Arts & Activities articles from November 2007

Arts & Activities archives from November 2007

Editor's note.
November 1, 2007... Two masters of printmaking have been assembled in this month's issue to inspire you and your students toward great things in the medium. Our Cover Story, "Learning From Exhibitions... Spectacular Achievements, Audubon's Animals of North...

Legends of the Arts: 50 Inspiring Stories of Creative People.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... LEGENDS OF THE ARTS: 50 Inspiring Stories of Creative People (2007; $14.95), by Arnold Cheyney. Good Year Books. This is not a book to be remembered for its literary qualities. It provides a simple, straightforward summary (stories) of 50...

Dropping in on Andy Warhol.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2007... DROPPING IN ON ANDY WARHOL. VHS or DVD/20 min./ $29.95. Level: Elementary School. Crystal Productions. Students who enjoyed watching Puffer the puffin "drop in" on other artists--Rousseau, Picasso, Grant Wood and Matisse--will be delighted...

Color.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... COLOR (2006; $19.95), by Ella Doran, David Goodman and Zoe Miller. Abrams Books for Young Readers. "Look around you--the world is full of color"--so begins a delightful and well-designed book appropriate for younger students. This book has...

Crayola.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Crayola Dry-Erase markers' ink lays down smooth and doesn't squeak during use. The new eight-count assortment includes red, green, blue, orange, yellow, violet, brown and black. Low odor means no offensive smell, so...

Sax Arts & Crafts.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An alternative to real fish, rubber Gyotaku fish replicas may be used to make realistic fish prints on paper, fabric, t-shirts and more. Cast from actual fish, the Game Fish Set (seen above) includes northern pike,...

Blick art materials.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Blick Blue Linoleum works well on curves and tight corners, and has a shelf life up to 10 times longer than traditional linoleum. A convenient Class Pack is available, which contains what's needed for a class of 24...

Watson-Guptill.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Clear, step-by-step illustrations and text help young artists create modern and stylized figures in poses, with an emphasis on body types and muscles, to create a more streamlined-looking superhero. This fresh new...

Staedtler.(shop talk)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Running through Feb. 29, 2008, the Staedtler "2007 2nd Semester Back to School Promotion" offers discounts on products available in sets and important for school use. A brochure called "Ready, Get SKIS, Go..."...

Young artist.(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Art to me is very fun because you get to express yourself. You can make many interesting projects in art. I love to use shapes in my artwork to make it look exciting. I enjoy other artists' work that has this style. My favorite things to...

Learning from exhibitions: Spectacular Achievements Audubon's Animals of North America.(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... When one thinks of wildlife art, the name of one artist immediately comes to mind: John James Audubon (1785-1851). For half a century he was America's dominant wildlife artist, and his reputation for scientific accuracy and superb technique are...

Dig it.(art ACROSS the CURRICULUM)(Grant Wood's painting Tree Planting Group)
November 1, 2007... In the movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothys world suddenly turns from black and white to color when she lands in the Land of Oz. The work below, Tree Planting Group (1937), is perhaps one of the more colorful black-and-white images one may ever...

Clip & save art notes.(works of American painter Grant Wood)
November 1, 2007... ABOUT THE ARTIST Few people know the work of the Regionalist painter, Grant Wood (1891-1942), beyond American Gothic, arguably the most famous painting in the history of American art. Born in 1891 on a farm near Anamosa, Iowa, Wood was...

Classroom use of the art print.
November 1, 2007... Grant Wood (American; 1891-1942). Approaching Storm, c. 1942. Lithograph. THINGS TO KNOW * Grant Wood was born and lived most of his life in Iowa. The daily life and scenery of the American Midwest became his main source of...

Promoting Donor Awareness through design.(COMMUNITY connections)(Ottawa General Hospital's Organ Donor Awareness program)
November 1, 2007... The Ottawa General Hospital recently sponsored a secondary school art contest to promote Organ Donor Awareness. Tile winning design would be silkscreened on T-shirts to promote Organ Donor Awareness events to be held in the summer. The people...

Incisive bird prints.(INTEGRATING the curriculum)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The notorious "bird books" that many fifth-graders nationwide compile took on a new meaning this year for my students as we embarked on a "Bird Safari." The students were studying birds in their classrooms, so I...

CD design: integrating art, music and information technology.(pixel PALETTE)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] What is more important to eighth-grade students than their music and their friends? Not much! [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] With this in mind, our school's Instrumental Music Teacher, Mike Elmer, and I decided to...

Celtic knot block prints.
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I was inspired for this project by a show I watched on TV about the Vikings. Their relief carvings that moved in and out like a weaving were amazing. I then found a book on Celtic knot designs, which contained many...

Trash to treasures.(an exercise for art students to look for art in trash cans)
November 1, 2007... What fun it is to have my advanced art students first recognize an ordinary, mundane object and then make them responsible for transforming this subject matter into a beautiful illustration! First comes the opportunity to allow my students...

Collaborative symmetrical butterflies.(art exercise that teaches symmetry)
November 1, 2007... Next in our "eARTh... it's got ART" yearlong curriculum is a collaborative masterpiece for the entire school, with each grade contributing to a large installation. Our students turned our main atrium into a "rain forest." South America is...

Errata.(Correction notice)
November 1, 2007... On page 39 in our Oct. 2007 issue, Young Artist Leah Mattingly's home state was misidentified. It should have read "Ohio." We apologize for the error and any disappointment or inconvenience it may have caused.

Artistic food feast.
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's fairly well-known that some children dislike eating vegetables. Fruits, on the other hand, are usually popular snacks. By bringing fruits and vegetables together in the following art project, I was impressed...

Women in their Studios: Jennifer Bartlett, Jackie Winsor.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2007... WOMEN IN THEIR STUDIOS: Jennifer Bartlett, Jackie Winsor. VHS/28 min./$39.95. Level: University. L & S Video, Inc. The two women spotlighted in this documentary immersed themselves in their art forms during the 1960s and '70s. Jennifer...

Kochuu: Japanese Architecture/ Influence & Origin.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2007... KOCHUU: Japanese Architecture/ Influence & Origin. VHS or DVD/53 min./$390 (rental $75). Level: University/Adult. First Run/Icarus Films. Kochuu translates as "in the jar," and refers to the Japanese tradition of constructing small,...

Printmaking.(tried & true tips for art teachers)
November 1, 2007... Printmaking is a rich and varied area of study for students of all ages. It gives artists at any level an opportunity to make multiples of their original art. The techniques are just as unique, resulting in prints with very different "looks."...