Bamboo sculpture takes shape at elementary school, with help from College landscape designers
This mobile was designed and built by the students at Olds Elementary with the help of Will Hooker. Photo by Becky Kirkland
On the front lawn of Fred Olds Elementary School stands one of Raleigh’s newest pieces of public art: a graceful bamboo sculpture with hand-painted ellipses that dance in the breeze. With its modern symmetry and whimsical design, the sculpture represents a unique collaboration between a seasoned artist and a creative group of fourth- and fifth-graders.
Will Hooker, professor of horticultural science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, teamed with the elementary school students to share his expertise and teach them how to create art on a large scale.
Olds Elementary School is a university-connected magnet school that is partnered with N.C. State, said Lisa Meeks, university connections teacher liaison at Olds. “Faculty and students from the university engage our students in a number of subject areas, like science, social studies and art.”
Once a quarter, the school offers week-long workshops called university connected learning units, in which students work on a project in their area of interest, Meeks said. “The students don’t get graded, and they get to mix with other students and teachers across grade levels.”
The opportunity to work with Hooker on an outdoor sculpture installation attracted two dozen aspiring artists.
“What Will did took a lot of time,” Meeks said. “He harvested the bamboo in Durham and sent it here in the evenings. It’s just amazing what he did, in terms of preparation and time.”
For this piece, called “Wind Silhouettes,” Hooker said, “We designed a combination of a weathervane and mobile – two of them – that each stands 10 to 12 feet in the air in front of the school. Each student painted a pod with their designs, and we hung the pods from a centerpiece. Some of them spin and some dangle, so it looks beautiful.”
Under the guidance of N.C. State landscape design students, the youngsters learned how to use drills, hand saws and other tools to shape the strips of bamboo into art. Then, with help from their art teacher Mary Gail Walker, the students painted the pods.
The result is an interesting, spirited piece that features, among other designs, an eyeball, a butterfly and a serpent breathing flames.
“I like sculptures to be interactive,” Hooker said. “I want people, when they look at it, to smile, grin or in the best case, to chuckle. I’m excited about what these students have done. Come by and laugh!”
—Suzanne Stanard
Will Hooker, professor of horticultural science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, teamed with the elementary school students to share his expertise and teach them how to create art on a large scale.
Will Hooker (center, right) assisted the Olds students from concept to completion of the mobile-like piece.
Photo by Suzanne Stanard
Photo by Suzanne Stanard
Once a quarter, the school offers week-long workshops called university connected learning units, in which students work on a project in their area of interest, Meeks said. “The students don’t get graded, and they get to mix with other students and teachers across grade levels.”
The opportunity to work with Hooker on an outdoor sculpture installation attracted two dozen aspiring artists.
“What Will did took a lot of time,” Meeks said. “He harvested the bamboo in Durham and sent it here in the evenings. It’s just amazing what he did, in terms of preparation and time.”
For this piece, called “Wind Silhouettes,” Hooker said, “We designed a combination of a weathervane and mobile – two of them – that each stands 10 to 12 feet in the air in front of the school. Each student painted a pod with their designs, and we hung the pods from a centerpiece. Some of them spin and some dangle, so it looks beautiful.”
Will Hooker and the students worked together to create this design for the mobile.
The result is an interesting, spirited piece that features, among other designs, an eyeball, a butterfly and a serpent breathing flames.
“I like sculptures to be interactive,” Hooker said. “I want people, when they look at it, to smile, grin or in the best case, to chuckle. I’m excited about what these students have done. Come by and laugh!”
—Suzanne Stanard