The Art of Sculpture

Sculpture - a 3D form of artwork often created by carving, casting, or molding - is an ancient art form that is usually quite durable. Though the sculptures may not be the same quality as they were when new, we can still experience intact sculptures from ancient times, such as the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Venus of Willendorf,  and terracotta warriors in China. 

Sculpture can take the form of freestanding statues - such as the examples above - or what is called "relief", where the sculpture juts out from a different surface, such as a wall or a coin.  Statues can be made of many types of material. Stone, metal, and wood are all materials people have used to create statues throughout history. Totem poles - such as those made by Indigenous tribes in the North Western Americas - were often made of wood, while the large statues found at the Sanxingdui site in China were bronze, and the statues on Easter Island were made of stone. 

Sculptures are often direct representations of objects in the world, though they can be abstract as well. Many sculptures hold symbolic meaning in addition to the object they represent, such as in Totem poles.  Whether you prefer direct representations or abstract imaginings, sculptures can connect us to our cultures and be fun to make. Depending on the goal, you may have items around the house you can use to make your own sculpture (legos, blocks, bread dough, paper, bits of wire/fluff/paper, empty tea boxes, clay, garden stones, plants from your garden, and more). If you have the time, take a short break and build your own sculpture of whatever you want! Use the time to be creative and let stress and worries go away for a few minutes!

If you like creating sculptures, consider creating one that follows the prompt of the art exhibition (see below), take a picture of the completed sculpture, and submit it to be shown in the exhibition.

Take a photo or create a piece of artwork that represents why you use the public library.
If the ways you use the public library have changed since you came to the UK, please also take a photo or create a piece of artwork that represents why the ways you use the public library have changed.
You can submit as many photos and pieces of artwork as you like.

Photo References:
Easter Island Heads - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture#/media/File:Mo%C3%A1is.jpg
Sanxingdui Bronze Head with Golden Mask - By momo - Flickr: Gold Mask (黄金面罩), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28821850
Sphinx of Giza - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Sphinx
Terracotta Warriors from China - https://mymodernmet.com/famous-sculptures-art-history/
Tlingit K'alyann Totem Pole - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture#/media/File:Tlingit_K'alyaan_Totem_Pole_August_2005.jpg
Venus of Willendorf - https://mymodernmet.com/famous-sculptures-art-history/