Arts & Activities articles from February 2003

Arts & Activities archives from February 2003

Editor's note.(inside this issue)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Ceramic artist/teacher, Jude Odell (whose whimsical work appears on our cover), says that she has "... found kids to be extremely eager to get their hands in clay. I present simple projects that give my students the opportunity to really get in...

Basic Throwing Skills.(art suplies)(Video Recording Review)
February 1, 2003... Video/25 min./$24.95. Level: Elementary through Middle School. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025-6159, (800) 255-8629. This release from Crystal Production's popular "Art Is... " video series features artist Alleghany...

Outsider Art: Spontaneous Alternatives.(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... (2000; $14.95), by Colin Rhodes. Thames & Hudson Inc., 500 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10110. What is generally taught in our schools can be said to be "insider art"; art forms that are identified and discussed in our art-history texts. Yet,...

A White Teacher Talks About Race.(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... (2001; $22.95), by Julie Landsman. Scarecrow Press, Inc., 4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706. This book does not include explicit references to the teaching of art. The author, however, has taught in the Minneapolis Public Schools for 25...

Ceramics: Throwing Functional Forms.(art suplies)(Video Recording Review)
February 1, 2003... Video/28 min./$24.95. Level: Middle School and Above. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800) 255-8629. Crystal's "Art Is..." video series once again features artist Alleghany Meadows as he shows and explains how to...

American Art Clay Co., Inc. (AMACO[R]). (shop talk).(art suplies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... AMERICAN ART CLAY CO., INC. (AMACO[R]) has available a set of informational posters, ideal for school ceramic art departments or studios. The 14 posters, which each measure 17" x 22", include full-color, step-by-step photographs to illustrate...

Crizmac Art & Cultural Education Materials, Inc. (shop talk).(art suplies)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... Clay Whistles: The Voice of Clay, available from CRIZMAC ART & CULTURAL EDUCATION MATERIALS, INC., teaches students how to make clay whistles with an illustrated guide and clear instructions. Directions to create ocarinas, whistles that play...

Klutz. (shop talk).(art suplies)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... The Incredible Clay Book[R] from KLUTZ has inspired a nation of young polymer clay maniacs with this million-selling title about the wonderful beads, buttons and beasties you can make and then bake for permanence with polymer clay. More than...

Great Lakes Clay & Supply Company. (shop talk).(art suplies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... GREAT LAKES CLAY & SUPPLY COMPANY announces their new potter's wheel, the Thrown-N-Go[TM], a lightweight electric potter's wheel and stool that fit together to become easily transportable. With its design and ultra-light weight, the Throw-N-Go...

Bright Ring Publishing, Inc. (shop talk).(art suplies)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... Mudworks/Bilingual, published by BRIGHT RING PUBLISHING, INC., is a book of open-ended clay, dough and other modeling art experiences. Exploration and experimentation in sculpture, design and play is encouraged for all ages. After children have...

The Chester Book Co. (shop talk).(art suplies)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... THE CHESTER BOOK CO. recently published Safety in the Ceramics Studio, by Jeff Zamek, a unique safety guide that every student and teacher will refer to again and again. Potters health and safety are covered in detail from ceramic toxicology to...

Scratch-Art[R] Co., Inc. (shop talk).(art suplies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Scratch-Brush[R], from SCRATCH-ART[R] CO., INC., is a unique tool with stainless-steel bristles, which was designed to be used to add textures and special effects in all sgraffito techniques, including scratchboard, dry-point, etching and...

Hearts and flowers: learning to enlarge images.(art project)
February 1, 2003... Every year during February, our kindergarten classes begin sketching small, 9" x 12" compositions utilizing the heart shape. We discuss hearts as flowers, hearts as leaves, hearts as balloons, hearts as people, hearts as houses, hearts as...

Young artist: Brandy Lemon.(fourth-grade student discusses art appreciation)
February 1, 2003... My mother inspired me to do art. She's always making something, like quilts and pictures. I always wanted to help her, so she gave me my own projects to work on, like paints, crayons, paper, fabrics and stuff. I don't make my art for...

Colorful and lively: an interview with Jude Odell. (Cover Story).(clay artist Jude Odell)
February 1, 2003... Jude Odell creates handbuilt sculptures, vessels, and goblets--all very figurative--and often they are colorful and lively. Her pieces reflect her appreciation for life and there is a touch of whimsy and humor in much that she does. Jude is a...

Art in the garden.(art project)
February 1, 2003... This wasn't just your garden-variety assignment, and my students gleaned quite a bit about shape, form, color, sensation of texture, and sculpture principles. My beginning art students, mostly freshmen, have a unit we like to call...

Creating a total object of art.(art project)
February 1, 2003... As a painter and art educator, I realize that many of the art lessons we give our students include art techniques, processes, art history, interpretation, art elements and more. Teaching students to proceed with respect for what they are...

Fish dishes.(art project)
February 1, 2003... The inspiration for this clay project came from ceramic dishes that I purchased on a family trip to Greece. I was captivated by the various shapes, styles and colors of Greek pottery. I found the fish-shaped dishes to be quite charming. It...

Classroom use.(profile of Augustus John)
February 1, 2003... THIS FACE The expression on Madame Suggia's face is one of inspired concentration and is focused exclusively on the music she is creating on her cello. Through the expression on her face, and the placement of her arms and hands, Augustus...

Clip & save art notes.(discussion of Augustus John's Madam Suggia)
February 1, 2003... Augustus John (1878-1961). Madame Suggia; 1920-23. Oil on canvas; 73 1/2" x 65". Tate Gallery, London, England. Presented by Lord Duveen through the National Arts Collection Fund, 1925. ABOUT THIS PAINTING Madame Guilhermina Suggia was...

The artful teapot. (Learning from Exhibitions).(art appreciation)
February 1, 2003... The form of the teapot as a vessel has been remarkably consistent since its introduction to the West in the late 17th century. However, with its few required parts--a body, spout, handle and lid--artists have enjoyed putting the parts together...

If I could be a door: unlocking imagination and creativity.(art project)
February 1, 2003... MATERIALS * Clay (we used cone 06) * Kiln * Glaze * Clay tools * Computer or resource materials to look up famous people and architectural styles * Rolling pins LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will... *...

Japanese tea bowls: a historical look and a class project. (Integrating the curriculum).(art project)
February 1, 2003... Materials * Clay * Canvas * Rolling pins * Cutting tools * Clay tools * Glazes and brushes * Air-tight plastic bags * Wooden paddles Tea was introduced to Japan as early as the eighth century from...

Kuba, kids and an airport: how one community celebrates art & imagination. (Community connections).(art project)
February 1, 2003... Connecting the Kuba and kids to one of the world's busiest airports may seem an unlikely match, but Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the project were a natural fit. Not only did exhibiting the students' work enable the airport to...

Doll artists. (Children's art diary).(art project)
February 1, 2003... We all have interesting sculptural histories we fondly recall from childhood. Mine had to do with the plaster Soviet general and his troops, for which I designed parade formations. I selected each soldier with care, looking carefully at faces,...