This is an explanation of the history of the two new sculptures at Urbandale High School and how the project evolved.
When I started here at Urbandale High School three years ago, Mrs. Christiansen and I set out to revamp the 3D Art class in an attempt to align with the Common Core with an emphasis on twenty first century skills. This meant implementing more real-world components to the curriculum.
Throughout the semester, students are required to visit 4 public art sculptures of their choosing throughout the larger metro area. They complete a written assessment of each sculpture to further prepare them for the final project. The revised final in 3D Art includes an authentic project where students choose how to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the previous three months on a real world simulation. For the final, students research one of the sculptures from the Papajohn Sculpture Park and attempt to create a dialog piece in response to that work. They also apply their knowledge from their public art visits to consider which elements to include in their own sculptures. In constructing the final model, students can use any of the methods and materials we worked with throughout the semester to build a scale model of the larger piece they envision.
Like a real world call for entries, students must not only have a small-scale model built, but they must also write an artist statement that includes why their sculpture would be a meaningful addition to the community. This then culminates in students presenting their work on finals day to their classmates, the teacher, and any community judges willing to come in who select a winner from the class.
In the past volunteer members of the Urbandale Public Art Committee listened to and judged the student’s project proposal. These members chose a winner from each class based on what project they would select if the sculpture was actually going to be fabricated to scale. Students defended their designs ideas and answered questions from the committee members. Students won a funny prize like a used clock radio, a free art school t-shirt, or art supplies I donated, however in 2011 the prize for winning was far more substantial.
Near the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year I wrote Quality Manufacturing to ask permission for my students to take pictures of their sculptures on their property to use in preparation for the final. I had always wondered why they had all of those sculptures outside the office building on the corner of Northwest Urbandale Drive and Aurora Avenue so I researched the company and discovered that it manufactures machine parts but also does some art fabrication. When I contacted for permission to photograph their art, I explained the purpose of the photographs and invited them to participate in the judging of the 3D Art finals as they were experts in the field.
To my surprise Paul Hauser, Manager of Drafting for Quality Manufacturing, agreed to my requests and propelled our project a giant step further. He proposed that Quality Manufacturing construct the winning design and install it at the high school as a permanent public art piece and donation to the school. The students were very excited at this prospect; the motivation in the classroom increased exponentially as students imagined their work larger than life for the public to see and enjoy. That semester a larger group of six finalists were selected from the pool of 3D Art students. Tom Carder, President of Quality Manufacturing, found it difficult to choose between MacKenzie Knight’s piece “The Dance of Life” and Cole Jeanblanc’s “Reaching Hand” so he decided that Quality Manufacturing would make both sculptures.
An initial meeting with Tom Carder and Paul Hauser, the two Project Managers, Mackenzie Knight and her Father, Cole Jeanblanc and his Father, and myself started the project. Tom was very gracious and excited. He contended that he wanted to make what the artists had in mind and honor their designs. He was willing to consider their ideas on size, materials, lights to encourage their artistic visions. Tom stressed that the students should be as involved as much as possible, including approving finals drafts of CAD drawings and physically working on the floor of the factory to help in the fabrication of the pieces if they chose. Cole actually welded a part of his sculpture.
“The Dance of Life” became a 12’ 9” tall, 2000 lbs. steel structure with translucent acrylic organic shapes cut out of simplified geometric yellow, blue and red figures. Each figure is holding an object or symbol (the yellow figure holds music notes, the blue figure a ball, and the red figure holds a book) that represents an aspect of Urbandale High School life. (I think it is important to note that it was mentioned that it cost Quality Manufacturing about $10,000 to make but could probably be sold for three times that amount. All of this came at no cost to the school or district; it was just a wonderful donation).
Cole’s “Reaching Hand” became a 20 foot long sculpture made of Cor-Ten Steel weighting in at 3800 pounds. The sculpture is in the shape of a hand that sits palm side up; the gemetric shapes that comprise the sculpture are simplified squares and rectangles and resemble a steel skeletal structure. Cor-Ten Steel was selected in the event that if someone were to scratch into it the scratches will rust away without needed attention from the school. The sculpture is not intended to be playground equipment, but it was constructed with stability and safety precautions in mind. The piece includes one inch steel plates with tamed corners so people will not be scratched or impaled on the sculpture.
There has been discussion with Quality Manufacturing in terms of creating sculptures based off student work on an annual basis. I can not think of a more authentic application of my 3D class than actually giving one of my students the chance to see their artwork realized on a monumental scale. If similar projects are completed again the sculptures will not be placed on school grounds. The Urbandale Public Art Commitee is excited to find different sites for the sculptures within Urbandale in place of having them on school grounds.
I know of no other school in the country that offers this opportunity to its students; this project is a real feather in the cap of the Urbandale High School Visual Arts Department as well as the community at large. Tom Carder should get huge accolades for not only financing and making this project a reality, but being a continued supporter of our students and their artistic creations. He has informed me that he and Quality Manufacturing would prefer to stay in the background and not be publicly acknowledged at an event, but we will be forever grateful for his support, encouragement, and partnership. Thank you to the project foreman Paul Hauser, along with technicians Aaron Wise and Reed Peterson for completing the actual designing. Additional thanks are owed to Don Jotzke with Charles Saul Engineering for donating their time to help with the footings.
