Sculpture

Sculpture
BSA Supply No. 33322

This merit badge introduces Scouts to sculpture, an art form that allows an artist to express what he sees and feels by using these three dimensions by shaping materials such as clay, stone, metal, and wood.

Requirements

Explain to your counselor the precautions that must be followed for the safe use and operation of a sculptor's tools, equipment, and other materials.
Do TWO of the following:

Model in clay a life-sized human head. Then sculpt in modeling clay (such as Plasteline or Sculpey)or carve/rasp in wood or soft stone a small-scale model of an animal or person. Explain to your counselor the method and tools you used to sculpt the figure.
Make a plaster mold of a fruit or vegetable. In this mold, make a copy of the fruit or vegetable. Explain to your counselor the method and tools you used to make the copy.
With your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, visit a museum, art exhibit, art gallery, artists' co-op, or artist's studio. After your visit, share with your counselor what you have learned. Discuss the importance of visual arts and how it strengthens social tolerance and helps stimulate cultural, intellectual, and personal development.

Find out about career opportunities in sculpture. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

Resources

By reading about the fine arts and art history, you can learn about sculpture dating from ancient times to the present. You might like to find out more about famous sculptors of the Renaissance such as Michelangelo, Donatello, and Cellini or more contemporary sculptors such as Auguste Rodin, Constantin Brancusi, Barbara Hepworth, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore, George Segal, and Alexander Calder. You also can find interviews with important contemporary sculptors, articles about the artists, and photographs of their work.

Scouting Literature

Architecture, Art, Basketry, Graphic Arts, Leatherwork, Metalwork, Photography, Pottery, and Wood Carving merit badge pamphlets

Books

Barrie, Bruner Felton. A Sculptor's Guide to Tools and Materials. ABFS Publishing, 2000.
--------. Mold Making, Casting, and Patina for the Student Sculptor. ABFS Publishing, 2000.
Brommer, Gerald F., and Joseph A. Gatto. Careers in Art: An Illustrated Guide. Davis Publications Inc., 1999.
Camenson, Blythe. Great Jobs for Art Majors. McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Erdmann, Dottie. Hands On Sculpting. Columbine Communications & Publications, 1992.
Lanteri, Edouard. Modelling and Sculpting Animals. Dover Publications, 1985.
--------. Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure. Dover Publications, 1985.
Lucchesi, Bruno, and Margit Malmstrom, contributor. Modeling the Head in Clay. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1996.
Miller, Richard M. Figure Sculpture in Wax and Plaster. Dover Publications, 1987.
Plowman, John. The Encyclopedia of Sculpting Techniques: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Techniques. Sterling Publishing, 2003.
Reynolds, Donald Martin. Masters of American Sculpture: The Figurative Tradition From the American Renaissance to the Millennium. Abbeville Press, 1994.
Rich, Jack C. The Materials and Methods of Sculpture. Dover Publications, 1988.
Salmon, Mark. Opportunities in Visual Arts Careers. McGraw-Hill, 2001.
Slobodkin, Louis. Sculpture: Principles and Practice. Dover Publications, 1973.
Texido i Cami, Josepmaria, and Jacinto Chicharro Santamera. Sculpture in Stone. Barron's Educational Series, 2001.

Periodicals

Sculpture
1529 18th St. NW
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: 202-234-0555
Web site: http://www.sculpture.org/redesign/mag.shtml

Sculpture Review
56 Ludlow St., Fifth Floor
New York, NY 10002
Telephone: 212-529-1763
Web site: http://www.sculpturereview.com

Organizations and Web Sites

International Sculpture Center
14 Fairgrounds Road, Suite B
Hamilton, NJ 08619-3447
Telephone: 609-689-1051
Web site: http://www.sculpture.org

National Sculptors' Guild
2683 N. Taft Ave.
Loveland, CO 80538
Toll-free telephone: 800-606-2015
Web site:
http://www.nationalsculptorsguild.com

National Sculpture Society
237 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10017
Web site:
http://www.nationalsculpture.org

Sculptors Guild
110 Greene St., Suite 601
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: 212-431-5669
Web site: http://www.sculptorsguild.org