Arts & Activities articles from May 2009

Arts & Activities archives from May 2009

Editor's note.
May 1, 2009... Looking for creative ideas and 3-D adventures? This month, Arts & Activities is full of both! For the first stop on your adventure, we recommend our Cover Story, "Art Across The Curriculum-Out of the Box" (page 18). Here, students in grades...

Eye Magic: Visual Trickery in Art.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... EYE MAGIC: Visual Trickery in Art (2005; $19.99), by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. We have often heard it said that "seeing is believing." But, we also know that the eye can be "tricked." Since the...

Cardmaking: Greetings, Invites & Announcements.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
May 1, 2009... CARDMAKING: Greetings, Invites & Announcements. DVD/120 min./ $14.95. Level: Middle and High School. On Air Video, Inc. On Air Video Inc. continues to produce high-quality, informative videos at very reasonable prices. Cardmaking is a...

Art Across The Ages: Ancient Egypt.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... ART ACROSS THE AGES: Ancient Egypt (2007; $14.95), by Kelly Campbell Hinshaw. Chronicle Books. This is a book appropriate for elementary-school students. It is part of an "Art Across the Ages" series from the publisher, Chronicle Books....

The Art of Freedom: How Artists See America.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... THE ART OF FREEDOM: How Artists See America (2008; $25.26), by Bob Raczka. Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing Group. This is a "picture book" containing 18 illustrations of well-known paintings and photographs depicting aspects of life in...

Blick art materials.(Balsa Foam II)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Balsa Foam II is easy to carve and shape, and offers durable results. Ideal for sculpting and model-making, it can be carved, chiseled, sawed, textured or embossed with sharp-edged detail. It accepts virtually any...

ArtBin/flambeau.(shop talk)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new Solutions Cabinet from ArtBin is made of white acid-free polypropylene, has a convenient carrying handle and comes with five translucent storage boxes with removable dividers. Cabinet contents are protected...

Jonti-craft.(Clean Hands Helper )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The portable Clean Hands Helper is a hand-washing station that encourages hand-washing habits while meeting licensing requirements. The water is heated 20 F above room temperature by the tankless, on-demand water...

Crayola.(Crayola True To Life Crayons )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new Crayola[R] True To Life Crayons are unique tri-color crayon sticks that allow the addition of an earthy mix of colors to commonly created nature scenes. The crayons, which come in an 8-count package,...

Nasco arts & crafts.(Nasco's Color Sculpt Variety Pack )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nasco's Color Sculpt Variety Pack offers an economical way for students to experience sculpture. A dry mix medium, once Color Sculpt is formed, blocks remain soft for lengthy projects and can be carved with most any...

Krylon.(Super Quick Grip Spray Adhesive )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Krylon's fast-tack Super Quick Grip Spray Adhesive dries quickly, forming a strong, permanent bond in just seconds. The new High-Strength Spray Adhesive is a high-grip formula that offers a superior, permanent bond...

Sax arts & crafts.(Bits O' Wood )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A random assortment of natural-color, die-cut plywood shapes and sizes, Bits O' Wood encourages imagination in designing and aids in the development of manipulative skills. Shapes may be colored or combined with...

Prang/Dixon Ticonderoga.(Prang DAS Air-Hardening Modeling Clay )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Soft, pliable Prang DAS Air-Hardening Modeling Clay provides the convenience and safety of not having to bake or use a kiln in order to create durable masterpieces in the art room. DAS clay air-dries within...

Amulet books.(shop talk)(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An interactive journal based on the bestselling books by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself Book inspires creative expression and encourages reluctant readers to create a biographical portrait of...

Canon USA.(CanoScan 5600F, CanoScan LiDE200 and CanoScan LiDE100)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Three new color image scanners are joining the Canon CanoScan lineup--the CanoScan 5600F (pictured), CanoScan LiDE200 and CanoScan LiDE100. These new CanoScan scanners provide users with an easy-to-use, affordable...

