Arts & Activities articles from May 2005

Arts & Activities archives from May 2005

Editor's note.(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... This month, we are encouraging you and your students to speak the language of forms. If you have something to say to the world, say it in three dimensions! This issue has some great ideas for this--for all grade levels. A fun place to start is...

What is Colonial American architecture?
May 1, 2005... VHS/CD/VISUAL WHAT IS COLONIAL AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE? Video/16 min./$69. Level: High School and Above. Lucerne Media, 37 Ground Pine Road, Morris Plains, NJ 07950, (800) 341-2293. This short video packs a great deal of information and...

Maskmaking with plaster tape.
May 1, 2005... VHS/CD/VISUAL MASKMAKING WITH PLASTER TAPE. Video/67 min./ $19.95. Level: Middle School and Above. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, (800)255-8629, www.crystal productions.com. This step-by-step video may be...

Harmonic proportion and form in nature, art and architecture.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... PRINT HARMONIC PROPORTION AND FORM IN NATURE, ART AND ARCHITECTURE (2003; $21.95), by Samuel Colman, edited and with a mathematical analysis by C. Arthur Coan. Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501. "Proportion...

Totem pole carving: bringing a log to life.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... PRINT TOTEM POLE CARVING: Bringing a Log to Life (2003; $22.95), by Vickie Jensen. University of Washington Press, P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145. Examination of records of early European explorers of the Northwest coast of America...

Paragon Industries.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... PARAGON INDUSTRIES has just released a cone-10 kiln called the Super Dragon, designed for super-sized ceramics. The interior is 27 wide x 27" deep x 36" high. The kiln includes a floating door system with four spring door latches and a recess...

FLIPFLOPSTYLE.COM.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... From FLIPFLOPSTYLE.COM comes the "decorate your own" flip flop sandal kit that allows children to express their own creativity and style. The kit includes one set of sandals, pearlescent colored 3-D paints, waterproof glue, acrylic jewels and...

Verilux[R].(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... VERILUX[R], The Healthy Lighting Company, has developed a brighter, more versatile series of task lamps to better meet the needs of the crafter, painter and quilter. Designed to reduce eyestrain and help maintain healthy vision, Verilux's...

PCF Studios, Inc.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... PCF STUDIOS, INC. has released Portrait Sculpting: Anatomy & Expression in Clay, by Philippe and Charisse Faraut. This comprehensive book on modeling the portrait in clay features over 550 photographs of 65 different sculptures that are used to...

Sargent Art, Inc.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... SARGENT ART, INC. has added a new set of 16 Twist-Up Crayons to its expanding product line. Sargent Art has responded to customer requests by introducing this new, larger size, 16-count crayon package featuring their popular Twist-Up Crayons....

Royal & Langnickel.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... ROYAL & LANGNICKEL introduces its newest additions to its Essentials[TM] artist materials line to national retailers. The Essentials artist portfolios are available in two styles--durable vinyl and cushioned nylon--in a variety of sizes. The...

Triangle Crafts, Inc.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... TRIANGLE CRAFTS, INC. has revolutionized the mosaic world offeing a solution the age-old problem of mixing and tinting grout with a new product called "Mosaic Grout." Designed to take the grief out of grouting, Mosaic Grout comes in an...

Storyboard Toys.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... STORYBOARD TOYS offers educators "ArtHouse," the make-it-your-own toy building. ArtHouse is not a dollhouse; it's an art toy--simple and abstract--designed to display children's art on every inch of every wall. A wonderfully flexible teaching...

Paper Mate.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... PAPER MATE just might be responsible for the quiet calm heard in classrooms across the country, what with the absence of mechanical pencils click, click, clicking. That's because Paper Mate has unveiled a new approach to mechanical pencils...

Jack Richeson & Co.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... JACK RICHESON & CO. presents a one-of-a-kind knockdown oak flat file. Designed to ship unassembled to save on shipping costs and lower the chance of damage during shipping, this flat file assembles into a sturdy piece of furniture. Each of the...

Abrams Books for Young Readers.
May 1, 2005... In his 36 years, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created over 725 oil paintings, 275 watercolors, more than 325 prints and posters, and around 5,000 drawings. Toulouse-Lautrec: The Moulin Rouge and the City of Light, from ABRAMS BOOKS FOR YOUNG...

GEI International's.(shop talk)
May 1, 2005... GEI INTERNATIONAL's 48-page catalog describes in detail with photographs many products for use in applications requiring accurate measurement and inspection. Featured are simple rulers and sophisticated optical microscopes capable of measuring...

