Arts & Activities articles from February 2001

Arts & Activities archives from February 2001

Reduction-Fired SEEDPOD BOWLS.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... An interest in American Indian culture and working with clay inspired this reduction-fired seedpod bowl lesson. My philosophy of teaching includes the belief that the process of creating art is equal to, or as important as, the final results;...

Jacob Lawrence's THE GREAT MIGRATION.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... While searching on the Internet for a new black-history project to do with my middle-school students, I ran across a Web page about Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917-2000). Although I had seen several pieces of Lawrence's work before and knew of...

Handmade Art.
February 1, 2001... Orange bumpers, reflectors, flashing lights--and they cost more than my weekly pay," I said. At the end of a long day at the mall, I stood before a sneakers display, reciting the outlandish accessories and muttering about the prices. In a...

Young ARTIST.
February 1, 2001... I was born in Hawaii. I am the only deaf person in my family, so it was lonely growing up and not being able to communicate with my family and other hearing kids in my school. My real dad taught me how to draw when I was 4 years old. It really...

RECIPE FOR WORKING TOGETHER.
February 1, 2001... Gen. Colin Powell and the Baker's-Dough Mural Shortly before Sacramento's new Boys & Girls Club opened, a group of art teachers formed an organization called Visual Arts for Youth (VAY), devoting their efforts to supporting art in this new...

FEATURED ARTWORK.
February 1, 2001... Karl Bodmer (1809-1893), View of the Stone Walls, 1833. Watercolor on paper; 9 7/8" x 16 7/8". Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. Gift of Enron Art Foundation. JAM. 1986.49.392. THINGS TO LEARN * Karl Bodmer was 23 years old in...

CLIP & SAVE.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Most of Karl Bodmer's watercolors of the journey up the Missouri River were painted quickly, with many left unfinished. He would often paint a part of a scene in detail and leave the rest either roughly painted or outlined simply in pencil. He...

SHOP TALK.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... The Color Power 3-D Color Theory Teaching Kit from SAX ARTS & CRAFTS allows you to teach the principles of three-dimensional imagery by creating holographic images in your classroom. The kit contains step-by-step directions, a lesson plan that...

EDITOR'S NOTE.(Editorial)
February 1, 2001... Clay is a medium through which students' hopes, dreams and values take physical shape. This month, we encourage you to cultivate your students' creativity with a variety of "Fired Forms." "Clay Menagerie... An Interview with Patricia Uchill...

WHISTLE WHILE YOU SCULPT.(Review)
February 1, 2001... WHISTLE WHILE YOU SCULPT. Video/13 min./$39.95. Level: Grades 4-12. Crizmac Art & Cultural Education Materials, P.O. Box 65928, Tucson, AZ 85728-5928, (800) 913-8555. Using excellent close-ups and careful explanation, artist and teacher...

Ceramics Handbuilding Series: PINCH AND COIL CONSTRUCTION and SLAB CONSTRUCTION.(Brief Article)(Review)
February 1, 2001... Ceramics Handbuilding Series: PINCH AND COIL CONSTRUCTION and SLAB CONSTRUCTION. Two videos/30 min. each/ $24.95 each, $45 set. Level: All ages. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800) 255-8629. These easy-to-view...

JACOB LAWRENCE: The Glory of Expression.(Review)
February 1, 2001... JACOB LAWRENCE: The Glory of Expression. Video/28 min./$39.95. Level: All Ages. L&S Video Inc., 45 Stornowaye, Chappaqua, NY 10514, (914) 238-9366. In this documentary about the life and work of one of America's great painters and the...

CERAMICS.(Review)
February 1, 2001... CERAMICS. Set of 14 posters/ $44. Level: High School and Adult. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800) 255-8629. A clear and concise description of a variety of ceramics techniques is given on this new "Art Chart"...

CLAY MENAGERIE.(Interview)
February 1, 2001... an interview with Patricia Uchill Simons The animals that come from Patricia Uchill Simons' potter's wheel are realistic, yet whimsical. Pat says that she has been an artist all her life--and that she's always loved animals. Her first clay...

THE MEDIEVAL GARDEN.(Review)
February 1, 2001... THE MEDIEVAL GARDEN (1996; $24.95), by Sylvia Landsberg. Thames & Hudson, Inc., 500 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10110. This richly beautiful book about medieval gardens describes not only the artistic and historic context of these gardens, but...

THE LAW (IN PLAIN ENGLISH) FOR CRAFTS.(Review)
February 1, 2001... THE LAW (IN PLAIN ENGLISH) FOR CRAFTS (1999; $18.95), by Leonard D. DuBoff. Allworth Press, 10 E. 23 St., Suite 210, New York, NY 10010. Some might think that this is an "inappropriate" publication for review in this magazine. However,...

ABSTRACT PLANTERS.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... When creating the parameters for a new project for my beginning ceramics classes, I usually ask myself the question, "What will be the form of this project?" This is closely followed by the question of content and imagery for the clayware. ...

IT'S ALL IN THE ATTITUDE.
February 1, 2001... Leadership and pride are qualities that come from both birth and environment. They can be modified and refined through cultivation, but must also come naturally. A natural leader is instantly recognized; but what is it that sets such a person...

Hand-Built Pottery: An Elementary Clay Project.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... There is something very personally gratifying about holding a piece of clay in your hands and squeezing it into a form of some kind. At first just a cold slab, the clay is manipulated, pushed, pulled and coaxed into something meaningful. The...