Craft for Kids: Papier-mâché Narrative Bowl
Diego Romero’s work integrates traditional techniques from his Cochiti heritage with his love for both the ancient and contemporary storytellers of Western culture. From Greek vases depicting legends of gods and heroes, to comic books hailing the deeds of superheroes of the modern age. Romero uses his pottery to tell narrative from his own experience and indigenous folklore, a contemporary storyteller within craft.
In this hands-on activity, let Diego Romero’s work inspire you to make your own bowl, and tell the story of someone you consider a hero, whether from life or legend!
Watch the video below of Diego Romero on his life and work for inspiration, and ask yourself: Who are the heroes in my world?
Video Treasure Hunt:
- Rolling clay into a long coil shape
- Young children dressed as knights
- An ancient Greek chariot
- A coyote stealing fire
- Polishing with a stone
- A fallen angel
- Using breath as a tool
Hands-on Activity: Papier-mâché Narrative Bowl
Materials:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups water
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking spray
- Newspaper
- Scissors
- Acrylic paint, or markers
- Bowl
How to:
- Cut or tear your newspaper into strips. Make sure the paper is clean and dry.
- Choose a bowl to use as a mold for your paper mache. Larger bowls will require more newspaper.
- Place the bowl on a flat surface, bottom side up. Cover the bowl with tin foil. If you don’t want your bowl to have much texture, try to make the foil lay as flat to the surface of the bowl as possible.
- Lightly coat the tin foil with cooking spray or oil. This will help make it easier to remove from the paper mache bowl when it is dry.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and water. Mix until it resembles thin pancake batter.
- Take a strip of newspaper, dip it into the flour mixture, and use your fingers to remove any excess liquid before laying it on the bowl.
- Continue coating strips of paper in the mixture and laying them onto the bowl until it is completely covered. You may need one or two additional layers to strengthen the shape of the object.
- Feel free to experiment with different shaped vessels, like cups or glasses. When complete, allow the form to dry completely overnight.
- When the papier-mâché is dry, remove it from the tin foil. Trim any rough edges with scissors.
- Now you can paint or decorate your bowl however you may like. Here are some ideas:
- Choose a scene from a myth, legend, or story that influenced you and illustrate it on the inside of your bowl.
- Create a portrait of someone you consider a hero – it could be a specific person (a relative, a friend, or a public figure), a role in society you respect (doctors, teachers, or firefighters), or a fictional character that inspires you (a comic book hero or figure from literature).
Happy Crafting!
Craft for Kids: Make Your Own Clay & Sculpt Away!
Cristina Córdova explores the human figure, and all of the expressions and emotion that can be found within. Using clay as her medium, she allows the material to guide her through the act of sculpting, finding the character as she moves through her process.
In this hands-on activity, make your own “clay” from materials in your pantry, and sculpt your own expressive features with this easy salt dough recipe. You can craft facial features, different parts of the human form, or an entire figure!
Watch the video from our IDENTITY episode below about Córdova’s life and work for inspiration, and see what expressive characters you can sculpt as you craft at home.
Treasure Hunt: Watch closely! Check off these visual clues as you find them in the video.
- A woman among ferns
- Trio of photos on a studio wall
- A pool of sunken ships
- Using vinegar as a tool
- A mural featuring a flying animal
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Hands-on Activity: Make your own clay, and craft your own human sculptures
Materials:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup fine salt
- 2 tbsps. vegetable oil
- ¾ cup water
- Food coloring, optional
- Sculpting tools (toothpicks, popsicle sticks, rubber stamps, etc), optional
- Acrylic paint, optional
How to:
1 – In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Use fine salt if possible, as courser types will lead to granular dough.
2 – Add the vegetable oil, then gradually mix in the water until you get a clay-like consistency. You may add another tablespoon or two of water if you need more.
3 – If using food coloring, separate the dough into portions and add a drop or two of color to each portion, mixing well.
[TIP: Food coloring may stain your hands while working with the clay.]
4 – Once completely mixed, use the dough to sculpt your desired shapes or figures. You may craft a part of the body, a whole figure, or a variety of facial features with different expressions.
