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CONTENTS VOLUME 165, N o. 2
MARCH 2019
GET STUDENTS EXCITED FOR ART
YEARLONG SECONDARY CURRICULUM SERIES
14 16 18 20
ALIVE AND KICKING: MIRRORING, HEATHER HANSEN STYLE Don Masse EXPERIMENTING WITH CHALK: VIBRANT REPTILES Suzanne Dionne THE HAPPY AND SAD BOOK PROJECT David Osterer DON’T GIVE UP: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR STUDENTS’ LIVES Eva K. Esrum 27 THE EMOTION BREAKDOWN Kerri Waller 30 ON THE ART CAREER TRACK: REVISITING RENOIR Irv Osterer 32 ERASE ME! Glenda Lubiner
27
12 3D INTRO ART, ARTICLE 7 OF 10: ENVIRONMENTAL INSTALLATIONS Debi West
SPECIAL FEATURES AND COLUMNS 6 STEPPING STONES: YOUTH ART MONTH AND ADVOCATING FOR ART Heidi O’Hanley
8 CHOICE-BASED ART: GRADING ARTISTIC PROCESS INSTEAD OF PRODUCT Clyde Gaw
10 FORUM, THOUGHTS TO SHARE: CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED Pat Wetzler 35 YOUNG ARTIST: AHNNAH NEWELL Courtney Lipscomb 46 TRIED & TRUE TIPS FOR ART TEACHERS: FEELINGS FOR ART Glenda Lubiner
READY-TO-USE CLASSROOM RESOURCES
23 ARTS & ACTIVITIES ART PRINT: EGYPTIAN, BOOK OF THE DEAD FOR THE SINGER OF AMUN, NANY Tara Cady Sartorius 45 ARTS & ACTIVITIES STUDY PRINT: A GIRL WITH A WATERING CAN Pierre-Auguste Renoir
16
A&A AT YOUR SERVICE 41 ADVERTISER INDEX 42 SCHOOLS AND SUMMER WORKSHOPS
DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITOR’S NOTE 38 MEDIA REVIEWS 40 SHOP TALK ON THE COVER
UNTITLED Inside artwork from the book, “Hello! Hello!” Written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Published by Disney-Hyperion, 2012. See “Don’t Give Up: Making a Difference in Students’ Lives,” page 20. SUBSCRIPTIONS: (858) 605-0251; subs@artsandactivities.com. EDITORIAL: (858) 605-0242; ed@artsandactivities.com. AD SALES: (800) 651-7567; amy.tanguay@artsandactivities.com. AD PRODUCTION: production@artsandactivities.com. FAX: (858) 605-0247. WEBSITE: www.artsandactivities.com. ADDRESS: 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128. Arts & Activities® (ISSN 0004-3931) is published monthly, except July and August, by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128. Subscriptions: one year, $24.95; two years, $39.95; three years, $49.95. Foreign subscriptions, add $35 per year for postage. Single copy, $4. Title to this magazine passes to subscriber only on delivery to his or her address. Change of address requires at least four weeks’ notice. Send old address and new address. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Printing by Democrat Printing, Little Rock, Ark. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Arts & Activities®, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128.
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e d i t o r ’s n o t e
Are your students excited for art class to begin?
I N M E M O R I A M ( 1 9 4 2 – 2 018 ) Thomas von Rosen p r e s i d e n t
When they’re in their seats with the look of happy anticipation on their faces, e d i t o r a n d p u b l i s h e r Maryellen Bridge
it is a great moment for an art teacher.
There have been many great moments during the career of Eva Esrum. One in particular most likely eclipses them all: the moment she learned one of her former students had won the 2018 Caldecott
a r t d i r e c t o r Niki Ackermann EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Cris E. Guenter Professor of Arts Education/Curriculum and Instruction California State University, Chico
Jerome J. Hausman Lecturer, Consultant and Visiting Professor, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Medal for a book he had written and illustrated. Matthew Cordell was in Eva’s class throughout high school. In 1990-91, he was named his school’s "Art Student of the Year.” She knew he was special back then, and he has lived up to her expectations. But it’s his expres-
Barbara Herberholz Art Education Consultant, Sacramento, California George Székely Senior Professor of Art Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington
sion of gratitude that truly moved her. The inscription in her personal copy of “Wolf in the Snow” reads: “To Eva Esrum: It was you and your class that put me on the path that led to this place! Thank you so much for your tireless dedication and talents, Ms E. — Matthew Cordell” What a great moment for an art teacher! Read about it in “Don’t Give Up: Making a Difference in Our Students’ Lives,” found on page 20).
The lessons in this month’s issue will lead to great moments in your art room. For example, Don Masse’s “Alive and Kicking: Mirroring, Heather Hansen Style” has children “talking through
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Geri Greenman Art Department Head (Retired), Willowbrook High School, Villa Park, Illinois Paula Guhin Art Teacher (Retired), Central HighSchool, Aberdeen, South Dakota Nan E. Hathaway Art Teacher, Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont Amanda Koonlaba Curriculum Specialist, Teaching Artist, Saltillo, Mississippi Glenda Lubiner Middle-School Art Teacher, Franklin Academy Charter School, Pembroke Pines, Florida Don Masse Heidi O’Hanley
Art Teacher, Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, San Diego, California Art Teacher, Brodnicki Elementary School Justice, Illinois
ideas, taking time to listen to each other, and learning to work together to
Irv Osterer Department Head – Fine Arts and Technology, Merivale High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
create the most successful art piece that they can.” Turn to page 14 to learn
Debi West Art Education Consultant, former Art Teacher, Hilton Head, South Carolina
more about this collaborative experience. Then, in “The Emotion Breakdown,” Kerri Waller shares how she took her middle-school students to the next step when many of them were struggling to move from initial idea to completed art. Her solution? She broke down and “chunked” the process so they “could see why each part played an important role in the creation of their work,” she writes. Ultimately, her students created their art by building a connection with an emotion and following the artistic process to successfully bring their ideas to fruition. Find her story on page 27.
A D V E R T I S I N G D E PA R T M E N T
a d v e r t i s i n g m a n a g e r Amy Tanguay
amy.tanguay @ artsandactivities.com 800.826.2216 or 888.651.7567 p r o d u c t i o n d i r e c t o r Kevin Lewis p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e r Tong Ros production @ artsandactivities.com
HOW TO REACH ARTS & ACTIVITIES Subscription Services To subscribe, renew, change an address or buy single copies,
visit artsandactivities.com, contact subs@artsandactivities.com or call (866) 278-7678.
This issue has many successful ways to inspire your students’ lives and love for art. This, in turn, will result in great moments for you as their teacher.
Letters to the Editor Letters pertaining to magazine content and art education in
general are welcomed. Arts & Activities reserves the right to edit all letters for space and clarity. Send to ed@artsandactivities.com
Manuscripts Subjects dealing with art-education practice at the elementary and secondary levels, teacher education and uses of community resources, are invited. Materials are handled with care; however, publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. Unsolicited material must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For Writer’s Guidelines, visit artsandactivities.com/submit/writers-guidelines/ Address all materials to the attention of the Editor. Simultaneous submissions will not be considered or accepted. Indexes Articles are indexed in January and June issues. Issues of Arts & Activities are available on microfilm and photocopies from: ProQuest Information and Learning, P.O. Box 1346, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. (Issues beginning with January 1977 are available in microfiche.) The full text of Arts & Activities is also available in the electronic versions of the Education Index. Copyright Permissions Reproduction of any portion of this magazine without written
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The opinions and recommendations expressed by individual authors within this magazine are not necessarily those of Publishers’ Development Corp.
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Stepping Stones is a monthly column that breaks down seemingly daunting tasks into simple, manageable “steps” that any art educator can take and apply directly to their classroom. Stepping Stones will explore a variety of topics and share advice for art-on-a-cart teachers and those with art rooms.
