The 5th grade has been studying Claes Oldenburg . He is a Swedish American sculptor, best known for his public art installations of soft sculpture versions of everyday objects.

To create their own soft sculptures, fifth graders used newspaper and masking tape to make armatures. They then covered the forms with duct tape, taking care to add important details which make the objects recognizable. Black and silver were the basic colors provided, with other colors employed for accents and details. Some students brought in colorful duct tape, and students who needed transparent surfaces to bring their scultures to life used clear packing tape.

Students practiced by working in groups to make sculptures of a few items from the studio- a saw, a tape dispenser, and a camera. They also sketched many drawings of vintage objects from the twentieth century decade they were researching in history class, including an old radio, a record player, records, and a rotary telephone. The students researched their objects and brought in either actual objects or pictures of the objects from different angles. These visual references helped them turn their ideas into three-dimensional realities.

Duct tape sculptures of 20th century utilitarian objects by Wooster’s Fifth Grade are now on exhibit in the John D. Verdery Library!

Many thanks to Louis Inghilterra ’17 for lending us his collection of vintage objects.