[TIP: Be careful not to make your sculptures too thick, or they may crack while baking.]
5 – Bake your finished sculptures in an oven set to 250º for one hour, making sure that they do not burn. Some sculptures may take more or less time, depending on how thick they are.
[TIP: For a golden look, you may brush egg yolk over your sculpted pieces before baking.]
6 – Allow finished sculptures to cool completely, and decorate your sculptures with acrylic paint if you wish. Be creative and experiment with imagining a personality waiting to be crafted from clay!
Happy Crafting!
Craft for Kids: Cardboard Animal Sculpture
Wendy Maruyama’s recent work, The WildLife Project, was inspired by the harm being done to African elephants. Informed by the issues and problems of poaching and its impact on wildlife, her wood sculptures of elephants bring new life to the animal. Each knot representing a desire to repair the damage done to these beautiful creatures, Maruyama connects ideals of conservation to the art of craft.
In this at-home activity, we will connect another aspect of conservation to craft: recycling! Watch the video clip from our IDENTITY episode below to learn all about Maruyama’s work, while keeping an eye out for the treasure hunt clues. Then, using recyclable materials like cardboard, create your own elephant sculpture with these simple steps!
Treasure Hunt: Watch closely! Check off these visual clues as you find them in the video.
- Woman wearing a face shield
- A dog shaking hands
- A yellow rose
- Maps as skin
- A bird hitching a ride
Hands-on Activity: Make your own elephant sculpture!
Materials:
- Scrap paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Clean cardboard
- Glue (optional)
- Paint & paintbrushes (optional)
How to:
1 . Sketch out the basic shape of the elephant’s side view onto a piece of paper or directly onto the cardboard – do not include any limbs or large features. This is our base shape.
2 . Mark on the top of the base shape where the pieces for the head and body will be (Make at least 2 marks for the body). Draw a line at each mark across the base shape. Use a ruler to measure each line. Write those measurements down to help you remember!
3 . For each measurement, draw a circle with an equal diameter. You will have at least 3 circles: 2 for the body, 1 for the head.
4 . Draw ears on the smallest circle for the elephant’s head.
5 . Draw the shape of a pair of legs for the elephant. You will make 2 of these pieces.
6 . Cut all of these shapes out of the clean cardboard. You will have:
- The base shape
- 2 body circles
- 1 head (with ears!)
- 2 pairs of legs
7 . Make a cut about halfway into the center of the body circles, the head, and each pair of legs. This is how the pieces will attach to the base shape.
8 . Make a cut for each piece into the base shape. Make these cuts equal in size to the cuts made in the pieces themselves. Cut the slits for the head and body pieces at the top of the base, with the legs attaching to the bottom.
9 . Ready to assemble! Place each piece into its corresponding spot, using the cuts you have made to slide them onto the base shape and push them into place.
10 . Ta da! You have made an elephant! Feel free to use glue to keep the pieces in place permanently, or have fun taking it apart and putting it back together again. You can also decorate the cardboard with scrap or wrapping paper, paint, or markers! If you do, make sure to let the cardboard dry completely before you connect the pieces again.
Experiment with making other animals using these same steps, but with different shapes. Get creative and happy crafting!
Craft for Kids: Book Arts!
Artist Felicia Rice‘s work explores how to draw the viewer into a story contained within the pages of a book. Artist books must be handled in order to be fully experienced, and can contain many different forms of media! This activity teaches us about one of the most versatile artist book styles – the accordion book.
Watch the video below to learn all about the incredible craft of book arts & Felicia’s work, while keeping an eye out for the treasure hunt clues. Then, get creative telling your own story with the activity below!
Treasure Hunt: Watch closely! Check off these visual clues as you find them in the video.
- Leopard print in a book
- Pink armchair
- Purple ink
- A doctor’s stethoscope
- A face on a metal plate
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Hands-on Activity: Make your own accordion book!
Materials:
- Blank paper – any type or size will do.
- Scissors
- Glue or tape
- Any art supplies you have – crayons, pencils, markers, etc.
- Cardstock or cardboard – cut out cereal boxes work too!