YOUTH ART MONTH AND ADVOCATING FOR ART
BY HEIDI O'HANLEY
B
ack in November, I was given an amazing oppor tunity to meet with my state representatives to discuss the impor tance of visual ar t in education. This was organized by the Illinois Ar t Education Association as Ar t Advocacy Day. Over 40 student artworks from around the state were on display, many students, parents, and teachers gave speeches, and educators in attendance were able to meet one on one with representatives and senators. To have our elected officials meet with us and listen to our statements was a great experience, and we were happy to have the support from policy makers for the arts in education. MARCH IS YOUTH ART MONTH, and what better way to
celebrate your students’ accomplishments than by advocating for their right to have art in their education? Too often we hear from students and parents about how they wish they could have more time to create during the school day. In many districts, elementary students may have art, but once they reach junior high, many students are not able to get art into their schedule due to high demands for other core subjects. Art becomes an elective for many schools beyond the elementary level, so the battle becomes more challenging to have visual art for more students in middle or high school. THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT ways you can advocate for your
students, no matter what level you teach. One of the best ways to advocate is by reaching out to those policy makers and having them hear and see how much art is important to your students and parents. If they make decisions on education at the state level, you need to show them why art has a positive impact on your students’ lives. Many constituents do not take these steps because they feel it doesn’t impact as much as it should, but the more people speak up and communicate the importance of the arts, the more can be done to bring a positive impact for your students. Here are some things that have worked for me and some of my colleagues:
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MAKE PHONE CALLS. When making a phone call, know
your stance prior to calling that number. Sometimes you can get an assistant on the other end, or you may get a message recording. Either way, make sure you explain your reason for calling in a quick, precise way that meets your goal.
3
WRITE POSTCARDS. Do you have an art show coming up, or would you like to share the accomplishments of your students? Create postcards of students’ artworks to mail in to your representatives and local elected officials! You can also send invitations to art shows or highlight accomplishments your students have made!
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HAVE STUDENTS EXPLAIN WHY ART IS IMPORTANT TO THEM. When a student creates a hand-written let-
ter explaining why art is important to them, representatives can see exactly how your teaching impacts their learning. Letters can be sent to administrators, local elected officials, or state representatives. Many times, a representative can respond to letters, which can be a great way for students to see how their voices can be heard.
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ATTEND AN ART ADVOCACY DAY EVENT AT YOUR STATE CAPITAL. If there’s an event hosting by your
local art education association to attend your state capitol, I highly recommend you take that opportunity! This is a great chance to meet with your representatives in person and send a personal invitation to meet in person. After attending our state’s Art Advocacy day, I not only met the representatives of my school district area, but my home district as well.
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MEET YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN PERSON. Prior to
meeting your reps or elected officials, be sure to call their offices to see if an appointment can be scheduled. Sometimes, they may say to arrive at their office, other times, they can come out of session to meet with you. If you do have an opportunity to meet with one in person, make sure you have your statement short and to the point. Many policy makers have multiple decisions to make throughout the day, so hearing your personal story can give them a better idea of how important visual art is to you and your students.
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SEND LETTERS OR EMAILS TO YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES. I know it can be a scar y step to take,
BE OUTSPOKEN FOR YOUR STUDENTS. Tell stories about how art has a positive impact in your students’ education. Whether it be an administrator, board member, local official, or state representative, have them listen to how important art is to you and your students and share their accomplishments any way you can. n
but if you feel strongly enough about your stance, you can overcome that fear and contact your representatives in a way you are most comfortable with. Writing letters or emails can be one of the first steps in advocating at a local, state, or national level.
Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Heidi O’Hanley (NBCT), teaches art at Brodnicki Elementary School in Justice, Illinois. Visit her blog at www.talesfromthetravelling artteacher.blogspot.com.
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LOVE THEIR ART. SUPPORT THEIR DREAMS.
Make them smile. Heartfelt Fundraising Works! If you’re looking for a fundraiser that works for your school, while touching the lives of students and families, then consider a Square 1 Art fundraiser. Teachers love supporting the student’s accomplishments. Parents love the opportunity to give and receive heartfelt gifts and keepsakes featuring their child’s artwork. And schools love great parent participation and profits! Square 1 Art Gives Real Meaning to Fundraising
Call 888.332.3294 or visit square1art.com
Come see us at NAEA Booth 904
Choice-Based Art
Edited by Nan Hathaway
Choice-Based Art classrooms are working studios where students learn through authentic art making. Control shifts from teacher to learner as students explore ideas and interests in art media of their choice. This concept supports multiple modes of learning to meet the diverse needs of our students. Learn more at teachingforartisticbehavior.org.
GRADING ARTISTIC PROCESS INSTEAD OF PRODUCT
BY CLYDE GAW
I
’ve wrestled with the problem of grading and student assessment often during my 34 years as an art teacher. The problem became more acute after I switched from a teacher-centered curriculum to one that supported emergent curriculum inside a Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) classroom. Reporting on children’s creative growth within an education system built to assess mass-produced experience is a complex problem to address. Back in 2004, my colleague Clark Fralick and I noticed that once we transitioned to TAB, a child’s personal connection to their art experience was increasingly significant, due to the personal nature of art making. I remember Matt, a student who moved to our district in 2009. He loved our student-directed art classroom experience and worked at the painting, drawing and block building centers on personally meaningful, time-sensitive ideas. One day, while in the fourth grade, he confided this to me: “Well, when I was at my other school, being creative was especially frowned upon. I made an alien clown and I got a D!!! One time we were making self-portraits, and they said if you don’t do it right, you will have to do another one. I used red, and they said, don’t use red. And then they said, OK, we are not gonna give you another one, until you get a bad grade, because you did it a wrong way … My art wasn’t appreciated there.” HOW MANY CHILDREN LEAVE ART PROGRAMS as frustrated
about their experience as Matt? If art education advocates are going to make the claim that art class offers opportunity for self-expression, how can we as art teachers penalize children when they self-express through their art? Art making in which a child originates an idea through memory, experimentation, observation, imagination, feelings and emotions is, psychologically, a powerful learning experience. One of the larger education goals for American schools is to enable and support creative growth. Accepting children’s productive idiosyncrasies, natural inclinations for learning, and recognizing unique cognitive capacities, is a hallmark of the TAB art education approach. In a TAB classroom, student driven learning activities can go far beyond the given information, connect with transdisciplinary content or differ from the teacher’s expectations. Children’s art that might seem insignificant or does 8
not meet adult standards, may in fact harbor immense psycho-emotional power for its creator. WHAT ASSESSMENT OR GRADING TOOL will allow the
teacher to flex with student needs and account for differences in a child’s cognitive capacities? How does an art teacher assess idiosyncratic ideas like the alien clown? My answer is based on a very old assessment practice: the portfolio. Teachers can help children keep cumulative portfolios, containing selected works. Children in classes as early as fourth grade can successfully develop an electronic portfolio using tablets with apps such as SeeSaw. Older children can be taught to use Google Presentation, Google Site, Blogger, Weebly, or the old standby, PowerPoint. Prompted by the teacher, students can document their creative experiences or trans-disciplinary learning events through writing and include artistic samples inside the portfolio. From the beginning of the semester to the end, children can insert images, video, artist statements or other writing that regularly account for learning experiences. BECAUSE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTFOLIO is based on
time and the technical skill of inserting images and writing artist statements (which can be done in class or at the child’s discretion), grading the portfolio, and not individual subjective works of art, relieves the pressure over grades related to students’ personal connection to art making. Simple pass/ progressing reporting designations are substituted for letter grades. Art education sage Peter London reminds us that how human beings feel about their art experience when they are young affects their views of art education when they are older (and become tax payers). Matt, now an 11th-grader in a TAB art class, writes: “This is my main attraction. This was the piece that defined my style. It encompasses what my brain goes to make coherent thought. It was essential when making this that no line touched another. The colors had to be spread evenly. Too much of one speaks redundancy. Like a mine field, one wrong move and all is lost.” From an art education advocacy standpoint, placing a subjective grade on a child’s art experience is tantamount to playing with fire. n Clyde Gaw has been teaching art since 1984. He is the advocacy advisor for the Art Education Association of Indiana and has been a member of Teaching for Artistic Behavior since 2004. You can visit Clyde's choice-based art education blog here: www.clydegaw.blogspot.com. m a r c h 2 0 1 9 • 86 Y E A R S
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Explore, Imagine, Create ... Art teachers from all over the country have assembled on the pages of Arts & Activities with a single purpose: To share with you their best classroom-tested, art-teaching experiences and creative ideas. Add Arts & Activities magazine to your classroom, library or media center today.
