Louise Nevelson was an American sculptor best known for her monochromatic wooden sculptures. Born on September 23, 1899, in Kiev, Russia, Louise Nevelson studied Cubist art with Hans Hofmann and later at the Art Students League in New York City. Nevelson began to attract attention in the early 1940s, and gained wide fame in the 1950s when museums began buying her work. She is now considered one of America's most innovative sculptors. 
During the 1950s, she began to create unique arrangements contained in wooden frames compiled from a range of found objects—usually woodcuts or bits of furniture—that were then painted a uniform black, white, or gold, as seen in her seminal work Royal Tide I(1960).
Nevelson died in New York City in 1988.

Goal and Objectives:

The goal of this lesson is to introduce the students to the sculptures of 
Louise Nevelson.
The Objective is to create a relief sculpture using form, space, texture, and value within their art piece.

Materials:

Mat Board or canvas
A variety of objects, such as beads, buttons, sticks, wooden objects
Tacky glue
Colored spray paint

Vocabulary:

 Form:  A three-dimensional element that encloses Volume.
Space: The distance or area between above or around, or within things.
Texture: The surface quality of "feel" of an object. Texture can be real or implied. 
Value: Describes the lightness or darkness of a color.
Relief Sculpture: relief sculpture is any work which projects from but which belongs to the wall, or other type of background surface

procedure: 
Begin by showing the students several examples of sculptures. Finish with some photos of works by Louise Nevelson. Compare the works by Nevelson to the sculptures by other artists. Discuss Nevelson's use of shapes, textures and forms, and the way she arranged her compositions. Ask the students to think about why she painted them one color. 
To create the sculpture, use the mat board as a base and glue the other objects to it. Show the students how to create balance and variety in their work. Demonstrate and suggest ways that they can use the materials to make an interesting composition. Tell the students that the objects shouldn't stick out from the surface more than one inch. 
After they are dry, I ask the students whether they would like their sculpture painted black or white, and I put them in large boxes according to color. Then I take them outside and spray paint them. I return them to the students after the paint has dried. An alternative to spray paint is to let the students use acrylic paints to paint them. Finished sculptures should be one color, like Nevelson's works.

Essential Question questions: 
How does a sculpture compare to a painting? 
How do Louise Nevelson's sculptures compare to other sculptures? 
Why would she paint them a solid color?

Assessment Questions:
Does your work have balance, variety, and texture? Where?
Did you fill the space with a variety of shapes and forms? Name the shapes and forms.
Do you have more negative or positive space in your sculpture? Explain.
Did you complete the project in a timely manner? If not, why?
​Did you complete the Vocabulary Test and written Test?

Curriculum Standards:
CT.1. Visual Arts: Media: Students will understand, select and apply media, techniques and processes.
1.1. Students select media, techniques and processes to communicate ideas, reflect on their choices and analyze what makes them effective.
1.3. Students use different media, techniques and processes (two-dimensional and three-dimensional, including media/technology) to communicate ideas, feelings, experiences and stories.
CT.2. Visual Arts: Elements and Principles: Students will understand and apply elements and organizational principles of art.
2.1. Students use ways of arranging visual characteristics and reflect upon what makes them effective in conveying ideas. 2.2. Students recognize and reflect on the effects of arranging visual characteristics in their own and others' work.