- Decorative scrap or wrapping paper (optional)
- Decorative materials – stickers, feathers, fabric, sequins, etc. (optional)
How to:
1 . Cut (or fold and tear) a piece of paper in half lengthwise to make two long, skinny rectangles.
2 . Fold each piece of paper in half widthwise.
3 . Fold the top flap in half again, with the bottom edge of the paper meeting the first top crease.
4 . Flip over the paper and do the same fold. Your paper should now look like a W.
5 . Repeat this with the other rectangle of paper so that you have 2 Ws. (You can begin with more sheets of paper, and make more Ws for an even longer book!)
6 . Glue your Ws together to make an accordion (or use tape if you don’t have glue). If you are using a thick type of paper, you might want to use a heavy object like a book to press down on top of it for a few minutes.
7 . To make your book cover, take two pieces of cardboard or cardstock (you can cut up cereal boxes too!) and cut them to the same size as the accordion.
8 . Take your decorative or scrap wrapping paper and cut two pieces a little larger than the cardboard, about an inch or two bigger on each side.
9 . Glue your cardboard in the center of the scrap or wrapping paper, decorative side out. Clip the corners of the paper, then fold and glue in the excess paper on the sides. Repeat for each cover.
10 . Glue the covers to each end of the accordion. You might need to press the book under something heavy again for a few minutes.
You’re all set! Now you can decorate your beautiful book however you decide! You can add decorations to your cover, like ribbon, glitter, feathers, rhinestones, or anything else you can think of. You can use the pages of the accordion to tell a story, create drawings, collect pictures…the possibilities are endless! Be as creative or as colorful as you want, and have fun!
Craft for Kids: Photography
Explore the photography of Cara Romero and tell the story of a person in just one picture.
You can bring the joy of craft and the handmade right into your home with these activities designed for all ages! Inspired by the amazing art featured in Craft in America’s episodes and exhibitions, these activities aim to encourage exploration and creativity for the whole family to enjoy.
Watch the videos for each activity, keeping an eye out for answers to the clues in our visual treasure hunts, or just jump right into the hands-on craft activities that go with them.
There are no rules! Simply have fun and be inspired by the marvelous makers of craft in America.
Treasure Hunt: Watch closely! Check off these visual clues as you find them in the video.
- A tree branch underwater
- 3 pine cones on a pedestal
- A boy sitting on a rock on a billboard
- The wings of a bird
- A cross on a hill
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Hands-on Activity: Tell the story of a person or persons in just one picture!
Materials:
- A camera
- Anything you have around! You can use clothing, costumes, toys, objects from nature, or whatever you can find to stage your photograph.
How to:
- Ask yourself: Why do we take photographs of people? How can photographs tell us a story? If you watched the video segment about photographer Cara Romero, think about how she used her photographs (see below for examples of Naomi and 17 Mile Road) to tell stories about her people.
- Think about and decide who you would like to represent in your photograph. Will it be a portrait telling the story of you or a family member? Will it be a character from your favorite book, movie, or your imagination?
- Think about how you will tell a story about that person by what you include in the photograph. Where will you take the photo? Consider different settings, inside or outside. What objects or clothing can you use to tell the story?
- Gather everything you need to stage your photograph, and pose your model in the frame. Your model can be yourself or a friend! Set up your shot, and take the photograph with a camera.
- Show your photographs to others, and see how they react to the story or describe the person in the image. It’s always fun to hear other people’s perspectives! Set up and stage different photographs for different people you would like to tell a story about. You can take as many different pictures with as many different environments as you want!
Educational Outreach: “Imaginary Landscape” book made of monotype prints
Recently, eleven 7-8 year old children from Park Century School had fun making monotypes with Los Angeles artist Christina Carroll and her small press.
The kids expressed themselves with water soluble ink to make landscapes, tying in their curriculum at school. Their original prints were made into an accordion book and given to the school, and each child received a color reproduction of their collaborative book.
Happy Summer kids! We loved having their energy and look forward to the Fall.
We want YOU kids! Cool exhibits and creative artists await to work with you, your teachers and your school curriculum. Come play with us here at the Craft in America Center!