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FORUM thoughts to share
Calm, Cool and Collected by Pat Wetzler
S
ometimes in life you cannot anticipate what is going to happen in the next split second. You think you have everything under control, but you don’t. Yesterday was a perfect example. My second-grade class went from being totally organized, I thought, to chaos. I did not panic and thought on my feet and it all ended well! As always I had my room set up for that day’s lesson: the kiddos were going to draw a face and then fold, curl and glue the strips of paper to their drawings to make “Crazy Hair.” I had placed the folders at each child’s place filled with narrow strips of colored paper, a 9" x 12" piece of paper for each student, and scissors and glue were in the center of each table. I always show a sample, which I had put on the board this fateful day. As the kids came in, they instantly yelled in unison in an accusatory tone “We already did that this year. Ms. Wetzler!” My heart dropped to my stomach. Thinking on my feet, I had a solution in an instant, and the class went amazingly smoothly. The students gathered around me, and I gave a demonstration. I announced that
SEE HOW teachers have used past Arts & Activities PROJECTS in their ART ROOM.
we were going to make a WEAVING MAT! I showed the kids how to fold the paper in half and make slices ending one inch from the edge of the folded paper. I demonstrated with a ruler how to draw the lines and then cut along each line. From there I grabbed a variety of colors of the narrow strips of paper and proceeded to illustrate the OVER and UNDER technique. Within minutes, the kids were busy making their weaving mats and I circulated around the room to make sure they were starting from the fold and cutting up to the edges and understanding the weaving technique. By the end of the period, the kids were gluing down the flaps from each woven strip and thrilled with their work and I was sighing with relief that I thought so quickly on my feet and there was a happy ending! My advice if this happens to you, don’t panic, think quickly, be cool and act like it was no big deal! Phew! n Pat Wetzler, has taught art for nearly two decades at BiCultural Day School in Stamford, Connecticut.
It Works! 85th ANNIVERSARY
in Arts & Activities. lesson plans and resources found the following accounts The original articles that inspired Visit our home page at are available on our website. 85th Anniversary “A&A: It artsandactivities.com, click on the of successful ideas and Works” icon, and a veritable treasure
in this past September’s “A&A: It Works!” was announced celebration. We were issue, launching our 85th Anniversary started coming in from exhilarated when the testimonials around the nation. comments and we were Our hearts were warmed by the the young generation of art thrilled with the response from daily in their art rooms. We teachers who use the magazine they are using the ideas, enjoyed reading their stories of how
lessons will be yours.
Publisher — Maryellen Bridge, Editor and
Hands On
s Sumi-e Samurai | BY DAVID LAUX
BY IRV OSTERER
JANUARY 2014
he article that inspired this project was in the September 2017 issue, Hands On, by Irv Osterer. I made a short slide presentation work to about how artists can use their Edvard send a message. I started with BarMunch and Pablo Picasso, showed with bara Kroger’s work, and ended the street artist, JR. This coincided with the publicity border about JR’s current work on the I wall between Mexico and California. played an audio interview from National show. Public Radio with the slide it This proved to be powerful because mix and brought current issues into the to it the students seemed to respond with interest. The way that JR describes the work was open ended and personal. my The question I asked to prompt use the students was, “How can you with imagery of hands to send a message
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& he January 2014 issue of Arts Activities is one of my favorites. in I was really drawn to the images David Laux’s article, Sumi-e Samurais. open I remember leaving that article I could on my desk for weeks, just so was so see those images every day. I out to inspired by it, that I reached Adopt-a-Classroom for sumi-e brushes. the I’d had a difficult time finding your artwork?” right projects to engage my fifth-gradkey. ers that year. This one was the Submitted by Hallie Levine workThey loved the whole concept of Art Teacher the ing on samurais and learning about Pickney Community High School spehistory. They also felt it was super Pickney, Michigan cial to have the new sumi-e brushes. had One student in particular, who havup ended art, never liked to create local ing his samurai displayed at our came to art museum! His whole family see it. It was a big deal. Submitted by Amanda Koonlaba Visual Art Specialist Lawhon Elementary School Tupelo, Mississippi
Alive and Kicking: Round and Round | DECEMBER 2015
www.artsandactivities.com 10
BY JULIE TOOLE
Assorted Henri Rou ssea Lessons, Art Prints,u-Inspired etc. 1990s TO
Students layered the circles the same way as shown in the article. ® Students used Sharpie and marker to color symmetrically. The work was displayed on bulletin boards adminin the hall. Students, teachers, comistration and parents have all work is mented on how beautiful the of the and how they love the display work together.
| OCTOBER, 1992
Old-School Inspirati BY ANNE HOFFMAN
I
ers.) My students working were on 3D clay gargoyles (from the Feb. 2000 issue). I started using I showed them them as an elethe Ar t Print from mentary teacher May 2011—a 3.3a as now, and cm Japanese netschool middle (miniature suke teacher, I use sculpture), depictthem even more ing a monkey with … and not just the current ones! The baby. her clay I always start my students on gargoyles that we around the beginning of February, not as were making were small, but onea about be will it thinking that While love small as the 3.3 cm netsuke. month project. Not! My students analyzing the print, we discussed working with clay—as most do—and sculptures figurative into miniature my one clay project usually turns form. and (scale), texture, three or four more. I pulled out two magazines—the Submitted by Glenda Lubiner y 2000. May 2011 issue and Februar Art Teacher, Franklin Academy by (Yes, I have them all categorized Pembroke Pines, Florida bindmonth and years in several 28
| MARCH 2017
on
tried this
wonderful lesson by Anne Hoffman issue, on the artist in the March 2017 WRDSMTH. I never and I was intrigued heard of this artist before, by his work. I thought to spread some it would be a great kindness in our way middle school, the does, with his positive way WRDSMTH messages of hope and perseverance. I contacted Anne, and she was so gracious her PowerPoint, and generously her typewriter printout, gave me links to the stencils and lots of encourag she uses, ement. I followed her format, and with fantastic this project not results! The students only for the power loved of the quote they because they were chose, but also so successful with every aspect of the project.
Submitted by Kerri Waller Art Teacher, Simpson Middle School Marietta, Georgia
EVERY ISSUE OF ARTS & ACTIVITIES
& have been a subscriber to Arts a Activities for the last 20 years (and use the writer for the past six), and I still pull-out Art Prints with my students.
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Submitted by Nan Hathaway Art Teacher, Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont
A&A Art Prints and more I
| MAY 2016
he idea of providing PRESENT “time, space and support” to students who choose to spend time with have enjoyed many a process, idea, of Arts & Activities tech’ Henri Rousseau nique or medium, dating back as far lessons and resources can transform art as the early 1990s. class What I’ve done with incorporate them into an authentic art-studio experienc into my two schools— all the e. where I teach students, project ideas is severe multiple Following Julie impairments and Toole’s example, aged 5 to 26, with autism spectrum I project focusing allow my students disorder—as a on animals in Rousseau to decide how long collabora tive ’s school was assigned to stay with an artwork paintings, and in dactivities.com the rainfores w w w . a r t s a ndifferent or line of thinkYEARS animal grouping paper,x 3D, texture s. We have a combinat t. Each ing and making, and rubbings and paint, to continue ion of cut ing until workmarkers and stamping “done.” This attitude ! supports the development of individual style, Submitted by Lori the creation of series Reuben, Art Teacher–S of works, (which Lincoln Developm pecial Needs span can ent Center and Pine years), encourages a connectio Grove Learning Center between n Grand Rapids Public school and home, Schools, Michigan and nurtures productive collabora tions between likeminded learners. Win-win-win!