Delphi glass.(Delphi microwave kiln)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Delphi offers the microwave kiln, a more convenient way to fuse glass. Designed to fit inside a typical microwave, the 4.5-inch firing chamber reaches full fusing temperatures (up to 1,650 F) within minutes, and...

Crystal Productions.(teaching aids)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Learn the history of mobiles and how to create tree mobiles, articulated mobiles and spiral mobiles with Crystal Productions' set of four 18r~ x 24' "Mobiles" posters. Illustrations show how to create balance loops,...

Chihuly-inspired balloon sculptures.(glass artist Dale Chihuly and art education)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When I heard the glass artist Dale Chihuly was going be exhibiting his work at the Missouri Botanical Garden, I knew I had to take my fourth-grade students to view his extraordinary sculptures! Just as I...

Student success with abstract art.(art education)
May 1, 2009... As a high-school art teacher who creates lessons to appeal to all skill levels and to all types of students, I have found that most students feel comfortable and confident producing abstract art. An abstract art project can be challenging...

Out of the box.(sculptures by Rick Beck)(Cover story)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A figure in a box. What does it connote? (a) a magic trick (b) an elevator (c) a funeral (d) none of the above In the case of the work to the left, by artist Rick Beck, the answer is probably...

Clip & save art notes.(sculptor Alberto Giacometti )(Biography)
May 1, 2009... ABOUT THE ARTIST Alberto Giacometti was one of the seminal sculptors of the 20th century. Born in 1901 in an Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, Giacometti took his place as the eldest child in a family of creators: his father and...

Classroom use of the art print.
May 1, 2009... Alberto Giacometti (Swiss; 1901-1966). The Palace at 4 a.m., 1932. Wood, glass, wire and string; 25" x 28.25" x 15.75". The Museum of Modern Art, New York. THINGS TO KNOW * Alberto Giacometti was born in Switzerland to an...

Young artist.(practice and outlook of high school student Pepper Youngs on being an artist)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although I am still uncertain as Ito what my future role as an artist will be, my current body of work...

Rinse, reuse and scream.(art education and recycling)
May 1, 2009... Teaching teenagers has taught me few things. Number one: I'm not cool. Number two: I'm pretty much alone in my adoration of the Beatles; and number three: the difference between how teenagers present themselves to their peers and what goes on...

Inside and outside: boxes inspired by Joseph Cornell.(art classes and scultures)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have always been intrigued by the work of Joseph Cornell and have been wanting to base a lesson on his work. Our art department was given a donation of many cigar boxes, so we were poised for the challenge. ...

What are we going to do next year?(art education and sculpture modeling themes)
May 1, 2009... I'm not exactly sure how it all started. We had picked an 'Alice" in Wonderland" theme for our Open House night, and decided it might be nice to have a large sculptural figure of Alice and the Queen of Hearts made out of papier-mache. They were...

Outdoor environments.(outdoor art education)
May 1, 2009... When spring arrives, we often want to be outside. I wanted my students to create their own outdoor environments, but make them fit into a small, structured context, which was a tri-wall frame. I gave them a wide variety of materials to choose...

Fun with falling man.(teaching sculpting to students inspired by the works of Ernest Trova)
May 1, 2009... A shiny human figure turned into a car or a jet--what kid (or kid at heart) wouldn't enjoy these images? I found that showing my students these shiny human sculptures by artist Ernest Trova (1927-2009) was a great place to start an exciting...

Parade artists.(art education and classroom management)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Inside a multilevel plastic tote lies a fun part of my childhood. On the top level of the clear container are my Hungarian plaster soldiers. As a child, I painted colorful uniforms on them, but no one told me that...

Creating in 3-D: tried & true tips for art teachers.
May 1, 2009... May has arrived and it is time for us to surround ourselves with art, moving from the flat surface to the third dimension. It's time to frolic in the round and skip around the maypole of materials that will get your students excited about...