Youngstown State University
SMARTS

In 2002 Grendel’s Mother worked with more than two hundred middle school students and undergraduates from Youngstown State University to create two sculptures, one in cement and tile, the other in paper mache. These sculptures were designed in a collaboration between Grendel’s Mother and eighth grade students from W. S. Guy Middle and Hayes Middle Schools. They were built on the Youngstown State University campus with the assistance of undergraduate students. The eight foot tall cement and tile piece was placed in front of W. S. Guy Middle School, where it welcomes and protects students. The fifteen foot long paper mache piece hangs in the atrium of the Youngstown Ohio Symphony Hall.

In the months preceding David and Trisha’s arrival in Youngstown, the middle school students used collaborative drawing, sculpting and writing exercises to design two mythic creatures that would be the basis for the sculptures. Their designs were mailed to the artists who combined aspects of the creatures into two final composites. The fabrication of these pieces took place during an intense three week period in March.

Grendel’s Mother directed five sections of Y.S.U. beginning sculpture students, advanced sculpture students and groups of middle school students in the production process. The cement and tile sculpture was installed a month later when weather permitted the pouring of a cement pad. The paper mache piece was painted in the remainder of the school year by Hayes Middle School students.