Architecture as a Theme in Multiple Visions
Alexander Girard's professional training as an architect is evident in the proliferation of architectural elements in this installation. His motivation to place his folk art collection in context creates a theatrical environment filled with a multiplicity of architectural forms. Arches abound, there are buildings made of clay and references made to adobe, wood, brick, metal and other building materials. The displays explore hypothetical uses of perspective to dramatize the scale of the settings.

Vocabulary

Arcade - a series of arches with their columns, creating a building gallery or passageway

Arch - a curved construction which spans an opening

Balcony - a projecting platform, enclosed with a railing

Church - a building set aside for public, especially Christian worship

Column - a vertical supporting post

Cupola - a rounded roof on a circular base, usually set on the roof ridge

Design - to compose a plan for a building

Dome - a curved roof structure spanning an area

Façade - the front of a building noting special architectural features

Gargoyle - a waterspout projecting from the gutter of a building, often carved in an animal form

Home - a person's place of residence

Hovel - an open shed or shelter, a poorly constructed house

Mosque - building used for worship by Muslims

Private - intended for use by a selected audience only

Public - intended to be used by everyone

Pueblo - communal dwelling used by the Pueblo Indians of the Southwestern U.S.A.

Skyscraper - a very tall building

Spire - a slender pointed construction on top of a building

Spirit House - small houses in which spirits are believed to live, placed near entrances to houses in Thailand

Szopka - miniature puppet theaters made in the forms of churches, used in Poland by carolers especially during the Christmas season

Temple - a building dedicated to a system of worship of a deity or deities

Tower - a building characterized by its great height

Project: Architectural Clay Tiles

NM Standards: Art, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Objectives
1. To understand how architecture reflects the cultures that it comes from (historical and cultural understanding.)
2. To name and use architectural terms in discussions (perceiving, analyzing and responding.)
3. To create an architectural from using clay (creating and performing.)

Materials
Regular or self hardening clay, enough for one 4" diameter sphere for each student, rolling pins, ¼" rolling pin guides (flat wooden strips), clay tools or pencils, water, water containers, newspaper to cover tables, large paper clips, paint or glazes (optional.)

Motivation
Walk around the school neighborhood or have students bring in photos of their homes, or images of other buildings that they like or have strong feelings about. Begin a discussion of different types of building styles. Talk about the different types of buildings that compose a neighborhood. Introduce the topic of building materials and explore the types of building materials that students are familiar with. Do building materials come directly from the environment they are used in? How do architectural styles reflect the climate and/or culture? Some students may want to talk about energy use and energy efficiency related to their homes or "green" construction.

Tell the students that they will be rolling out clay to make slabs that will be used to make tiles. They can make their tile into whatever building form they would like to make. Some students may want to work in groups to make tiles that connect or relate to each other the same way that neighborhood buildings do.

Procedure
1. Place several layers of opened newspaper at each student's place. On top of the newspaper, place the rolling pin guides, parallel and about 8" apart. Have students use the rolling pins to create an even slab by resting the rolling pins on the guides and rolling back and forth over the clay.
2. Use a pencil or a clay tool to draw the outline of a building form on the clay tile. Change the shape, but try not remove too much clay.
3. Take the cut away clay or use additional clay to make architectural elements, like windows, doors, balconies, roofing materials, and people or animals that might reside in or be walking in front of the building. Some students may want to draw these elements with pencils or clay tools.
4. Remind students to score, wet and blend the additional pieces of clay that they are adding to the tile to make sure they stick.
5. When finished, insert a large paper clip in the back to use to hang the tile on the wall.
6. Let dry.
7. Paint with glazes and fire or paint with acrylic paint (optional.)

Evaluation

While the tiles are drying have the students write about their work. Then arrange a display of the tiles with the labels.

Have students select a tile that is not their own and write a short story or poem about a person or animal that lives in or near the building.

Extensions and Connections

Students can survey their neighborhood or a designated area of interest, like a country or region they are studying, and explore the different types of buildings in the area. They can report back to the class on architectural patterns and trends, use of building materials and the way that the buildings are used. (Social Studies)

Have students select specific building materials such as adobe, brick, wood, plastic and glass and research their use and development in different regions. (Social Studies)

Explore the ways that indigenous peoples construct their dwellings. Students can compare and contrast cultures. (Social Studies)

Have students design their ideal bedroom, home or professional building. They can draw or create a model of their project. (Visual Arts)

Students can look at environments created by visionary artists like Nek Chand and Grandma Prisbrey and buildings created out of recycled materials like the Watts Tower in L.A. and the earthships in New Mexico and report to the class on their findings. (Visual Arts)

Dolls | Masks | Architecture| Puppets| Bibliography