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BY PAULA SLEMMER
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Choice-Based Art: Diving Deep
Autumn Leaves: An Experiment in Cubism m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85
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BY DON MASSE
ound and Round is an example of how art teachers can incorporate modern, living artists within our classroom walls. The article focuses on artist Matt Moore from Maine. While Masse teaches a younger group, the to project was easily transferred my seventh-graders. My students narexamined Moore’s website and murals. rowed in on his more organic Masse We focused on the same mural colorful did with his students—a We 2010. in Portland in painted piece y, reviewed vocabular y like symmetr murals shape, line, space, overlapping, and collaboration.
Visit our website and click on the “IT WORKS!” icon to learn more.
| SEPTEMBER 2017
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point his project was a starting www.ar tsa ndactiviti es.com for numerous variations on cubist it, we leaves. The first time I taught white used colored marker on plain same copy paper. We followed the used 4 directions as in the article, but color 5 leaf shapes. They looked very step. another need to seemed but orful, The next time I taught the lesson, in conwe added another layer of leaves ® tour lines with black Sharpie . Students onto who had time went “off the paper” much another paper. This version looked sprayed more finished. We have also to water with lightly marker the colored another make the colors bleed for yet to the look. This past fall, we added salt wet markers to add some texture.
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Submitted by Stephanie Stamm, Art Teacher Boyertown West Middle School, Boyertow n, Pennsylvania 29
Submitted by Donna Staten, Art Specialist, Gattis Elementary School, Round Rock, Texas ❘
ties.com www.ar tsandactivi
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Yearlong Secondary Curriculum Series | 3D INTRO ART
ARTICLE 7 OF 10
Environmental Installations by Debi West
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oreground, middle ground and background seem like easy concepts to teach our students, but when moving to the 3D realm, it’s often a bit trickier than you would think. Over the years I have played around with ways to get our kids to better understand this important art concept and I think I figured it out with my Environmental Installation Boxes!
ground objects are large. Then the real challenge begins! Students are then taught to make beautiful art that teaches them important art knowledge and here’s what it looks like. Students bring in a shoebox, or provide a shoebox to each student. I have found that Payless and Walmart are always happy to donate shoeboxes to school projects.
TO BEGIN THE LESSON, I have students
STUDENTS THEN DECIDE on an environ-
consider foreground, middle ground and background in a real-world setting. I have them stand up and point out what is closest to them and how large it is. Then we do the same thing with middle ground and background. We discuss the size of the school bus across the street from the art room and have them measure it from where they are standing. They quickly realize that background objects are small, while fore-
ment to create inside of their shoebox. This often takes a bit of time so often I will pass out their magazines immediately so they can go on a visual hunt, which helps inspire ideas. These magazine images will ser ve as their visual images. I have had students create everything from NYC, to outer space, to a South African Safari, to a shower; to a fish tank to Antarctica … their ideas seem to be endless!
I model how to cut out the images neatly as students consider the visual stor y these images will tell. Remind students that they are required to show that they understand foreground, middle ground and background and therefore must have their largest image in the front of their box. This is a challenge and my favorite part because seeing the student’s creativity is incredible! If students have a difficult time locating all of the imagery they need I have had them go to the computer lab and
From a trip to Antarctica to study penguins, to a mysterious lighthouse, students’ ideas seem to be endless!
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find their images on line and print them in color. Or they can take their own photos, print and cut those out as well. Once all the images have been selected and cut out, students place them in the box and consider the methods needed to ensure the images stand up vertically. I have found that cardboard backing works as well as handmade cardboard or poster board tabs. Fishing line also works well for flying or hanging objects. ONCE ALL THE IMAGES ARE UP, stu-
dents then have to consider if they will paint or collage the areas of the box that are still visible so the original shoe box disappears and the box becomes part of the environment. I also encourage students to bring in objects from home that may enhance the overall environment so often there will be some exciting additions such as lights or small toys that work well in the environment they have created! As a fun extension, you can have your students design a title or a story that goes with the environmental box they created to bring in literacy. And finally, I love to have my students exhibit these 3D artworks in the hallway for the community to see! This lesson not only teaches my students about foreground, middle ground and background, but it has them working their fine motor skills through the art of collage, their creative skills as they peruse the magazines and their craftsmanship skills as they turn an ever yday shoe box into an incredible piece of art! Not to mention they are recycling these boxes and saving our landfills one art project at a time! Next up … Chopstick Sculptures! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Debi West recently retired from her job as department chair and art educator at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. She owns and operates WESTpectations Educational Consulting and she and her husband now reside in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
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3D INTRO ART CURRICULUM SERIES
Environmental Installations LEARNING OBJECTIVES
MATERIALS
High school students will ... • learn to think spatially by understanding foreground, middle ground and back ground in a 3D artwork. • be introduced to the art of Joseph Cornell for inspiration. • utilize the art of collage and relief to create an environmental installation.
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Shoeboxes, cardboard Magazine or Internet images Scissors, glue Mixed media, paint, paintbrushes Reference materials
PROCEDURES 1. Introduce the lesson by having students consider an environment to create with an emphasis on seeing size variation to show understanding of foreground, middle ground and background. 2. Students will begin to search for the images needed to create their environments, this is the most time-consuming portion of the lesson: the “search.” 3. Students will neatly and thoughtfully cut
out their images and attach cardboard to the back so to help the pieces stand up in the middle ground and foreground. 4. Students will consider size variation and placement to properly showcase an understanding of space in a 3D artwork. 5. Students can label their environment work and these will be hung in a class display (to best exhibit these, I have found that T pins and thick foam core work best).
ASSESSMENT I use a project evaluation form for each lesson I teach. This allows my students to appropriately reflect on the learning at hand and leaves room for them to comment on the process and how they feel the final piece turned out. It also allows me to comment and give them a grade based on their learning and their final work. We also do in-process critiques using my “2 Glows and a Grow” model.
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This lesson teaches students about foreground, middle ground and background, has them working their fine motor skills through the art of collage, stretching their creative skills as they find just the right images for their vision, and honing their craftsmanship skills as they turn an everyday shoe box into an incredible piece of art!
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ALIVE
and kicking
MIRRORING Heather Hansen
I
love incorporating opportunities for teamwork and collaboration into my curriculum at all grade levels. It’s important to structure activities that foster social-skill building along with creative and critical thinking. For the past few years, my fourth-graders have worked together to create digital sculptures that are inspired by the work of Rachel Beach (May 2018 issue, p. 16). That collaborative process is all about talking through ideas, taking time to listen to each other, and learning to work together to create the most successful art piece that they can. I love the energy and discussions that happen during that experiment.
by Don Masse
STYLE
AS A FOLLOW-UP to that experience, I have used an activity
that uses the work of artist Heather Hansen (www.heatherhansen.net) to get them to collaborate again, but when they do so, it becomes a nonverbal creative challenge. I start by reviewing our process from the previous week and then I share a video of Heather Hansen at work. She uses her whole body to create gorgeous large-scale drawings that show symmetry. While viewing it, we look at how her hands/arms create the same types of marks on both sides of her body as she works. We look at the physical nature of her work and how it was both a physical and visual dance on her drawing support. I then share a video of me and my son doing what they’ll soon be doing in class. This breaks down the work one more time, so they can see it done by a peer and a teacher, and adding the collaborative component to the process. Students understood that this process was an experiment with symmetry and centering their bodies and minds.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will … • collaborate successfully to create a drawing. • work together to create a layered drawing that demonstrates symmetry. • reflect on the creative process and identify challenges and how they dealt with those obstacles.