Caught in Paint.
May 1, 2005... CAUGHT IN PAINT. Video/6 min./$17.95. Level: Grades 4-12. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025, www.crystal productions.com. This short video will especially be enjoyed by dance classes as it combines painting and...

Dynamic Anatomy.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... DYNAMIC ANATOMY, Revised and Expanded (2003, $24.95), by Burne Hogarth. Watson-Guptill Publications, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. This is a book that would be of interest and value for middle- and high-school students interested in...

Free-standing cardboard sculpture.(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... Wonderful sculpture can be made with simple materials and imagination. Cardboard is readily available to use as a flat painted surface and a three-dimensional sculptural object. This is just what art teacher Jean Hanna did with her seventh- and...

Stuck on sculpture.
May 1, 2005... Looking for a unique approach to sculpture? Tired of the standard toothpick sculptures or plaster milk-carton carvings? Hate to contend with the mess? Worried about the cost involved and what it could do to your budget? Then try this unlikely...

Murrini melting maniac.
May 1, 2005... Although the picture to your left may appear to be a tabletop vase, this vessel is more than 3 feet tall and almost 2 feet wide. It weighs 21.5 pounds and is made of blown glass by Stephen Rolfe Powell with the help of a team of assistants. The...

Clip & save art notes.(self-portraits)
May 1, 2005... ABOUT THIS SELF-PORTRAIT Thomas Hart Benton was in his early 30s when he painted this picture. He had recently married, so it was natural that he include the portrait of his wife, Rita, with his own. This picture is of particular interest...

Classroom use of the art print.(self portraits)
May 1, 2005... Thomas Hart Benton (American; 1889-1975). Self-Portrait with Rita, 1922. Oil on canvas; 49 1/2" x 40". Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jack H. Mooney. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. THINGS TO LEARN * Thomas...

Gargoyles galore.
May 1, 2005... What could go better with a medieval unit than gargoyles? During our study of the Middle Ages, students showed an interest in the figures that they saw on castles and other "old buildings." Most of the grades in our school have worked with clay...

Wire sculpture & the language of forms.
May 1, 2005... If you have a closet full of old wire hangers, you can teach your students about a famous 20th-century artist, abstract sculpture and the language of form. With young children we place great emphasis on the visual world. When reading to...

Constructing domes.(ARCHITECTURE in the ART ROOM)
May 1, 2005... At Greenwood Elementary School this year we had a combination 4th/5th-grade class for whom I devised a new curriculum that focused on three-dimensional form in art. We modeled, constructed and carved a variety of sculptures, and had instruction...

Mobiles: art that moves!(in Art Schools)
May 1, 2005... When one is visiting our magnet school for the arts, the first thing one might notice is the "mobile sculptures" airily suspended in each of the four outdoor stairwells. With our school slated for the construction of a new building, an...

Art moments from playtime.(CHILDREN'S art diary)
May 1, 2005... Inside the cellophane-screened box is a complete gym, with matching colored barbells and kneepads. The yellow button on the rowing machine's panel starts the doll's exercise. There is even a water container to keep the doll in proper hydration....

Young artist.
May 1, 2005... I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I love painting and using different mediums, but my favorite is pencil. With the use of a pencil comes freedom--you can erase and fix your mistakes. My favorite thing to draw...

Letters ... fill 'em up!(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Most students are familiar with decorative letters that are often used to introduce new chapters in a book of mark the beginning of a children's story. The history of such typographical devices parallels the production of the first printed...

Wild images.(coloring)
May 1, 2005... Ordinarily, we art teachers tend to look down our noses at fluorescent colors as too flashy to use in most projects. We know from experience that if given the choice, children will use them exclusively, rejecting the regular colors. ...

Caring For Your Art: Guide for Artists, Collectors, Galleries and Art Institutions.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... CARING FOR YOUR ART: Guide for Artists, Collectors, Galleries and Art Institutions (2001; $19.95 paperback), by Jill Snyder. Allworth Press, 10 E. 23 Street, Suite 510, New York, NY 10010. Many students do not think very much about the care...

Catalog Showcase Spring 2005.
May 1, 2005... AARDVARK CLAY & SUPPLIES The most comprehensive ceramic supplies catalog available. Over 250 pages of clays, glazes, kilns, potter's wheels, equipment, tools, books and everything else for ceramics. From K-12 and beyond. Aardvark has what...