Arts & Activities articles from April 2009

Arts & Activities archives from April 2009

Editor's note.
April 1, 2009... "Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision--it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so."~Charles Hawthorne. If beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, then beauty can be found all around us. And, where beauty is...

Google Earth and the Prado.(arts update)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... According to the Associated Press, Google Earth has teamed with Spain's famous Prado Museum in a first-of-its-kind initiative to allow people to "zoom in on the gallery's main works." Among the 14 artworks featured are The Three Graces, Third...

PTA Reflections Program.(arts update)(Parent Teacher Association)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Since 1969, the PTA Reflections Program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to create works of art. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition....

Brighter World Art Contest.(arts update)(Sargent Art's Brighter World Art Contest)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... K-12 art teachers are invited to submit their students' art for Sargent Art's Brighter World Art Contest. This year's theme is "Start with Art, Learn for Life." Children are asked to use paints, markers, pencils, crayons, pastels, paper or any...

World Kids Coloring Day.(arts update)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The Second Annual "World Kids Coloring Day," sponsored by Staedtler, Inc., will be held May 6, 2009. In this campaign, children the world over are invited to create and then sell their works. Proceeds will then be donated to a good cause....

Emergent Curriculum in the Primary Classroom: Interpreting the Reggio Emilia Approach in Schools .(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... EMERGENT CURRICULUM IN THE PRIMARY CLASSROOM: Interpreting the Reggio Emilia Approach in Schools (2008; $26.95), by Carol Anne Wien, Editor. Teachers College Press. It was following World War II that Louis Malaguzzi, a young teacher,...

Van Gogh Paintings: The Masterpieces.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... VAN GOGH PAINTINGS: The Masterpieces (2007; $45), by Belinda Thomson. Thames & Hudson. Vincent van Gogh lived only 37 years. Stories of his life and images of his drawings and paintings make up a vast literature. The author of this book,...

Dropping in on Grandma Moses.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Video recording review)
April 1, 2009... DROPPING IN ON GRANDMA MOSES. DVD or VHS with book/15 min./$41. Level: Elementary. Crystal Productions. Dropping In On is a series of animated films featuring insights into the lives of famous individual artists. The seventh and newest film...

Staedtler, Inc.(shop talk)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marsgraphic Jr. Brush Markers create beautiful muted watercolor effects and produce brilliant color when used without water. The ergonomic barrel is larger than the original Mars-graphic brush markers, with...

Watson-Guptill Publications.(shop talk)(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WaterMedia Painting with Stephen Quiller is the complete guide to working in watercolor, acrylic, gouache and casein, for beginners as well as advanced artists. The book charts the creative process from idea to...

Dixon Ticonderoga Co.(shop talk)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The colors of Prang Ready-To-Use Tempera Paint, from Dixon Ticonderoga, are bright, non-settling and blend easily with smooth textures and good working characteristics. This tempera paint is available in 12 colors...

Sakura of America.(shop talk)(Fantasia Watercolors)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fantasia Watercolors are smooth, rich, high-quality watercolors. The 12 poly tube set of reusable containers have a unique lid-and-cup package for the budding artist to use as a palette and brush washer. Squeeze...

Crystal Productions.(shop talk)(graphic cards)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Crystal Productions announces the release of a new set in the Art Display Cards series, "Color." The set of 16 cards introduces the color vocabulary, including Hue, Primary, Secondary and Intermediate Colors,...

Junk yard treasures.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "What's wrong with old cars?" I asked. "They're old!" my students replied. "So?" I answered back. "They're old and junky!" So the challenge began. What fun! I had another opportunity to demonstrate...

American chronicles: the art of Norman Rockwell.(LEARNING from EXHIBITIONS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Norman Rockwell was the quintessential painter of American life. His images reflect the history of America as told through the eyes of this idealistic and patriotic artist who sought to show America at its best, and...

Sight unseen.(art across the curriculum)(nature in art)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When you visit the Grand Canyon, you can't borrow it and take it home with you to Minnesota. You could take a photograph as a reminder, but there is no substitute for the grandiose, all-encompassing sensory...

Clip & save art notes.(Martiros Saryan)
April 1, 2009... ABOUT THE ARTIST It is not uncommon in the Clip & Save Art Print series to introduce artists who are well-known only within their own country or by the most learned art historians. Such is the case with this month's featured artist,...

Classroom use of the art print.(Martiros Saryan)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Martiros Saryan (1880-1972). Street in Constantinople at Midday, 1910. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. THINGS TO KNOW Martiros Saryan was born in Russia to a farming family. He was the seventh of nine...

Young artist.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Art has a different meaning for everyone. me, it is a way to express myself. I...

The magic moment: creating color harmony.
April 1, 2009... If there is a truly magic moment in art class, it must be when a student--of any age--attains a working knowledge of color's core principles. At that point, she or he becomes able to consistently create color harmony in any painting, regardless...

Klimtomania.(Gustav Klimt)
April 1, 2009... Many people have seen The Kiss (1907-08), an iconic artwork by Austrian Symbolist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), but know little about its background. Since its creation, the sensual subject matter and lush golden patterns have been our culture's...

What color is your dog? Taking a cue from artist George Rodrigue.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As n art educator and artist I constantly seek and review materials and instructional resources. I use these resources as a source of personal inspiration when I develop an art lesson. I have a large collection...

Line designs inspired by Paul Klee.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With such a vast amount of material to teach in so little time, I seek out lessons that teach many different concepts at once. In this lesson, my students learned about line, shape, color,...

Multimedia: landscapes.(pixel PALETTE)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While creating a resource book of art-based technology lessons for our school district, I worked with another teacher using a simple computer program to create DBAE lessons that translated...

In the style of Jackson Pollock.(art lessons for preschoolers)
April 1, 2009... Inspired by Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters (Bright Ring Publishing, 1997), I decided to introduce the children to the work of Jackson Pollock. I first read the story Action Jackson...

Push it to the max! Thinking in layers.
April 1, 2009... After some serious integrated arts activities, our music teacher, Mary Slee, and I wanted to collaborate on a "fun" lesson for our fifth-grade students. Mary wanted to focus on music by the ever-popular Beatles. I chose to complement that with...

Gardens in Art.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... GARDENS IN ART (2007; $24.95), by Lucia Impelluso. Getty Publications. There are many references in literature to "gardens." From simple, small gardens adjacent to houses in the city to more extended and enormous public or private spaces,...

Paint and enjoy: tried & true tips for art teachers.
April 1, 2009... April is in the air. Our senses bloom with colorful creativity, and we grow as nature's beauty blossoms. We too experience a rebirth as we focus on painting--working with various media, experimenting, wallowing in the viscosity of oils and the...