Arts & Activities articles from February 2002

Arts & Activities archives from February 2002

Editor's note.
February 1, 2002... This month, we propose that you get your hands into an earthy element. Clay provides wonderful, unique learning opportunities in the art room, and the resulting objects produced bring great satisfaction to teacher and students. In fact, it is...

NAEA President releases agenda for learning. (Arts Update).(National Art Education Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... National Art Education Association President Mac Arthur Goodwin released a national art education report "Visual Arts Education: Setting An Agenda For Improving Student Learning." According to NAEA Executive Director, Thomas Hatfield, "The...

Call for entries for online ceramics gallery. (Arts Update).(Review)
February 1, 2002... The updated Web site for Paragon Industries Inc. (www.paragonweb.com) features a gallery of ceramic ware fired in Paragon kilns. Entries remain online for one month. To be featured, please send quality color prints or slides of your ceramic...

New arts requirements for California universities. (Arts Update).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Starting in 2003, to be considered for admission to the UC or CSU, students must have completed one year of college preparatory coursework certified in the visual and performing arts. Grades in art courses will then be calculated in students'...

Outstanding student sought for sculpture award. (Arts Update).(Review)
February 1, 2002... The International Sculpture Center (ISC) established the Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Awards program in 1994 to recognize young sculptors and encourage their continued commitment to the field. The program also...

The 2002 Arbor Day National Poster Contest. (Arts Update).(Review)
February 1, 2002... The theme for this year's Arbor Day National Poster Contest is "Trees are Terrific... inside and out." The contest encourages students to show off their creative flair by designing a poster to reflect this year's theme. Contest packets are now...

African-American Visual Artists: An Annotated Bibliography of Educational Resource Materials. (Reviews: book).
February 1, 2002... AFRICAN-AMERICAN VISUAL ARTISTS: An Annotated Bibliography of Educational Resource Materials (2001; $45), by Daniel J. Frye. Scarecrow Press, Inc., 4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706. Secondary school libraries would find this a useful...

Selected African American Posters: 1859 to the Present. (Reviews: A-V/Visual/CD-ROM).(Review)
February 1, 2002... SELECTED AFRICAN AMERICAN POSTERS: 1859 to the Present. Set of five posters and resource book/$39.95. Level: Middle School. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800) 255-8629. The artworks of African Americans from the...

Scenes Of American Life: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Reviews: A-V/Visual/CD-ROM).
February 1, 2002... SCENES OF AMERICAN LIFE: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Video/10 min./Study Guide/10 slides/Ten 8 1/2" x 11" posters/$75. Level: Secondary. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800) 255-8629. ...

Richard Mayhew: Spiritual Landscapes. (Reviews: A-V/Visual/CD-ROM).
February 1, 2002... RICHARD MAYHEW: SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPES. Video/28 minutes/$39.95. Level: High School and Adult. L&S Video, Inc., 45 Stornowaye, Chappaqua, NY 10514, (914) 238-9366. In this video we see Afro-Native American artist Richard Mayhew create...

Musee d'Orsay. (Reviews: A-V/Visual/CD-ROM).
February 1, 2002... MUSEE D'ORSAY. Video/60 min./$29.95. Level: High School and Adult. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800) 255-8629. This video highlights the extensive collection of Western art that is housed in the Musee d'Orsay in...

Shop talk.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... DEBCOR, INC. introduces its new Adjustable Height Multi-Student Art and Activity Table with large 60" x 42" smooth, scratch and liquid-resistant high pressure laminate or maple work surface. Easy to assemble, the table's sturdy steel base has...

Joys & mysteries: an interview with Debra W. Fritts. (Cover Story).(Interview)
February 1, 2002... Georgia ceramic artist Debra W. Fritts creates one-of-a-kind, handbuilt terra-cotta sculptures with surfaces that are layered with found object marks and fired colorants. Her sculptures tell stories and ask questions, but they never provide...

Clay plots: stories for the young at art.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Storytellers are treasured in many cultures. In fact, in many, storytelling is the traditional way to initiate the young in the beliefs and experiences of the elders. Storytellers have a flair, a cadence and intonation that grabs the interest...

Empty bowls feed the hungry service learning across the curriculum with the visual arts at the core. (Community connections).
February 1, 2002... A school-wide, cross-curricular project evolved at Hall High School in West Hartford when social-studies teacher Liz Devine initiated "Empty Bowls." She shared the information and encouraged Beth O'Dell, a consumer-science teacher, and myself...

Precisionism. (Classroom Use).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... THINGS TO LEARN * The other name for "Precisionism" is "Cubist Realism." Students who know what Realism and Cubism are will probably be able to guess what Precisionist artists were trying to do. It was a very American art movement, quite...

Clip & save. (Art Notes).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Clip & save Charles Sheeler (1883-1965). Conversation: Sky and Earth, 1940. Oil on canvas; 72.2 cm x 58.4 cm. Curtis Galleries, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Charles Sheeler grew up in Philadelphia. His parents encouraged him when he decided to...

From another world.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Children of all ages love to dream up wild and imaginary characters. Creating unusual ways to draw made-up beings is so much fun; after all an imaginary creature can have several heads, six arms and can be any assortment of zany colors. There's...

The animal fair.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Students of any age are always enthusiastic over their sculpture lesson when the medium is clay. The small clay animal pots created by my Art I and Art II classes were quite impressive. The whole school buzzed after I displayed these wonderful...

Anna's Art Adventure. (Reviews: book).
February 1, 2002... ANNA'S ART ADVENTURE (1999; $15.95), by Bjorn Sortland; illustrated by Lars Elling. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 241 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55401. How might a teacher or parent of preschool or primary-grade children approach a...

Young artist.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... When I think of my life, art stands out as one of my most favorite hobbies. As long as I can remember, I'd color on any paper I was given. Now, my crayon scribbles have [evolved] into precise pieces of art. I live in the hills of Ohio,...

A plot in paradise. (art Across the Curriculum).
February 1, 2002... Imagine this sequel to a story written long ago. Eve has returned to Paradise, and she has landed in the tropics. Of course some things have changed. For one thing, she has to wear a dress. But that's all right, she's home again. Or is...

A brush with history: paintings from the National Portrait Gallery. (Learning from Exhibitions).
February 1, 2002... Imagine an exhibition that presents the work of dozens of fine artists from throughout history. Imagine an exhibition that chronicles 75 of America's foremost citizens from colonial times right up to the present, Imagine an exhibition that...

Mardi Gras magic.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... During February, school children busily sift through stacks of red hearts, cut sheets of pink paper and glue delicate lacy doilies, all in celebration of Valentine's Day. As a visual arts specialist, I am always confronted with the unspoken...

Personal container artists. (Children's art diary).
February 1, 2002... I call it the "Montessori frisk." It starts during the drive up the circular driveway, as I begin asking for all things that should remain in the car and not be taken to school. Out of my daughter's pockets come a stream of...