Rachel Harrison Inspired Sculpture with Andy Coppersmith

Post Contributed by Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director,

Beye Discovery's Andy Coppersmith conceived and taught the lesson below, inspired by the work of artist Rachel Harrison. In his lesson titled "The Potentiality of Materials" students worked with a variety of ordinary materials, often destined for the recycle bin or garbage, to turn them into something interesting, curious, and artful. As students joined individual items together, new sculptural forms emerged that were then unified by colorful tissue paper wrappings. A week later, students took their work a step further, using paint, collage, found objects, and other embellishments to complete their sculptures. 

These fun, colorful sculptures were exhibited in the second floor display case. As in Rachel Harrison's work, we experienced how ordinary objects, transformed by the artist's hand, can make us stop to look with curiosity and wonder : ) Thank you Mr. C. for such a terrific project!

Aidan and Mr. Coppersmith leading a discussion about Rachel Harrison's work. Leila shares her observations.

Observing a second exemplar by Rachel Harrison, held by Heidi

Mikel, part 1, building the sculptural form

Joseph, part 2, adding tissue paper

Elise, part 2, tissue paper

Aidan receives assistance from Mr. Coppersmith, to join objects together

Aidan sculpture, with tissue paper

Anika and Andrew working together to create their sculpture

Eva, with completed sculpture (notice the deer tracks, lower left side)

Ben, completed sculpture (I wish I had taken a photo from the top view, it was very clever!)

Ms. Jenkins assisting Cassie

Laila, part 3, adding details

Jackson, left and Dexter, right

Aidan, adding embellishments

detail, Aidan

Laila, finishing touches

Jackson, completed sculpture

Elise, adding finishing touches

Laila, completed sculpture!

Kiran completed sculpture

Dexter, completed sculpture

Elise, completed sculpture

Emory, completed sculpture