They were excited about working on this project all week, from the minute they saw the empty boxes that I happened to find on clearance at the local craft store!
I have been studying Joseph Cornell and his works for quite some time. I knew the minute I saw them that the kids would love the idea of creating something inspired by his work. And since I'm a natural collector, or hoarder as my family would say, I have a bounty of "treasures" for kids to comb through to create their own shadow box.
The kids began by going through my hoard or using things they brought in from home. After gathering their initial collection of things they were fascinated by, I asked them to edit and begin to create a story from the items. Then using papers and whatever else they needed to enhance or complete the story their collection of things was trying to tell the viewer., they brought their boxes to life.
And finally if they wanted too, they could decorate the outside of the box.
9 year old
The kids so enjoyed gathering and placing items in their boxes. This kept them busy for over two hours as they placed things inside, took them out, tried other things and then started all over again. How awesome is this "Explorer" box created by a nine year old boy? I love how he used the music sheet that says, "Affection" to convey his love of exploring the outside. The grass photo was a scrap leftover from one of his friends' gatherings from home and the other is an old hiking map of a mountain trail in British Columbia.
Here's a close up of the section I was particularly impressed with by him. I love the way he added the tacks and string and the old frame he used to create Earth is simply brilliant. He was so proud of this box when finished and excited to show everyone what he created.
10 year old
I provided cardboard strips I had cut for the kids to use as shelves in their boxes. These came from used up art paper pads. I have a pile of them that I save as each pad is emptied and have found they serves a multitude of purposes in the studio from using them as painting tools, work surfaces when building with clay to help keep the tables clean, and in this case becoming shelves to divide up boxes for display.
Or a barn stall for the above box. How great is the picture frame used to contain the pig sty?
11 year old
Several kids had no interest in decorating the outside of the box and just left it blank so you were completely surprised by what you would find inside. This eleven year old boy created a really thoughtful display of items that when put together make perfect sense.
8 year old
The kids had the opportunity to go through all the bits and pieces of things I had collected at the end of class the day before we started the project, so this child was able to print off some grass and water photos at home to bring in for his box. I love the "land and sea" composition he created from found objects.
7 year old
8 year old
I'm not going to lie, I might have the ages mixed up on the above two pieces. These were my sole girls in the class and came to camp together, so no surprise they worked together sharing a collection of objects they both were drawn too. This camp was running the week leading up to Easter and you can definitely see they were not only excited about the holiday but also had spring on their mind when creating their boxes!
How wonderful is the bunny framed?! And the ladybugs crawling along the wall and then in the picture frame on the lower shelf? The buttons you see glued down on the middle shelf were very thought out and placed quite deliberately by the artist.
7 year old
The sparse nature of this box belies the amount of work that went into it. It was amazing to watch the constant self-editing that went on while he worked out what items he wanted in his box. I have a feeling this box probably leads to many different stories from those who view it. I am so impressed with this child's ability to not throw everything and the kitchen sink into his work and even continue that feeling of "alone" by leaving the picture frame empty.
10 year old
And who wants to spend some time at the museum? I do! Doesn't this one look interesting! Can't say I blame the visitor for stopping to spend time in this beautiful exhibit. Love the paper this ten year old boy chose for the floor and I'm quite impressed with how successfully he conveyed a visit to the art gallery.
The kids were fascinated by Joseph Cornell's work and equally excited about creating their own boxes inspired by his work. They had a great time working on these and it was thrilling for me to watch them so enjoy the process of building their wonderful boxes. After watching a room full of excited kids pull together random things to tell a story, I can see why Joseph Cornell was so driven to create his interesting and beautiful works of art.
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