NATIONAL ART STANDARDS
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CREATING: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.
MATERIALS
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24" x 36” black construction paper • Painters tape to hold paper in place
Class set of colored sidewalk chalk • Assorted chalk pastels
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I have shared this experience with students of all ages. I’ve done it with kids as young as 7 on a smaller, table-sized scale (artwork at left), and I’ve led art educators through it (artwork above).
I emphasize that this process is an experiment with symmetr y and centering their bodies and minds. The communication between partners should be as nonverbal as possible. This is an experiment in close looking (reading) and responding or mirroring the actions of your partner. Partners take turns leading each other—if they notice their partner is confused with a movement, they should repeat it in the drawing to reinforce it. On the opposite side, if they are the one not understanding, they should take the time to think and visualize their partner’s movement. They do not need to feel rushed during this experience. WHEN ALL THE TEAMS GET IN PLACE —kneeling across from each other (or across from one another at tables)— and the music comes on, they can begin. I tend to use the instrumental tracks that accompany a few of Heather’s per formance videos, as they are calm and slow, and allow students to maintain a relaxed state as they draw. I emphasize drawing with both hands at the same time. If stuAfter the activity, students wrote about dents break from this what they were most comfortable with, and what was most challenging. momentarily, I let it go, www.ar tsandactivities.com
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but if the break continues, I’ll gently remind them to reset and start again. (I think this is the most common deviation from the activity and it is totally understandable. After all, how many times do we encourage kids or adults for that matter, to use both limbs simultaneously?) After about four minutes, I give the groups a second color, followed by a third after another four minutes, and one more color to wrap things up. Throughout the experiment, teams can put down their chalk and use a finger or two or three to make marks by smearing chalk that had already been applied. One of the fascinating things about these drawings is watching how they develop: the marks that come first, the responses to preceding layers, the eradication of marks altogether, and the compositions that become final. It would be cool to display some of these with time-lapse videos of the process next to the installation, so that viewers could watch the evolution too. Students’ mirror-drawings hanging at For this drawing our annual art show. experiment, we use 24" x 36" sheets of black construction paper. I like the larger size, so that kids can stretch out and use a bit more of their body in ways like Heather does. I choose black because of its contrast against the colors students are using. We primarily use sidewalk chalk due to this larger size, although we do usually use chalk pastels for the final layer, in order to give the foreground a little more pop against the preceding layers. When the drawings are done, we wash up, and come back together to reflect on the processes of the past two projects. The hands-on portion of the lesson is no longer than 30 minutes, so there is plenty of time for this reflection piece after the drawings are completed. Students answer exit-slip questions for me, and then we take a few minutes to share out to the larger group. see
MIRROR
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his is one of my favorite lessons for introducing chalk. I have found that there are some students who have a difficult time using this color media. It can be a very messy medium, but if blended properly, can produce some striking effects. I have taught this to grades 2–5. If your science teacher discusses reptiles, this can also serve as an integrated art project. It usually takes about four forty-five minute classes to complete. We begin with a brief discussion on Wassily Kandinsky. Pictures of his artwork are displayed, as well as, a picture of himself. The term “nonobjective art” is introduced. Other vocabulary words include realism, abstract and relief.
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Peyton Aubrey
Vibrant
Experimenting with Chalk
Reptiles by Suzanne Dionne
Next, students are asked to observe a completed reptile relief and Kandinsky’s painting, White Zig Zags (1922). Several questions are posed for small group discussion: How is the reptile relief like Kandinsky’s picture? What is different? Students are also asked to use the terms non-objective, realism, abstract, and relief in their feedback. STUDENTS BEGIN BY DRAWING lines
in pencil on black paper. Curvy, wavy, and straight lines must all connect. Once this step has been completed, students carefully paint over the lines with white tempera. Acrylic paint can also be used. The thin pencil lines now become thicker lines. The papers are set aside to dry. Students are encouraged to paint 16
a second coat of white paint, so that, the lines will appear solid and bright. Next came the drawing of the reptiles. I made copies of the drawing instructions for a lizard, snake and turtle from the book, Dynamic Art Projects for Children (by Denise M. Logan), for students who wanted to use them, but many students preferred to draw their own reptile. It is helpful to remind students that they will be cutting these out, so they do not draw very small pointed edges that may be difficult to cut around. The reptiles are also drawn in pencil on black paper. They are painted in the same manner as the background paper with the lines. When both papers were completely
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
MATERIALS/RESOURCES
Elementary students will … • gain knowledge of the elements and principles of design. • examine the artistic works of others. • participate in discussion of various artistic works. • use appropriate vocabulary to discuss artwork. • differentiate between a variety of media, techniques and processes. • make connections between science and art.
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12" x 18" black construction paper Graphite pencils, chalk pastels, white tempera or acrylic paint, paintbrushes Paper towels Scissors, glue
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Cardboard, foam or other material that will create a “pop-up” • Optional: Kandinsky and reptile prints • Optional: Dynamic Art Projects for Children, by Denise M. Logan (Crystal Productions; 2005)
NATIONAL ART STANDARDS
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CREATING: Making art or design with various materials and tools to explore personal interests, questions, and curiosity. • Experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in a work of art or design. • RESPONDING: Using learned art vocabulary to express preferences about artwork.
Nathan sketching turtle.
Kelly using pastels to color turtle.
Zoe applying last coat of acrylic paint to snake.
Mackenzie outlining abstract background with acrylic paint.
Myrella working with pastels on abstract background.
Serenity adding pieces of cardboard to create “pop-up” relief effect.
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By David Osterer
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eachers looking for a cross-curricular project assessing and improving their students’ respective artistic, linguistic and social development should consider the Happy/Sad Book for their classroom. TO BEGIN, KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS were given sheets of medium-weight white cover stock—a thicker paper conducive to watercolor painting—and asked to express what made them happy and, conversely, what made them sad. They were then given black pens and asked to illustrate what made them feel happy or sad, using “big shapes” to be filled with vibrant colors. After they had finished drawing, each student was then given a watercolor palette to add color to their images. The results were outstanding, as each youngster came up with unique expressions of his or her emotional responses to the “happy” or “sad” page prompts. Children smiled as they recalled what made them happy and furrowed their brows at what made them sad. Some of them wrote on their own, while others were assisted to caption their work. At such a young age, students tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves—this is one of the elements that make the Happy/Sad Book so effective. AT THE HEART OF THIS PROJECT are its pedagogical roots,
which can be extended depending on the group that it is being presented to. For kindergarten, hitting on social development (in accordance with the Ontario Ministry of Education’s specific expectations for kindergarten 1.1 and 3.1) is a key cog in their development.
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Gracie
This project can help teachers assess their students’ levels of understanding with regard to emotional self-regulation, feelings and moods. Such a Page by Emry. grasp lends itself to the healthy and robust social and emotional development of children in school. If you are a teacher who is considering this project for your classroom, there are a few things to consider. You need the art supplies—cover stock paper, black pens with permanent ink, and watercolor sets. You will also need to mark each worksheet with prompts. In project, the teacher used, “I feel happy when I …” and “I feel sad when I ...” You may choose a different phrase, however. YOU MUST ENSURE that the students use watercolors appro-
priately, as many children will attempt to treat the paintbrush like a marker if not modeled properly. Moreover, if you are working with kindergarten or primary age children, or with special-needs students or seniors, the participants BELOW: Pages of Leslie Park Public School’s Happy / Sad book. RIGHT: Cover of the book.
