Wood Construction

In May of 2010, I received a phone call from my friend Siva who runs a summer day camp at a local girls' school. She informed me that the head of the art program was recovering from a medical infirmity and then Siva employed the "d" word, "we're desperate, can you help us out?" So...for six weeks I had the privilege of producing several works of art with a group of fifty middle school girls, ages ten through thirteen. I have no enthusiasm for bracelets, bookmarks, or book covers. My ambition is made of sterner stuff. In keeping with the ancient Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and he will eat a meal. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for his whole life," I elected to expose my students immediately to materials and processes. I introduced the first group of twelve to the work of Louise Nevelson. I provided them with an eclectic array of found items, a frame, and six cans of black spray paint and set them free. Above is the result of their combined efforts. Louise Nevelson was born Leah Berliawsky in Kiev, in the Ukraine, in 1899. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1902 and settled in Rockland, Maine. She married American businessman Charles Nevelson in 1918, the marriage lasted until 1931. She studied at the Art Students League in New York City from 1929 to 1931. At a time when women were fighting for their right to participate in traditionally masculine roles, Nevelson was exhibiting in galleries throughout the city. She worked with Hans Hofmann, Diego Rivera, and George Grosz. Nevelson was a part of the Expressionist Movement and among the first artists to establish the technique of "found item assemblage". Her career spanned sixty years until her death in 1988. Many of her pieces are included in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.