"So Much More"
In the fall of 2003, our local Sam's Club had many items marked down for quick sale. As I walked by a bathing suit display, I noticed that all the suits were stretched over life-size clear plastic female torsos. Immediately I saw art projects in the making, and a sales person said I could check the trash bins in the store to see if any of them had been thrown out. This led to some "dumpster diving," as well as many strange looks as I carried nearly a dozen clear plastic naked ladies through the parking lot to my car!
Advanced Art girls are given the opportunity to use these forms for a sculpture project. They can create collages, use plaster gauze, invert it and use it as a mold for plaster, or whatever they want.
One student chose to create a collage over the form, and then she designed and made a custom frame in which to display it:
Another student used plaster gauze over the form AND over a friend's face to create a life-size bride:
One student used plaster gauze over the form, cut it in half and turned the lower half "backwards." She stitched the two halves together, and covered it with collage, with the upper part representing the "outer woman", and the inner half representing "what comes from within."
The students' insights and the range of projects that develop from this free resource are very impressive.