Emma
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
ABOVE: Pages of Bayview Public School’s Happy / Sad book. RIGHT: Cover of the book.
may not have full grasp of the gross motor skills necessary for easy application of the medium. In this case, it is suggested to do hand-over-hand guidance, or to sit with the participant and encourage slow and patient work. Many of the children who worked on the books shown in this article were supported by ECEs, EAs, or the facilitator. Upon completion, the student artwork can be easily transformed into a book. Teachers should keep in mind that the total number of pages in any book must be a multiple of four, to ensure the printing layout does not include blank pages. The cover is separate and should not be counted in this equation. Many school boards have access to central in-house print ser vices, which can assist with scanning the student artwork. The artwork almost certainly will have to be retouched in an image-editing program before printing, as smudges and fingerprints are essentially a guarantee. Once the artwork is digitized, it can easily be inserted into pages to produce a soft cover book. It is good practice to produce one sample to check for errors in text, image and pagination before printing in volume. Digital printing makes this ver y cost effective. For teachers without access to these ser vices, stores such as Office Depot and Staples offer Hashim them commercially. www.ar tsandactivities.com
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Kindergarten students will … • state what makes them “Happy” or “Sad.” • write responses to the Happy / Sad prompts (on their own or with help). • create Happy / Sad images. • use permanent black ink pens with supervision to draw their images. • use watercolor sets with supervision to color their images.
MATERIALS
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Cover stock Black pens (we used Uni-Ball Vision Elite)
• Watercolors • Paintbrushes
THE BEAUTY OF THE HAPPY/SAD BOOK PROJECT is in its
relative ease: allocating simple prompts to students and obser ving as they illustrate their responses. What is especially interesting about the book is using a difficult and complex traditional medium—watercolor painting—with young children and achieving such vibrant and extraordinar y artistic expressions. The results can be remarkable. Young school children produce individualized pieces replete with color and personal sentiment, underscoring emotional understanding in its various forms. While this project was designed for and implemented in kindergarten, it can be translated for any age group, in a school setting or not (alternative suggestions include nursing homes and special-needs day programs). Regardless of the group that takes on this project, its facilitator will be able to tap into his or her students’ preconceived or learned concepts of emotions, all accomplished through a remarkably artistic vein. n David Osterer is a K–8 Occasional Teacher for the Ottawa Carleton District School Board in Ottawa, Canada. 19
Don’t Give Up Making a
Difference in Our Students’ Lives Matthew Cordell working on some ideas at his desk in his home studio.
I
just retired after 36 years of teaching high school art. During my career, I must admit that I asked myself more than once, “Do I make a difference?” At the time, most of my students did not know how to express to me if I had, and a paycheck would never be a form of affirmation. MATTHEW CORDELL, A FORMER STUDENT I was fortunate to have in my classes at Hillcrest High School for three years, has found success in the field of children’s book illustration. I didn’t think that I deserved much credit for who he has become; after all, he was raised to be a respectful communicator and he already had a good work ethic and talent before he entered my classroom.
by Eva K. Esrum The stereotypes about “true artists” being unstable, airheaded substance abusers who are unable to communicate effectively are unfair and unfortunate. The first year I had Matt in my class, he was a sincere, deep-thinking and talented freshman who was able to block out distractions, like those caused by students in his class who didn’t sign up to be there or anywhere else. Matt was the stable and respectful individual in that group. He received only one bad grade in three years, and that was on his Art I final exam. He was aware that I was disgusted by the behavior in his class and wrote a profound message to me on his exam that encouraged me not to quit and told me not to let “those obnoxious punks” or his poor test grade get to me. I almost cried: I had received what I call “a teacher bonus,” something that money can’t buy, and can give teachers affirmation and a reason to continue in the profession. 20
LEFT: Art teacher Eva Esrum hands young Matthew Cordell his plaque for Hillcrest High School Best of Show. RIGHT: Matthew standing with his 1990–91 Hillcrest High School Art Student of the Year display.
BECAUSE OF HIS GOOD GRADES and behavior in art, I invited Matt to join our chapter of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS). Back then, my NAHS members had to create an annual display of their art, which was shown in the school library. A requirement for the display was a sign that included a photo of them as well as information about their philosophy of art and what they planned to do with art in the future. Matt was fur ther honored with high scores and college credit from two Advanced Placement Ar t courses, a Gold and Silver Key in Scholastic Ar t Awards and the title of “1990–91 Hillcrest High School Ar t Student of the Year.” He was accepted into both the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Ar ts Summer Program and the Greenville County Fine Ar ts Center which he attended his senior year. m a r c h 2 0 1 9 • 86 Y E A R S
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In 2013, Matthew’s hello! hello! received “Caldecott buzz,” but it did not win. An illustration from it is featured on this month‘s cover. (DisneyHyperion, 2012.) Matthew’s book, Wish, is so touching, it often causes book browsers to cry. (DisneyHyperion, 2015.)
Matthew’s book, Wolf in the Snow, won the 2018 Randolph Caldecott Medal. (Macmillan Publishers, 2017.)
resistant at first, his future wife slowly exposed him to drawings in several picture books, and they intrigued him. Eventually, they would collaborate. WHEN THEY FINISHED THEIR BOOK,
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After graduation, Matt earned a degree in graphic design at Winthrop University and received a number of invitations to inter view with firms in Chicago. He moved there and worked in graphic design and operated a letterpress for a number of years. Meanwhile, he became disenchanted with the attitudes of those in the fine arts world. Matt’s girlfriend, author Julie Halpern who is an award winning middle school librarian, suggested that they collaborate and create a children’s picture book. Though www.ar tsandactivities.com
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Toby and the Snowflakes, they submitted queries to 20 publishers and received 19 rejections. One came back with a “Maybe.” After six months of tweaking their manuscript, their book was published. After seeing what was involved in creating and publishing a picInside artwork from Wolf in ture book, he fell in love with the the Snow, written and illusfield of children’s book illustratrated by Matthew Cordell. tion. Matt tried his hand at writing and illustrating some books, but received a number of polite rejections from publishers. He didn’t give up and realized that, at first, he needed to write about things that were familiar to him. His first two published books were the humorous, Trouble Gum and Another Brother. The third, hello! hello!, was his first book that received “Caldecott buzz.” The Randolph Caldecott Medal is a highly coveted award bestowed upon the creator of what is deemed by a committee of experts to be the most distinguished American children’s picture book of the year. When Matt didn’t win the medal for hello! hello!, he was crushed. Once again, instead 21
of giving up, he immediately started drawing something new, which was also cathartic: a howling wolf. MATT HAS ILLUSTRATED over 35 children’s picture books and has authored eight of them. He has visited over 50 schools across the nation where he shares his books with children and gives drawing demonstrations. In stores, his book, Wish, often causes book browsers to cry. Here again, Matt wrote a book based on personal experience. It addresses the struggle some parents go through while trying to have a child. Matt illustrated Special Delivery, written by Caldecott Medal winner, Philip C. Stead. It received the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award from the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair in 2015. Next, Matt won a Boston Globe Horn Book Honor Award for his book, Wolf in the Snow, a story that would address the topics of prejudice toward humans and animals. Creating it required research on wolves, time spent in a nature preserve for inspiration and, most of all, hard work.
UPPER LEFT Artwork from the book, Bob, Not Bob, written by Audrey Vemick and Liz Garten Scanlon, and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Disney-Hyperion, 2017. ABOVE Artwork from Wish, written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Disney-Hyperion, 2015. LEFT Artwork from Special Delivery, written by Philip C. Stead, and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Roaring Brook Press, 2015.
