Odds and Ends = Art!

Elephants have made their way to Shelburne Museum!  Visitors to the museum’s Circus Building, the horseshoe-shaped home to Roy Arnold’s 129-piece miniature circus parade, are greeted by 3 large elephant sculptures made by local Vermont artist Kat Clear.  These near life-sized sculptures are made of metal from old objects like wrecked cars, fuel tanks, and wheelbarrows. 

It’s not easy building sculptures, like Kat Clear’s elephants, from found objects.  It takes enormous creativity, along with plenty of trial and error.  Want to try making your own one-of-a-kind sculpture?   Start by carefully going through your recycle bin, craft drawers, cabinets, and drawers to create a pile of odds and ends to use as building materials. (It is very important to have an adult with you to review your pile before starting your project so you don’t use anything that should be saved.) 

Who knows what you’ll find!  At Shelburne Museum’s Education office, Paige had all sorts of fun finding different objects to use. 

After seeing all the different odds and ends she collected, Paige was a little unsure where to start.  But after giving it some thought and slowly starting putting pieces together….

She created a fish!  To put her sculpture together, Paige used toothpicks, duct tape, Elmer’s glue, and even some hot glue for the big eye.  If you’re using hot glue at home, be sure to have an adult help you.  Or skip the glue altogether and use objects from your odds and ends pile to keep your sculpture together.

Show me your Odds and Ends creation!  Email me a picture at educationinterns@shelburnemuseum.org for a chance to see your artwork on Webby's Blog! Don’t forget to tell me your name!

Meet Ms. Fishah

Ms. Fishah was inspired not only by Kat Clear’s elephants, but also by the sea creatures found within the Deep End exhibit at the Lighthouse.  Ms. Fishah is Paige’s idea of a sea monster: a fish that shines and sparkles like the sunniest day, but chooses to live in the deep, dark depths of the ocean.  Ms. Fishah is legendary for keeping secrets.  If you look closer, Ms. Fishah has a special locket hanging from her tail.  What do you think is in the locket?  In the comments section of this post, write what you think Ms. Fishah is hiding!