African influence.

As art teachers, we are all looking for ideas that spark our students' interests. This lesson, making African-inspired, repousse foil pendants, provides for a variety of student interpretations while giving them a sense of accomplishment and success. We begin by discussing the purposes of body ornamentation. Students indicate that jewelry often conveys wealth, status, and power. This discussion serves as a catalyst for introducing Asante gold pectoral pieces called kra.

Asante Kra

Young male servants who acted as messengers and observers for the Asante king often wore these pendants. The British Museum Web site has several images that illustrate the use of line, pattern, and rhythm incorporated into these designs. I ask my students to hypothesize about the construction process and this leads into an explanation of repousse and metal tooling. Both techniques create a design that protrudes from the metal by using tools to push the design forward from the reverse side of the piece. Each student is given the assignment to create a unique pectoral piece.

Glass Gems

Since a piece of kiln-fired glass can be used to create emphasis on the pendant, I prepare the glass "gems" in advance for the students to use. I collect a variety of colored glass from discarded bottles, place the bottles inside two pillowcases lone case inserted inside the other), and use a hammer to break up the bottles. Small broken pieces of stained glass also work well for making glass gems.

Next, I apply shelf primer (found at stained-glass suppliers) or regular kiln wash to the shelves and let it dry. I arrange the broken pieces of glass on the shelves so they don't touch and fire the kiln in the range of cone 015 to cone 013. The edges of the glass should become rounded and safe for the students to handle. scraped off. I prefer to use the shelf primer because it doesn't stick to the back of the fired gems.

The Repousse Process

Give each student a piece of metal tooling foil and a piece of mat board or cardboard. Review folded newspaper or magazine cushion, and to use a dull pencil to draw their design on the back of the metal foil. Encourage students to alter the shape of the foil before tooling.

After the repousse process is complete, have students place their foil project on top of a piece of cardboard, trace around the foil, cut out the cardboard so it is the same shape and size as the foil, and then glue the two pieces together. It is helpful to place weight on top of the pieces as they dry to ensure that both sides have made contact with the glue.

If mat board is used, I place the dry student artwork on a scrap piece of wood and use a nail and hammer to pierce a hole to hang the pendant. I use industrial glue to attach the glass gems to the foil, and let them dry overnight. Add cord, ribbons, yarn, or plastic lacing to hang and wear the pendant.

Objectives

Students will:

* demonstrate recognition of how repetition creates pattern and rhythm in Asante metal arts.

* create an original, aluminum, tooled pendant that effectively reflects the students" imagination and ideas of self.

Materials

* aluminum tooling foil, approximately 3 x 3" (7.5 x 7.5 cm)

* cardboard or mat board, 3 x 3"

* dull pencils

* newspaper

* scissors 

* white glue

* two pillowcases

* industrial glue

* cord, yarn, ribbon, or plastic to hang the pendant

* optional: glass gems

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students understand the visual arts in relation to history and culture.

WEB LINK

www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk (Click on Compass and type in "Asante gold" in the search bar.)

Heather White is an art teacher at E. P. Razor Elementary in Denton, Texas. [e-mail]