ON THE MORNING OF FEB. 12, 2018,
Matt received a phone call from the Colorado Convention Center where the American Librar y Association would present its Youth Media Awards. A committee on the other end of the line was howling. When the noise subsided, Matt was told that he had won the 2018 Randolph Caldecott Medal for his book, Wolf in the Snow. After the initial shock, his wife and children joined him, and they laughed and cried until they fell to the floor. I notified our district’s PR department when I heard the news. A photo of Matt appeared at the top of the Greenville County School District’s Website with this headline: “Hillcrest Grad Wins 2018 Randolph Caldecott Medal.” Reading the artiAs a student, Matthew wrote that he would “pursue an art-related career.” Mission accomplished. 22
cle was a true Kleenex moment! Matt would later in-scribe the following in my personal copy of Wolf in the Snow: “To Eva Esrum: It was you and your class that put me on the path that led to this place! Thank you so much for your tireless dedication and talents, Ms E. — Matthew Cordell” In 2018, the year I would be retiring, I received proof of a difference I had made in a student’s life. WHILE CLEANING OUT my classroom for the final time, I
found something I’d stashed away years ago. It was a sign from a NAHS display. The photo of the artist was still in good condition, and the sign was legible. It stated: “Art is an important part of my life. It is something that I could make a career of, that I could enjoy. I enjoy the creativity and the fact that there’s always something new to learn about art. “I plan to take art the next three years in school. I definitely will pursue an art related career.” At the bottom was a signature: Matthew Cordell. n Eva K. Esrum was a high school art teacher for 36 years from Fountain Inn, S.C. She retired this past June. m a r c h 2 0 1 9 • 86 Y E A R S
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A&A Art Print: Respond and Connect Book of the Dead for the Singer of Amun, Nany, c. 1050 BCE. Egyptian.
“Anubis says to Osiris, ‘Her heart is an accurate witness,’ and Osiris replies, ‘Give her her eyes and her mouth, since her heart is an accurate witness.’” Translation of hieroglyphic text from The Metropolitan Museum of Art
MAIN VISUAL ART CONCEPTS: Line • Shape • Color • Contrast • Symbol • Sequence
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NANY’S DEATH, BURIAL AND HER AFTERLIFE: This image is part of a 17-foot scroll that was found in the tomb of a singer, described as short and plump, named Nany who died in her 70s. It depicts her as tall and elegant (second figure from the left) holding her eyes and her mouth in her hand. Nany was characterized as a “king’s daughter” who sang ritual music in praise of the god Amun-Re. GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS— HOW TO GO FORTH: The hieroglyphics on the scroll are words being spoken between Isis and Osiris. They are declaring Nany worthy of passage because her heart is lighter than the weight of the feather of truth, Ma’at (pronounced Mah-AHT). If her heart had been found to be heavier than the feather, it would have been cast out for Ammut (or Ammit) to devour. Ammut had a crocodile head, a leopard/large cat front and a rhinoceros/hippo back. After that, her soul would exist no more. Lucky for Nany, she was found worthy of the afterlife.
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RELIGIOUS HISTORY: A Pantheon of gods. The ancient Egyptian deities seen in The Hall of Truth (lower section of this scroll) are involved with the weighing of Nany’s heart. They are: Isis (far left); Anubis (center); and Osiris (far right). We know it is Osiris because he wears a white crown and has a curving beard. Although his body is wrapped like a mummy, his hands are free to hold a crook. Osiris is the god of rebirth and of vegetation. His son is Horus, depicted as a falcon in the center frame at the top of the scroll. Isis and Osiris were husband and wife, and in some stories Horus was their son. LANGUAGE ARTS: Publishing. While the title of this, and other scrolls like it, is commonly called “The Book of the Dead,” the literal translation of its title is “Book of Coming Forth by Day.” These “books” (actually, scrolls) have many similarities, and were found in numerous Egyptian tombs. Scribes often produced the scrolls in advance of their purchase, drawing and writing most of the material that they would then personalize with the name of the deceased.
BOTANY: The Science of Paper. Papyrus is a plant (cyperus papyrus) that grows in shallow water. It grew plentifully on the banks of the Nile River. The stems of the plant were used to make numerous objects such as sandals, mats and paper-thin scrolls. The fibers were laid crossing one another for added strength.
HISTORY: The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 and its 1822 published translation by Jean-François Champollion, led to deeper understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture. The stone is carved with a decree from 196 BCE translated into three languages, including Egyptian hieroglyphics.
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ANCIENT GRAPHIC NOVEL: Across the top of this scroll are three “frames” depicting Nany in stages of entering the afterlife. From right to left (the proper reading of such scrolls) they are: 1.Worshipping the divine palette, 2. Praising a statue of the god, Horus, depicted as a falcon, and 3. Standing beside the doors to her own tomb.
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LANGUAGE ARTS: What is a hieroglyph? Simply put, it is a written symbol. The word comes from the Greek word, “hieroglyphikos” (hiero: holy; glypho: writing), meaning “sacred carving.” The meaning of hieroglyph is now extended to mean “picture writing” and can apply to written language systems of many cultures. Some Egyptian hieroglyphs represent words, others represent sounds, and another type refines the meaning of words and sounds. Whereas in English, there are 26 letters in our alphabet, there were 750–1,000 different hieroglyphs used in ancient Egypt.
ART CONSERVATION: The oldest known papyrus examples date to 2500 BCE. These ancient pieces were preserved in containers in underground tombs that stayed dry for thousands of years. Scrolls such as Nany’s were rolled up (papyrus is too brittle to be folded) and placed inside a hollow wooden figure of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld and rebirth.
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Book of the Dead for the Singer of Amun, Nany, c. 1050 BCE. Egyptian. Papyrus and paint; 13.75" x 206.94". The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Rogers / Public domain. Fund. ©
In the Studio: Create and Present Annotations and lesson connections on these pages by Tara Cady Sartorius, Program Director, Alabama Arts Alliance
GRADES K–6
GRADES 7–12
PHARAOH-CIOUS FACES. Literature can be a great inspiration for art making. Other times, art can inspire great writing. Teacher Jerri Palmquist may have brought even more than two disciplines together in her lesson, because she connected ancient history along with music, visual arts and language arts. Palmquist also collaborated with a colleague teaching a sixth-grade social studies unit on Egypt.
CAIRO, CONTOURS AND CONNECTIONS. At first glance they look
Egyptian, but on second glance they go far beyond ancient tradition.
Art by students of Nancy Brooks from Camden County High School, Kingsland, Georgia Art by 6th-grade students of Jerri Palmquist from Oakley Elementary School in Oakley, Kansas.
Giuseppe Verdi wrote the opera, Aida, in 1871. The famous and accomplished opera singer, Leontyne Price, first starred in the title role in 1957. After retiring from opera, Price wrote a book version of the tale of Aida in 1997. This book, with its evocative illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon, is what Palmquist reads to her students as they work. She says, “We frequently connect our lessons to literature, and the illustrations are a beautiful visual reference for the project. Connecting the lesson to the social studies unit always helps make the project more meaningful to the students.” Palmquist requires her students to write their reflections on their work. The mixed-media pieces combine oil pastels, metallic paint, and glitter. Many students expressed frustration with blending oil pastels, and one declared she did not like using glitter. Yet another loved the glitter, and even named his imaginative and original dragon Pharaoh, King Bling. NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Grade 6 CREATE: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. • Refine and complete artistic work. CONNECT: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. How to use the A&A Monthly Art Print: Carefully unbend the staples at the center of the magazine, pull the print up and out of the magazine. Rebend staples to keep magazine intact. Laminate the pulled-out section and use it as a resource in your art room. — Editor 26
Art teacher Nancy Brooks found a way to apply the practice of using contour lines to create the impression of relief carving of Egyptian-inspired imagery. The lyrical lines and imaginative borrowing of Egyptian sources makes her student works stand out. Some students opted to take their interpretations to an extreme. The image of a nonchalant Anubis soaking his feet (nay, paws!) in the Nile River is rather unforgettable. Brooks reflects, “We talked about contour maps and how they follow the shape of the land. I used Egyptian subject matter … and told students they would use contour lines to further describe the objects. We also looked at various Egyptian designs to create the borders.” While the hieroglyphics on the borders surrounding the drawings do not have specific meaning, the addition of the Egyptian and other personal symbols adds to the charm of the work. Brooks has invented new possibilities for drawing through the re-presentation of ancient imagery in a contemporary style. When asked how she might change the lesson, she says, “I liked the color pencils used on the drawings, but maybe I would try oil pastels on larger paper. Even watercolors and ink would be interesting.” NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: High School (Advanced) CREATE: Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices, following or breaking established conventions, to plan the making of multiple works of art and design based on a theme, idea, or concept. CONNECT: Synthesize knowledge of social, cultural, historical, and personal life with art-making approaches to create meaningful works of art or design.
