Currently on display in the USC Gallery are five large-scale cardboard sculptures that were made by students last spring. Designed and completed in Ms. Lauren Cunningham's sculpture class, students were tasked with turning ordinary strips of cardboard into three-dimensional works of art.

Cunningham says she enjoyed assigning the project because of the complexity. "Students were challenged to take a flat, planar material and transform it into a three-dimensional form. By working at a large scale, students had to consider the engineering aspect of sculpting," says Cunningham.

The cardboard sculptures were inspired by the works of sculptor Ann Weber, which aim to explore the fine line between art and craft. "With cardboard, you can bend to however you want it, but stapling some of the corners was hard," says John Dameris '22, who collaborated with Gloria Flowers '20 on Dark Strength.

Aside from the creative and engineering aspects of the sculptures, Cunningham assigned the project to help students learn the value of teamwork. The sculptures required students to work in pairs, collaborate on ideas, and identify each other's strengths. "I am not very creative, so it was nice to have my teammate's support," says Dameris, "Gloria drew the picture and I really liked it. I mostly did the manual labor." Sydney Smith '23 enjoyed working with her partner, Bella Fayad '21, on Fleur because "it brought new perspectives."

Both Dameris and Smith agree that the insights from Cunningham and the creation of sculptures helped shape their inner genius. Dameris appreciated Cunningham's support, "She helped us home in on details and taught us how to plan the project." While Smith says, "It definitely taught me patience and made me more creative."

Cunningham admits she's constantly impressed by what her students can achieve, especially when they work together. "Students worked hard to learn, practice, and apply techniques," says Cunningham, "I love collaborative art projects because they cooperate with each other and students can achieve things they never thought possible."