From Sacre Coeur:

As 2013 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Picture Story Book, Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, I decided to plan a visual celebration of tasks to highlight this event.

My students from Prep to 6 at Sacre Coeur in Glen Iris, were all involved in projects throughout the year to create two and three dimensional artworks, to be displayed in the Prep to 12 Exhibition for the school’s 125th Anniversary.

The work completed by Year 6 students included these magnificent ceramic Wild Things, using terracotta clay. I was particularly proud of the skills shown in designing, joining and decoration strategies, to create these sculptures.

I also teach Year 7 and 8 students and decided to carry the theme of Wild Things through to these classes. One of the Year 8 groups worked with paper clay to create sculptures of Wild Things.  These designs took an entire term from initial design to the final glazing process.

The results were very pleasing although we did encounter some problems along the way  due to the hot weather conditions.  Keeping the clay moist enough to continue working each session was quite a challenge. However, we succeeded and the outcome was excellent.

My other Year 8 classes created the large structures of Wild Things using armatures of chicken wire covered with modroc. The larger structures took almost an entire semester to complete from initial design to the decorated characters on display. These structures were also a huge feature of our Prep to 12, 125th Anniversary Exhibition at Sacre Coeur and were so popular that they are still displayed in areas of the school.

I hope that you are also inspired by these projects!

Susan McDonald
Junior and Junior Secondary Art Teacher
Sacre Coeur, Glen Iris