Arts & Activities articles from March 2005

Arts & Activities archives from March 2005

Editor's note.(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... The dancing clown on our cover is happy to spread the joy of color and drawing, and invites you to join him. Grab up those pastels, crayons and colored pencils--it's happy times in the art room. Add some paint and some India ink, and we've got...

Making differences in lives.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... After 31 years of teaching, I am now retiring. I want thank you so very much for publishing my articles and featuring so many of my students in your Young Artist section. You made a huge difference in my kids' lives. They have all gone on to do...

Surpassing expectations.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Arts & Activities has surpassed my expectations. The projects are better explained than other sources, compelling to my students and realistic to ages and large groups. Thanks! Deborah Green Oakland, California

Elementary, my dear Gilliam.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I love the elemental-y level art lessons provided by elementary art teachers that you publish. When I receive my Arts & Activities magazine, I have to scan the elementary art lessons before I leave the post office. Please print more elementary...

Planting seeds for the future.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Thank you so much for the big box of Arts & Activities you sent me to distribute to my Art Education class. The students were delighted and many saw your publication for the first time. While you may not see immediate tangible results, the...

Proud teacher of a young artist.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Thank you so much for featuring Tony Purnell as the December 2004 Young Artist. This has made our entire year happy and we are so excited! I appreciate your time in looking through his portfolio. I'm so proud of him. I love Arts & Activities...

Our progeny: art lesson ideas.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I have enjoyed your magazine since being introduced to it by my cooperating teacher during my student teaching in 1981. I could not begin to tell you how many lessons I have used and ideas that have been born from your magazine. Ellen C....

Garish and grotesque.(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Your magazine has provided inspiration, but I wanted to share a few ideas/suggestions. It would be a great help to have more lessons and insights into teaching realistic art. I think that the multicultural emphasis has led to an excess of...

Paper the walls with A&A!(dear editor)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Your art lessons are great, and I really like the Young Artist series--I put them all over my art room! Thanks also for the Clip & Save Art Prints at the center of the magazine. Thank you for the most informative of art-teaching publication....

Ceramics products part of home makeover.(arts update)
March 1, 2005... Three companies who have long been generous to the art-education community took part in the Dec. 12, 2004 episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The episode featured Patricia Broadbent, a courageous mother who has helped three of her...

Biodreaming poster contest.(arts update)
March 1, 2005... The Biotechnology Institute invites all public and private school children and youth organizations to showcase their artistic talent and their commitment to the public understanding of the promises of biotechnology by participating in its...

Center for cartoon studies.(arts update)
March 1, 2005... Beginning in the fall of 2005, The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) will offer a two-year course of study that centers on the creation and dissemination of comics, graphic novels and other manifestations of the visual narrative. Experienced and...

The power of art.(arts update)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Power of Art: Teaching Students with Disabilities is a one-day workshop for art teachers who work with students with disabilities. Sponsored by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation at the Lab School of Washington, the program will present...

Effects of art ed on learning.(arts update)
March 1, 2005... Dartmouth College has been awarded a grant to study the effect of the arts on learning. Awarding the grant--$1,850,000 over three years--is The Dana Foundation's newly created Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium. Research participants will range...

Take part in the flaming fire.(arts update)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The goal of the Flaming Fire Illustrated Bible is to illustrate the entire Bible verse-by-verse, one illustration per verse. Artists and illustrators from all over the world are invited to help bring each of the 36,665 verses in the Flaming...

Drawing Animals.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... DRAWING ANIMALS (2003, $11.95, paperback), by Hugh Laidman. Dover Publications, 31 East 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501. The writing of this book began in South Africa with the help of Rocco Knobel, Director of National Parks, and under the...

Art and Cognition: Integrating the Visual Arts in the Curriculum.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... ART AND COGNITION: Integrating the Visual Arts in the Curriculum (2002, $18 for NAEA members) by Arthur D. Efland. Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027 and the National Art Education Association, 1916 Association...

Dropping in on Picasso.(Video Recording Review)
March 1, 2005... DROPPING IN ON PICASSO. Video/20 min./$29.95. Level: Grades 4-12. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, www.crystalproductions.com. Animated images along with well-known paintings by Pablo Picasso create an interesting...

Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... DRAWING FOR THE ABSOLUTE AND UTTER BEGINNER (2003; $19.95), by Claire Watson Garcia. Watson-Guptill Publications, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. This is a "how-to-do-it" book. It is directed at beginners and could be of use for middle-...

Yale University Press.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, in association with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, announces the publication of Islamic Art and Geometric Design, Activities for Learning: A Resource for Educators, which offers an introduction to the principles of...

