Ideas for Teachers
Let's Make History—Together
Artists and Art Work:
Joseph Friedlander, Max Hausle, Joseph Kiselewski, George Snowden, Edward Field Sanford Jr., Adolph A. Weinman: Eight Statuary Groups, 1932, Georgia pink marble, each 100" x 121" x 70"
James Monroe Hewlett History of the Bronx, 1934, 4 panels, oil on canvas, 178" x 442" each
Charles Keck Bronx County Courthouse Frieze, 1933, Georgia pink marble, 8 corner panels: Moral of Law, Force of Law, Wisdom of Law, Protection of Law, Punishment of Law, 18 panels: Triumph of Government, 4 panels: Revolutionary, Civil, Spanish & World War I
Location: Bronx County Building, 161st Street and Grand Concourse
Grades: 5-6
About the Art: The Bronx County Building is an enormous limestone building built in 1934 by the architects Joseph Friedlander and Max Hausle. The artist Adolph A. Weinman (1870-1952) designed the rectangular block sculptures at the four entrances to the building and Charles Keck (1875-1951) designed the friezes on the outside walls of the building. The Art Deco design of the building reflects the architecture of many of the buildings along the Grand Concourse. The tall rectangular block sculptures are largely allegorical, paying homage to the history of government by law through the ages, beginning with Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The friezes which run along each facade (outside wall of the building) on either side of simple ionic styled columns are by Charles Keck. As with the Weinman sculptures in the round, Keck's friezes also refer to classical, biblical and symbolic themes including the West Facade frieze depicting the Civil War surrender of General Lee to General Grant, Revolutionary pipers in uniform, images of a young, growing and working America, as well as a rendering of slavery. Inside the Bronx County Building in the first floor rotunda is the Veterans’ Memorial Hall dedicated to the memory of the men of the Bronx who fought in the Spanish American War and the (First) World War. The four murals by James Monroe Hewlett (1868-1941), however, illustrate historical moments in the fight for freedom and justice which took place in the Bronx. They were designed in collaboration with Adolph A. Weinman and Charles Keck. The four murals describe: The Settlement of the Territory by Jonas Bronck Under the Dutch; the Establishment of Courts of Justice under the English; The Battle of Pells Point and the Defeat of the British; and the Reception for George Washington at Van Cortlandt Mansion.
Questions for Discussion: Read "About the Art" above before viewing. Looking at the freestanding sculptures at the four entryways, what do you notice about the people in them? Choose a character from a block and shape yourself to imitate it. What do you think the sculptures are about? What makes you think so? Is there anything that could be done to make it clear what they mean? Looking at the sculpture friezes on the outer walls of the building, what do you notice about them? What clues are there to tell you what they mean? What do you already know that will help you decide what they mean to you? How does knowing about the work help you enjoy them better?
Sample Art Activity: Model a plasticine tile about 6" x 6" that shows people in action to represent a theme from social studies.
Purpose: To demonstrate understanding that art can be used to represent ideas.
Materials: pencils, sketch paper, plasticine, simple carving tools such as wooden sticks, plastic knives. Optional: more specialized tools such as recycled clean dental tools, linoleum or plasticine or wood tools; cardboard bases to support plasticine pieces or Styrofoam meat trays; hot glue gun.
Teaching Strategies:
- As a whole group, decide on a theme from social studies, such as Immigration, Developing Identity, or Community of Individuals.
- In groups of 3-4, each student creates a tile as follows. (Tiles should be grouped together for display.)
- Cut cardboard bases to about 6" x 6" using grocery boxes.
- Encourage students to sketch their ideas before putting in the effort of modeling the plasticine, using the base as a tracer to get the dimensions right.
- Start with a slab of plasticine, and push, pull, add to and subtract from it. Press plasticine into Styrofoam meat tray or cardboard background. If plasticine sticks out too far, it will break off!
- Glue a loop of yarn on the center back of the tile to hang it.
Closure: A display of the sculptures with labels, grouped by themes, is appropriate for events to which parents are invited.
Extensions: For kinesthetic and spatial learning, bring your tiles to life through movement. Then, walk around New York City to see how friezes are used on other buildings. For verbal learning: write poems in journals and include a description of the process students went through on the entire project. (What was easy for you? What was difficult? How would you help a younger student to understand your work?)
National Art Education Learning Standards:
- Understanding and applying media, techniques and processes
- Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas
- Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
- Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
