Recycled junk sculpture adds life to library wall

Published: April 28, 2012

Payton Griffith and Caitlin Tusing helped create this relief sculpture made from "found objects" to represent all aspects of Trinity Junior High School in Fort Smith.

Payton Griffith and Caitlin Tusing helped create this relief sculpture made from "found objects" to represent all aspects of Trinity Junior High School in Fort Smith.

The ninth-grade art class at Trinity Junior High School made unique artwork recently for its library.

Librarian Bonnie Gondolfi requested the students to create some kind of art to be displayed on a large blank wall in the library. While art teacher Becky Johnson was preparing her unit on sculpture, its various kinds, processes and materials, she decided upon a plan for her class to undertake.

Three students, Alyssa Fleck, Payton Griffith and Caitlin Tusing, along with Johnson brainstormed about ideas to represent all aspects of Trinity Junior High, including religion, curriculum, activities and sports. They sent out a request to the faculty for donations of three-dimensional objects and eventually ended up with boxes of "junk" or "found objects" to cull through, select and arrange in an interesting way. Teachers and coaches donated old computer monitors and keyboards, sports equipment such as a football helmet and baseball bat, and even a trumpet, Quiz Bowl buzzers, cheer poms, art supplies, iPod ear buds and lime green flip-flops.

The biggest challenge was to find ways to safely and permanently attach the heavy objects to the recycled hollow core doors used as a backboard. After Johnson consulted with experts, she and the three students used an electric drill, toggle bolts, metal braces, hacksaws, screws and brackets and lots of hot glue to adhere the various objects to the sculpture.

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