When we think of sculptural art, we might imagine the artist Michelangelo with a hammer and chisel. CSMA’s Sculpture and Stone Carving Camp provides an introduction to some of the tools and techniques used by the Italian artist while allowing students to have fun through hands-on learning.
“It’s detailed work,” said Andy Phares, the CSMA art instructor who has led the camp since 2007. “The nice thing about working with stone is that you get something that will last longer. The campers can keep their creations for a lifetime.”
The camp teaches additive and subtractive techniques of the great sculptors. Students spend part of the week with soap carving, plaster and wire, and the other part carving real stone.
Phares said he starts off by introducing the students to how to safely use a variety of tools. They work with materials including,wood, soap, soapstone, and try their hand at plaster casting ( a ceramics technique) to make unique creations.
A popular work of art this summer was making mini loaves of “bread” and an imaginative “loaf bird.”
“The carving is tiring but with the sculpting you can get into a rhythm with it,” one camp participant said. “It’s all fun though.”
Another participant shared that sanding the stone takes time but it is worth it as it smoothes out the stone nicely.
Students also create using paper mache. From paper mache trees and ducks to hearts, this camp offers a colorful variety of artistic expression.
Phares said some participants simply like the idea of carving up soap or reshaping rocks without trying to make a representative image. He’s fine with that. He is more focused on the process and a creative introduction to something new.
“I just want them to have fun with it,” he said. “What’s important for me isn’t that the student has mastered how to shape stone or how to mix colors into something pleasing. What’s most important is that I have provided an opportunity and space for the student to do something that they haven’t done before, and to take joy in creating something they didn’t know they were capable of making.”
Learn more about our arts programs at arts4all.org.
By TaLeiza Calloway-Appleton