Staedltler, Inc.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... Making upgrades to its 124A series of watercolor pencils, STAEDLTLER, INC. has introduced the new 125 series Karat Aquarell Watercolor Pencils. Targeted to reach art teachers, more mature art students, as well as hobby artists, the new series...

Crizmac.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... CRIZMAC announces its 2005 Art & Cultural Education Materials catalog, featuring more than 700 classroom resources. The 74-page, full-color catalog includes curriculum programs, art prints, videos, games, books and authentic folk art priced for...

Binney & Smith.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... BINNEY & SMITH's "Twistable" Crayola crayons renew older students' interest in crayons with a fun, new twist on a coloring tool that never requires sharpening or peeling--just twist the plastic barrel to expose more coor. Twistables contain...

Nasco.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... Almost 1,400 new products and 16 new pages have been added to this year's NASCO catalog, featuring the latest in arts and crafts teaching aids, supplies, and equipment. Each product featured in the 524-page catalog is designed to make teaching...

Watson-Guptill Publications.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... A magical tale sets the stage for readers in WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS' Drawing Fairies: A Believers Guide, by best-selling author Christopher Hart. They are then invited to share in the author's sketchbook, filled with step-by-step diagrams,...

Sanford Corp.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... SANFORD CORP.'s Prismacolor[R] Art Stix Colored Pencils are made from the same fine pigments as the Prismacol or Thick Core Colored Pencils. Each Art Stix provides bold color lay down and is idea for coverage of large areas. All 48 colors are...

Art Video Productions.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... ART VIDEO PRODUCTIONS has released three new videos featuring three lessons in each. The art lessons in Van Gogh: Visions of Reality are titled "A Starry Night for all Ages," "Using Color to Show How I Feel" and "Drawing Rooms." Rembrandt:...

www.artragous.com.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... Artist and art teacher, Cordi Bradburn, through WWW.ARTRAGOUS.COM, has just released her second video/DVD on drawing. Easy 2 Draw Dinos with Cordi teaches basic drawing skills and vocabulary. Cordi draws in simple steps and explains little...

ArtBin.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... ARTBIN[R] is pleased to announce its newly designed Web site, www.artbin.com. Designed for creative minds, the site provides two avenues for reviewing ArtBin products--one for the art market and one for the craft market, providing a...

Illuminated by African light.(Forum: thoughts to share)
March 1, 2005... While serving in the Peace Corps a few years ago, I had a few insights into my responsibilities as an art educator. A Namibian teacher, Meme Frieda, asked me to explain "parallelism" to her, so that she could pass her teacher's-certification...

Fun with Yarnikin dancers.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... I'll bet every elementary art teacher is familiar with the famous "hot dog man" lesson. You know, the one where students use long, thin ovals to learn to draw a human figure with movement. I find this lesson to be a necessary and important...

Who's who?(art Across the Curriculum)
March 1, 2005... The nature--and perhaps the ambiguity--of identity links artist and sitter in the elegant portrait to your left. Certainly, we know the names of each, but who were they, really? The artist, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is one of infinite...

Clip & save art notes.(self-portraits)(Biography)
March 1, 2005... ABOUT THIS SELF-PORTRAIT It would be strange if anyone painted a portrait while dressed in all the finery the artist is wearing in this self-portrait. There has to be a story behind it all, and there is. The fact is that Elisabeth-Louise...

Classroom use of the art print.(self-portraits)
March 1, 2005... Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-LeBrun (1755-1842). Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat, after 1783. Oil on canvas; 381/2" x 273/4". National Gallery, London. THINGS TO LEARN * Two hundred years ago, it was very difficult for a woman to become an...

Young artist.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Hi! My name is Robbie Ward. I am 14 years old and live in Monument, Colo. I have been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil in my hand, and it's still my favorite thing to do. Almost all of my work is done in Prismacolor[R] pencils, but...

Memories make the art grow fonder.
March 1, 2005... What makes us collect things? Is it their appeal at a particular point in time? Is it a way to reminisce and remember? Can we conjure up the exact time, place and events by gathering items? I'm not exactly sure what the answers might be to...

Exploring ceramic cultural traditions through drawing.
March 1, 2005... I do this project with non-art-major college students and with third- to fifth-graders in our university's after-school children's art classes. Depending on the age level of the students and their curriculum needs, this project can be shortened...

Students real comics!
March 1, 2005... Blockbuster films such as Spider Man have once more put comic books back into public attention. Merivale High School capitalized on that attention through the creation of a comic book club, wherein students could produce a comic of their own....

Light the way with abstract lanterns.
March 1, 2005... For the past 10 years I have been teaching my visual-art projects to elementary school teachers. The 3-credit university class is designed for those elementary school teachers who want to give their students a simple, yet very successful art...