On behalf of Kenzie and Cole-
Thank You,
Chris Kimble
When I started here at Urbandale High School three years ago, Mrs. Christiansen and I set out to revamp the 3D Art class in an attempt to align with the Common Core with an emphasis on twenty first century skills. This meant implementing more real-world components to the curriculum.
Throughout the semester, students are required to visit 4 public art sculptures of their choosing throughout the larger metro area. They complete a written assessment of each sculpture to further prepare them for the final project. The revised final in 3D Art includes an authentic project where students choose how to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the previous three months on a real world simulation. For the final, students research one of the sculptures from the Papajohn Sculpture Park and attempt to create a dialog piece in response to that work. They also apply their knowledge from their public art visits to consider which elements to include in their own sculptures. In constructing the final model, students can use any of the methods and materials we worked with throughout the semester to build a scale model of the larger piece they envision.
Like a real world call for entries, students must not only have a small-scale model built, but they must also write an artist statement that includes why their sculpture would be a meaningful addition to the community. This then culminates in students presenting their work on finals day to their classmates, the teacher, and any community judges willing to come in who select a winner from the class.
In the past volunteer members of the Urbandale Public Art Committee listened to and judged the student’s project proposal. These members chose a winner from each class based on what project they would select if the sculpture was actually going to be fabricated to scale. Students defended their designs ideas and answered questions from the committee members. Students won a funny prize like a used clock radio, a free art school t-shirt, or art supplies I donated, however in 2011 the prize for winning was far more substantial.
Near the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year I wrote Quality Manufacturing to ask permission for my students to take pictures of their sculptures on their property to use in preparation for the final. I had always wondered why they had all of those sculptures outside the office building on the corner of Northwest Urbandale Drive and Aurora Avenue so I researched the company and discovered that it manufactures machine parts but also does some art fabrication. When I contacted for permission to photograph their art, I explained the purpose of the photographs and invited them to participate in the judging of the 3D Art finals as they were experts in the field.
To my surprise Paul Hauser, Manager of Drafting for Quality Manufacturing, agreed to my requests and propelled our project a giant step further. He proposed that Quality Manufacturing construct the winning design and install it at the high school as a permanent public art piece and donation to the school. The students were very excited at this prospect; the motivation in the classroom increased exponentially as students imagined their work larger than life for the public to see and enjoy. That semester a larger group of six finalists were selected from the pool of 3D Art students. Tom Carder, President of Quality Manufacturing, found it difficult to choose between MacKenzie Knight’s piece “The Dance of Life” and Cole Jeanblanc’s “Reaching Hand” so he decided that Quality Manufacturing would make both sculptures.
An initial meeting with Tom Carder and Paul Hauser, the two Project Managers, Mackenzie Knight and her Father, Cole Jeanblanc and his Father, and myself started the project. Tom was very gracious and excited. He contended that he wanted to make what the artists had in mind and honor their designs. He was willing to consider their ideas on size, materials, lights to encourage their artistic visions. Tom stressed that the students should be as involved as much as possible, including approving finals drafts of CAD drawings and physically working on the floor of the factory to help in the fabrication of the pieces if they chose. Cole actually welded a part of his sculpture.
“The Dance of Life” became a 12’ 9” tall, 2000 lbs. steel structure with translucent acrylic organic shapes cut out of simplified geometric yellow, blue and red figures. Each figure is holding an object or symbol (the yellow figure holds music notes, the blue figure a ball, and the red figure holds a book) that represents an aspect of Urbandale High School life. (I think it is important to note that it was mentioned that it cost Quality Manufacturing about $10,000 to make but could probably be sold for three times that amount. All of this came at no cost to the school or district; it was just a wonderful donation).
Cole’s “Reaching Hand” became a 20 foot long sculpture made of Cor-Ten Steel weighting in at 3800 pounds. The sculpture is in the shape of a hand that sits palm side up; the gemetric shapes that comprise the sculpture are simplified squares and rectangles and resemble a steel skeletal structure. Cor-Ten Steel was selected in the event that if someone were to scratch into it the scratches will rust away without needed attention from the school. The sculpture is not intended to be playground equipment, but it was constructed with stability and safety precautions in mind. The piece includes one inch steel plates with tamed corners so people will not be scratched or impaled on the sculpture.
There has been discussion with Quality Manufacturing in terms of creating sculptures based off student work on an annual basis. I can not think of a more authentic application of my 3D class than actually giving one of my students the chance to see their artwork realized on a monumental scale. If similar projects are completed again the sculptures will not be placed on school grounds. The Urbandale Public Art Commitee is excited to find different sites for the sculptures within Urbandale in place of having them on school grounds.
I know of no other school in the country that offers this opportunity to its students; this project is a real feather in the cap of the Urbandale High School Visual Arts Department as well as the community at large. Tom Carder should get huge accolades for not only financing and making this project a reality, but being a continued supporter of our students and their artistic creations. He has informed me that he and Quality Manufacturing would prefer to stay in the background and not be publicly acknowledged at an event, but we will be forever grateful for his support, encouragement, and partnership. Thank you to the project foreman Paul Hauser, along with technicians Aaron Wise and Reed Peterson for completing the actual designing. Additional thanks are owed to Don Jotzke with Charles Saul Engineering for donating their time to help with the footings.
On behalf of Kenzie and Cole-
Thank You,
Chris Kimble