Clarke Central High School junior Allison Kurtz holds a sculpture of a jellyfish in an art classroom on Jan. 17. Kurtz completed the project in her Sculpture I class. “We got to do a partner project, and we made jellyfish that light up. So those were kind of cool, and it was fun because we got to make any kind of sculpture we wanted. Other people made completely different things,” Kurtz said. Photo by Elena Gilbertson Hall
A Sculpture III class may be added to the Clarke Central High School program of studies for the 2020-21 school year.
The Clarke Central High School fine arts department is considering the addition of a Sculpture III class for the 2020-21 school year. This class was proposed by fine arts department teacher Amanda Price, who has taught Sculpture I and II classes since they were added to the program of studies for the 2018-19 school year.
“With the Sculpture I class, I have approached that as more of a 3D approach to different materials. They go through working with paper, cardboard and paper mache,” Price said. “As the classes progress, (students are) getting more advanced with the skills (they) use, finding new approaches, developing more with ideas, and thinking either in larger terms or more detailed or in-depth with it.”
According to Price, sculpture classes make the art program accessible to a wider variety of CCHS students.
“Coming from my previous school, I included a lot of sculptural things when I taught middle school, and I saw students who were not always successful be able to be successful with (sculpture),” Price said. “So it just opens up more possibilities for students.”
CCHS junior Allison Kurtz, a Sculpture I student, says she enjoys the class, even without previous experience in traditional art classes.
“I don’t really do any art (outside of school). I’m not that great at it, so I like (Sculpture I) because you don’t have to be that good at sculpture,” Kurtz said. “You don’t have to be good at drawing, and you can still make a good sculpture.”
Moving forward, Price hopes to continue building the sculpture program at CCHS.
“Ideally, I would like four levels. I would probably approach Sculpture IV more as a pre-(Advanced Placement class) or a studio work time (class), because a lot of the students I would see overlapping that, especially because they’re only here four years,” Price said. “So, if they wanted to, (they could) double up with it or take either one.”
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