Mixed Media Egyptian Symbols

Mixed Media Egyptian Symbols

Students Explore Mixed Media Sculpture Forms with Egyptian Symbolism

After finishing our mummies, I wanted the students to continue on with making their own decisions in their artwork while enlisting their creativity and problem solving abilities.  To continue our Egyptian studies, we looked at Ancient Egyptian Symbolism.  We discussed what "symbolism" means and how/where we find symbolism all over the world.  I presented them with some of the more commonly known Egyptian symbols and we discussed their meanings and uses.  I distributed a sheet of Egyptian symbols to the students and let them pick which one they would like to work with for this particular lesson.

Above you will find an Egyptian Cat, a Djed Pillar and a Scarab Beetle

I introduced the students to the concept of medium and media as new vocabulary words.  I then took them on to discuss mixed media sculptures and how to consider different dimensions, sides and angles of their art can been seen.  The students rummaged through my boxes of mixed media (boxes filled with various donated items such as bottle caps, buttons, old jewelry, fabrics, pipe cleaners, cardboard, etc) and came up with their own plans.  They sketched out their symbol and labeled what each part of it would be made out of.  We then assembled them and got amazing results!

Above you see Ibis, an Ankh and a Shen