Sharon McConnell-Dickerson is a blind artist, sculptor, and speaker. She started losing her sight at the age of 27. After years of treatments, Sharon discovered sculpting and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to study all aspects of art. Taking a traditional approach, she studied under numerous master sculptors and artists. After some years of creating figurative sculptures and full-body life-casts, she began life-casting faces of blues musicians. After years of work, she has now cast 60 faces of musicians, which are included in a body of work entitled A Cast of Blues. She is also building on that collection by casting hands of other musicians, writers, producers, and radio personalities. She finds satisfaction in conducting hand-casting workshops for children and adults.
Sample Programs Offered
Program Type: Arts Integration
Program Description:
Students will be taught the tools, vocabulary, and techniques of life-casting. Each member will have the opportunity to be the artist, artist’s assistant and model for a three dimensional cast of the hand and wrist and be able to take it home at the end of class. The teacher will demonstrate the first phase of the process while the students observe. They return to their work stations and decide who will be model, artist and assistant. All will learn to mix material with a cordless drill with a paddle mixer. Three or more of the casting crew including the teacher will supervise, give feedback, and help when needed.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
This is an introductory lecture and demonstration for use in grades 3-5 or 6-8. This could be presented in a school assembly. It is designed to inspire in students not only an appreciation of art, but of their abilities. There are numerous opportunities available for those who wish to pursue a career in a creative field. One goal is to introduce and instill self-efficacy in the students. The lecture is coupled with a demonstration of hand-casting of two students which the teacher would select ahead of time. It is desired that the student be selected from those which include students who have disabilities, gifted, have artistic talent or interest, lower to average grade, high honors, shy, popular and kids with behavior problems like bullying.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
This is a lecture about perception and visualization techniques for use in College Arts and Humanities. This could be presented in a school assembly. It is designed to make the students thing of ways of perceiving subjects for their art in different ways. It will aid them in visualizing what their artwork is to be. This lecture is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation with images, sound bites, and music.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
