard at all).

Thanks for reading!

xo, Bar

{Update: I recently found this image on Pinterest. They combined plastic cording with the wire. Stunning!}