Abstract Leaf Sculpture
Ages 5 and up

 

When Constantin Brancusi arrived in Paris in the early 1900’s he was invited to work with the well-known artist August Rodin. Rodin was famous for being able to create sculptures of humans that looked so detailed that they were lifelike. However, he famously remarked that, “ A mighty tree could not grow in the shade.” Brancusi decided he needed to make unique sculptures and so his sculptures, while sometimes being vaguely recognizable as their subjects, focused on how the subject felt. 

 

We are going to do something similar with our tree sculpture today. While our craft rolls are  going to resemble leaves, by combining many pieces we will create our own indoor canopy that captures the feeling of standing under a tree with its outstretched branches. This activity is great for kids because it is simple and re-uses household materials, but the impact of this sculpture is big. 

 

Materials 

  • Empty toilet paper/paper towel tubes 
  • Paint(optional)
  • Staples, glue or tape, 
  • Scissors 

 

Directions 

  1. Cut your tubes into round pieces about 1 inch wide. It is ok to squish the tube slightly for this step! 
  2. Squish the tubes so that your circle becomes a more narrow oval(like a leaf!)
  3. Staple(or glue or tape) many leaf shapes together. Do not make a circle-keep the leaf shapes in a narrow rectangle or parallelogram. 
  4. Optional: add paint to the rims on one side of the sculpture for a hint of color 

 

More Fun