Art Lesson Uses Doorways to Spark Student Imagination and Relief Sculpture
A new art education approach from The Art of Education encourages teachers to use doorways, gates, and portals as a theme to engage middle school students. The lesson connects art history with popular culture, referencing Stonehenge, Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, Marc Chagall's Cemetery Gates, Giorgio de Chirico, René Magritte, Jan van Eyck, Do Ho Suh, Japanese torii gates, and traditional Moroccan carved doors. Students build bas-relief sculptures from cardboard boxes with hinged lids, creating miniature worlds inside. The project emphasizes storytelling, mixed media, and the symbolic meaning of thresholds as transitions. Practical tips include using IT department boxes, pre-cut supports, and craft knife stations. The lesson culminates in an interactive display where viewers wonder what lies beyond each door.
Key facts
- Lesson uses doorways as theme for art class.
- References Stonehenge, Gates of Paradise, Chagall, de Chirico, Magritte, van Eyck, Do Ho Suh, torii gates, Moroccan doors.
- Students build bas-relief sculptures from cardboard boxes.
- Boxes with hinged lids are preferred; IT department is a good source.
- Project uses construction paper, cardstock, foam core, and mixed media.
- Craft knife stations with self-healing mats are recommended.
- Final prompt: 'What exists on the other side?'
- Lesson published on The Art of Education website.
Entities
Artists
- Marc Chagall
- Giorgio de Chirico
- René Magritte
- Jan van Eyck
- Do Ho Suh
- Lorenzo Ghiberti
Institutions
- The Art of Education
- English Heritage
- National Gallery of Art
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
- FLEX Curriculum
Locations
- Stonehenge
- England
- Japan
- Morocco