Saul Steinberg revisited.
March 1, 2005... One of the most powerful covers that the illustrious The New Yorker magazine has ever published is Saul Steinberg's unique bird's-eye view of Manhattan as the center of the world. Steinberg's simple illustration underscored the importance...

Self-portrait exhibit.
March 1, 2005... Each spring, when our elementary school holds its annual open house to welcome parents and families into the classroom, we hold a school-wide "Self-Portrait Exhibit." Each classroom is encouraged to create and matte their own...

Pacific.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... California Year-round workshops of variable length in fine art, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, jewelry, digital arts. Tuition varies. Mendocino Art Center, P.O. Box 765, Mendocino, CA 95460, (707) 937-5818, fax (707) 937-1764,...

Four corners.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... Arizona Oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel and sculpture workshops. Call for free schedule. Tuition varies. Scottsdale Artists' School, 3720 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85018, (480) 990-1422, fax (480) 990-0652,...

Rocky mountains.(Summer Art Experiences)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... Idaho Summer teacher education program. "Tried and True Techniques," July 11-15. "Beyond the Classroom," July 25-29. Feature exhibition: Georgia O'Keeffe. Art discussions and hands-on activities for the classroom. Tuition: $50 per week....

South/South Central.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... Florida Wide range of ceramic classes for beginners to advanced. Tuition: $35 per class. Axner Company Inc., 490 Rane Court, Oviedo, FL 32765, (800) 843-7057, fax (407) 365-5573, rosanne@axner.com, www.axner.com. Community art...

Midwest.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... Indiana June 20-25. Low Fire Ceramic & Glaze workshop. Three credits available, undergraduate and graduate level. AMACO Summer Clay Workshops, University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46227, (317) 788-3253, fax...

Mid-Atlantic.(Summer Art Experiences)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... New Jersey Programs, events, activities, classes. A nonprofit facility dedicated to teaching, supporting and enhancing the creative arts and physical sciences. Open all year. Call for class listing. Tuition varies. Long Beach Island...

New England.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... Maryland Graduate courses and workshops in ceramic arts. Non-credit workshops and a graduate certificate program in ceramic arts are offered. Special emphasis is placed on the unique requirement of teaching ceramic arts. Tuition: $340....

Multi-region U.S.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... "Native American Art & Culture: Visions of the Southwest," Tucson, Ariz., June 23-30. "Georgia O'Keeffe Art & Leadership Seminar," Santa Fe, N.M., July 21-26. CRIZMAC, P.O. Box 65928, Tucson, AZ 85728, (800) 913-8555, fax (520) 323-6194,...

Foreign study/travel.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... Canada Eight- to five-day workshops with top North American instructors. July-September. Intermediate to advaced level, unless otherwise stated. White Rock Summer School of the Arts, Attn. Sheila Symington, Box #150, 106-1656 Martin Dr.,...

Scholarships available.(Summer Art Experiences)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... New Jersey Scholarships, residencies and exhibition opportunities are available for 3-5 day intensive summer workshops in blacksmithing, ceramics, fibers, fine metals, photography, weaving, woodworking and other special topics. Peters...

Employment.(Summer Art Experiences)
March 1, 2005... California Home-based arts and crafts business. Create Living Network products focus on three popular arts and crafts categories. Make extra money doing what you love to do, touching lives creatively! Creative Living Network, 5673 E....

Internships.(Summer Art Experiences)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... New Jersey Programs, events, activities, classes. A nonprofit facility dedicated to teaching, supporting and enhancing the creative arts and physical sciences. Open all year. Call for class listing. Internships available. Long Beach Island...

Tuition free.(Summer Art Experiences)(art education)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Michigan Learn stained glass, bead making, glass fusing, mosaics and jewelry making. Many one-day and weekend classes. Workshops up to $50 free to art teachers. Delphi Creativity Center, 3380 E Jolly Rd., Lansing, MI 48910, (888) 281-5780,...

For young artists.(Summer Art Experiences)(workshops)
March 1, 2005... California Children's workshops of variable length in fine art, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, jewelry, digital arts. Tuition varies. Mendocino Art Center, P.O. Box 765, Mendocino, CA 95460, (707) 937-5818, fax (707) 937-1764,...

Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel: Everything You Need to Know to Create Great Graphic Works.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING THE GRAPHIC NOVEL: Everything You Need to Know to Create Great Graphic Works (2004; $21.95) by Mike Chinn. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788. We are all aware of the...

A. Meyers & Sons.(shop talk)
March 1, 2005... Three new graphic-arts products have been added to the Lance' line of rulers and related products from A. MEYERS & SONS: a stainless steel T-Square; an 18-inch stainless steel graphic-arts ruler and a classic French curve. The blades of the new...