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Classroom with Three Figures
1979, 1984-1987 Lavern Kelley Born: Oneonta, New York 1928 Died: Cooperstown, New York 1998 white pine, plywood, brass, and plastic overall: 36 3/8 x 30 1/8 x 45 in. (92.4 x 76.5 x 114.3 cm.) base: 25 1/4 x 30 1/8 x 1 1/2 in. (64.2 x 76.6 x 3.8 cm.) A (teacher): 32 1/2 x 10 7/8 x 10 1/4 in. (82.6 x 27.7 x 26.1 cm.) B (boy): 24 1/2 x 5 5/8 x 3 3/8 in. (62.2 x 14.3 x 8.6 cm.) C (girl): 24 5/8 x 5 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (62.6 x 14.0 x 7.0 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. 1989.92A-L Not currently on view
Sharing the sentiment of cartoonist Bill Watterson that, "people who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children," Lavern Kelley's piece recalls the perceived captivity of the grade school experience.
"Whatever I do, I want it to be my own thoughts and methods, not somebody else’s."
—Lavern Kelley
Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006
Keywords
Architecture - education
Figure group - female and child
Figure(s) in interior - education
Object - furniture - desk
Object - written matter - book
sculpture
folk art
metal - brass
plastic
wood - pine
wood - plywood
About Lavern Kelley
Born: Oneonta, New York 1928 Died: Cooperstown, New York 1998
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