Arts & Activities articles from September 2007

Arts & Activities archives from September 2007

Editor's note.(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... Can you believe we're starting another new school year? And, can you believe Arts & Activities is celebrating its 75th year of serving art educators? My oh my, how the time flies when you're involved in a worthy endeavor: Bringing a quality art...

75 years: celebrating art education.(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... Yes, it's true: Arts & Activities magazine is celebrating its 75th year of serving art educators throughout the nation. Since its beginnings in 1932, Arts & Activities is the place where art teachers know they will find the help they need:...

The Phillips Collection: Luncheon of the Boating Party.(Book review)
September 1, 2007... THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION: Luncheon of the Boating Party. (Teaching Kit/$30), The Phillips Collection Education Programs. One would be hard-pressed to find a resource that provided a more in-depth means to explore and understand a famous work...

Mixing Colors is Fun.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2007... MIXING COLORS IS FUN (2007; $3.99), by Stacy Chambers. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. This is one of a book series that provides a phonics approach to reading. Its use in art instruction for the primary grades is limited in that its...

Making Art Together: How Collaborative Art-Making Can Transform Kids, Classrooms and Communities.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2007... MAKING ART TOGETHER: How Collaborative Art-Making Can Transform Kids, Classrooms and Communities (2006; $26.95), by Mark Cooper and Lisa Sjostrom. Beacon Press. More often than not, our thinking about art activity involves individuals as...

Crayola.(shop talk)(Binney and Smith Inc. Crayola Products Div.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Among the current offerings in the Crayola Dream-Makers "library" of 48-page resource guides is Creative Connections with Vocabulary, which provides 12 hands-on lessons that encourage reading, writing, storytelling, wordplay and vocabulary...

Loew-Cornell, Inc.(shop talk)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Featuring illustratrations of the artist's beloved characters and art, six different "Eric Carle Art Activity Kits" are now available from Loew-Cornell, each with its own unique art supplies and learning theme. Included are: My Animals Texture,...

Getting to Know, Inc.(shop talk)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Following Mike Venezia's popular children's art book series comes the DVD/VHS of Getting to Know Andy Warhol. The 24-minute program introduces children to the artist, putting Andy Warhol's art in context with his modern-art contemporaries. ...

Jonti-Craft, Inc.(shop talk)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Up-n-Down Steps, a new addition to Jonti-Craft's children's organizational furniture, helps promote independence and healthy habits by allowing children to reach the sink, water fountain and more--all by themselves. Safety features include side...

Crystal productions.(shop talk)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Art Display Cards, a new art resource material to be used in the classroom, are meant to assist students in learning the Principles of Design and Elements of Art. The 14 cards in the set are printed on heavy card stock with protective UV...

Prang/Dixon Ticonderoga.(shop talk)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... New this fall from Prang: Brush Pens with an ultra-flexible extended tip that performs like a brush. Also new is the Metallic Art Marker assortment (shown above), which will not bleed through paper, are washable and, like Prang's Brush Pens,...

Young artist.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... I have been creating art for as long as I can remember. When I was young, I drew simple pictures, and then I went to an art class where I learned to draw still life. My favorite things to draw and paint are animals. My art teacher, Mrs....

Back on the bus.(art ACROSS the CURRICULUM)
September 1, 2007... Back to school means back on the bus for more than 24 million schoolchildren in the United States. For others, buses may have other meanings. The artist who painted the bus below, Mose Tolliver (1924-2006), lived in Montgomery, Ala., fewer...

Weather in art.(introduction to the 2007-08 CLIP & SAVE art prints)
September 1, 2007... The 19th-century English painter Joseph M.W. Turner was fascinated with weather and atmospheric conditions. So much so that he had some sailors tie him to the mast of a ship and stayed there for four hours while the vessel sailed through a...

Clip & save art notes.(Biography)
September 1, 2007... ABOUT THE ARTIST "Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life." The artist who spoke these words, Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863-1944), is best known for the...

Classroom use of the art print.
September 1, 2007... Edvard Munch (Norwegian; 1863-1944). The Sun; 25.5' x 15'. University Collections, Oslo, Norway. THINGS TO KNOW * Edvard Munch was born in 1863 outside of what is now Oslo, Norway. While initially influenced by Edouard Manet, the...

A theme-based yearlong curriculum.(eARTh ... it's got ART)
September 1, 2007... During one recent school year, my student artists looked at indigenous art from the seven continents. When I began to write this theme-based, yearlong curriculum, I thought about how to make it "work" with their other disciplines to really...

Seeing through value, shades and tints.
September 1, 2007... The core curriculum at our school includes American history. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to devote the year to the study of American artists in my fifth-grade art-history units. (Also appropriate for other grade levels.) ...

Me, myself & I.(on the ART CAREER TRACK)
September 1, 2007... OK, I'm guilty! I use technology to various extents in my art instruction. Historically, this has not always sat well with colleagues who prefer the more traditional fine-arts methods. But, hey! Time marches on. Artists have come a long way...

Warm/cool cityscapes.(ARCHITECTURE in the ART ROOM)
September 1, 2007... Skyscrapers are magnificent feats of engineering. Since the ancient times of pyramids, people have been striving to design buildings that are taller, bigger and better than the last one, pushing the bubble of possibilities involving form and...

Pattern pictures.
September 1, 2007... Ever had a problem finding projects that teach students the elements of art? When I first began planning my lessons around the elements, it was a trial-and-error process. My choices didn't always turn out like I expected, nor did they even...

Magazine covers.(on the ART CAREER TRACK)
September 1, 2007... Current desktop-publishing programs are now providing more than just text and layout functions. Newest versions of the most popular software now include vector drawing tools. The advantage of creating artwork with vectors is a very small file...

A warm fuzzy September.
September 1, 2007... A new school year, a new beginning! Students wonder, "What will my teachers be like?" Teachers wonder, "What will my students be like?" The teachers also wonder, "What can I do to set the tone for a successful school year?" Years ago, I...

Art education conferences 2007-2008.(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... Following is a listing of conferences being held in the coming year by art education associations and others throughout the country. For more information or to register, please contact the individuals whose names, addresses, phone/fax numbers,...

Video Art for the Classroom.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2007... VIDEO ART FOR THE CLASSROOM (2005; $20), edited by George Szekely and Ilona Szekely. National Art Education Association. For those of us who can be said to comprise "the older generation," developments in video art can be intimidating....

Tried & true tips for art teachers.(Welcome Back!)
September 1, 2007... Welcome back! Another school year is beginning to unfold, and you're renewed, energized and determined to have your best year ever. These are positive and productive feelings to bring back to school, and here are a few tips and suggestions...