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he year was halfway over, and I noticed that a handful of students were still having a difficult time working through the artistic process in order to create interesting, dynamic and individualized works of art. These students were amazingly creative and talented—but still struggled to go from their idea to a completed piece successfully. Thinking about what I could do to take them to the next
step, I formed a new lesson: “The Emotion Breakdown.” Students would create an artwork by building a connection with an emotion and following the artistic process to successfully bring their ideas to fruition. The process would be broken down and “chunked” so the students could see why each part played an important role in the creation of their work. The introduction involved students viewing artworks that conveyed emotion. Each student was asked to pick an emotion and set up four pages within their sketchbooks for the project. They were told that they need to have a “GAP” (Get Approved Please) after each page before they could move on to the next. SETTING UP AND BREAKING DOWN.
On page one of their sketchbooks, students had to write down what emotion they picked and find one to three quotes or song lyrics that showed that particular emotion. I told them they may use the quotes and lyrics in their work, but they could also just use them as inspiration. The rest of the page was to be used for brainstorming, doodling or noting research about that emotion. Page two was for thumbnails. Students were told they had to do at least four thumbnail sketches to get their ideas down on paper before they moved on to the rough draft. I have found that understanding the difference between a thumbnail and a rough draft is tricky for my middle schoolers, but this project helped them understand a bit more
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“Courage.” “Fear.”
the
emotion breakdown by Kerri Waller
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“Inner Peace.”
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Middle school students will … • create a work of art inspired by an emotion. • follow the steps of the artistic process to organize, plan and create a work of art. • experiment with media, tools and techniques.
NATIONAL ART STANDARDS
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CREATING: Generating, conceptualizing organizing and developing artistic ideas and work. • PRESENTING: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. • RESPONDING: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.
The first page in their sketchbooks included students’ chosen emotion and a related quote(s), and sketches of ideas.
On page two, they drew thumbnail sketches to get their ideas down on paper before moving on to their rough drafts.
On page three, students expanded on one of the thumbnails, creating their rough drafts of their final artwork.
On the fourth page, they briefly described how their artwork will look and the process they would use to create it.
MATERIALS
• Sketchbooks • Watercolor paper, drawing paper • Drawing pencils, pencil sharpeners, colored pencils (we used Prismacolor®), permanent markers (we used Sharpie®), erasers, chalk and oil pastels • Watercolor and acrylic paints, paint plates/palettes, brushes, water cups 28
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PROJECT TIPS
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1. I tell students to “GAP” (Get Approved Please) before they move on to the next step. I want to make sure they understand that particular “chunk” of the artistic process before moving on. 2. Have a variety of paper available for different mediums and experimentation. 3. Have students working with dry media and students working with wet media at different tables. 4. Some mediums take longer to work with than others. For example, if a student is layering dry media on paint, they may need to take a class period to let the paint dry. Having an anchor project for them to work on while they are waiting for things to dry (or if they need a brain break) comes in handy.
“Contentment.” “Hope.”
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“Satisfaction.”
clearly. Students were asked to talk to their tablemates about their ideas and thumbnails before getting the page approved. FOR PAGE THREE, students were asked to pick one of their previ-
ous thumbnail sketches and create a rough draft of it. I explained how the rough drafts needed to flesh out the ideas from their thumbnails. We had a class discussion about how a rough draft was the step between thumbnails and a final copy. It was a place for mistakes and changes, and it did not need to be perfect. I reminded them that they could change their ideas as they went and nothing was carved in stone. If something was not working or if the emotion was not being displayed in the piece, they could come up with something new. On page four, students wrote short descriptions of how their artwork will look. They were to write down—step-bystep—the process they would use in order to create the art. I likened this to writing a lab report in science class. www.ar tsandactivities.com
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UP TO THIS POINT IN THE YEAR, students had been introduced
to a variety of media. I set up the supply area with watercolor and colored pencils, but they knew from the beginning of the project that they could choose a different medium if they wanted to, so I included many other choices as well. Students were prompted to talk to their table group multiple times during the project for informal feedback on their work. They were given a variety of journal questions for the daily warm-up, which allowed them to think critically about their piece. Students worked on their projects for two and a half weeks, and their art covered a range of emotions and art media. After the artworks were completed, students viewed their classmates’ work and participated in a critique. n Kerri Waller teaches art at Simpson Middle School in Marietta, Georgia, and was the 2017–18 GAEA Middle Level Teacher of the Year. 29
on the
ART CAREER TRACK
RevisitingRenoir by Irv Osterer
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Spencer. Remake of Renoir’s Self-Portrait.
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W
ith smart phones, computer labs and tablets, the work of the great Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French; 1841–1919) has never been easier to introduce and inspire students of all ages. In my graphic-design classes, students are introduced to drawing with vector tools. There are many drawing programs in the communication and design landscape—the leaders include Adobe Illustrator®, CorelDRAW® and QuarkXPress® It is also possible to affect some simple vector shape drawing with free, online programs, with which it is just as easy to fill the shapes one creates with any number of transparent and opaque colors. FOR THIS EXERCISE, the class used
the drawing tools that are built into QuarkXPress desktop publishing software. Students were required to search for a Renoir image that they could crop into a portrait or landscape 8.5" x 11" format. Since this image was meant to 30
be used only as a source file, issues of resolution were not a factor. Students were encouraged to build their own hybrid Renoir images using simple shapes drawn using the pen tool. Once the shapes were rendered, they had the option of stroking them
Isabelle. Remake of A Girl with a Watering Can (detail). Julia. Remake of Still Life with Flowers in a Large Vase.
with lines of any width and color or filling in the shapes with preferred colors. Students had the option of using the layer palette and assigning each object they created on a separate layer to be moved and placed accordingly. There were students in the class who took the challenge of trying to create many subtle layers to simulate the originals, but by far the most successful samples used a simpler approach. Autumn’s project of Girl Reading distills the original canvas down to its basic geometric shapes, and her excellent use of color is admirable. Isabelle also simplifies a very recognizable Renoir youngster (see p. 45) to basic shapes and uses color effectively, while the still-life composition by KoiChi takes much the same approach. The advantage of the vector approach is that once competed, these files can be enlarged substantially without any loss of detail or color. In industr y, there are many ser vices that demand vector art from
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Ko-Chi. Remake of Still Life with Peaches. Autumn. Remake of Girl Reading. Max. Remake of Portrait of Victor Chocquet.
Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES High school students will ... • research the work of the great Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. • simplify the composition to basic shapes on an 8.5" x 11" document. • practice their computer drawing skills, by converting a detail of one of his paintings into a vector graphic.
MATERIALS
• • •
Internet access Desktop publishing software Vector illustration software (there are several free vector options available online if your school cannot supply Adobe Illustrator®, CorelDRAW® or QuarkXPress®)
their clients because they do not want to deal with issues of resolution when completing a project. That is the reason it is so important to introduce vector drawing to students who are interested in Communication and Design careers. Using the pen tool and drawing curves effectively, and controlling the shapes one renders, take some time to learn, but vector drawing is an essential skill in today’s design field. n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Irv Osterer is Department Head – Fine Arts and Technology at Merivale High School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. www.ar tsandactivities.com
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Talia’s finished work.
They then glued the half of their face without the hand on the paper and cut out the hand and eraser and glued it on the other half of the paper. BEFORE THE ACTUAL PROJECT BEGAN,
Erase Me! by Glenda Lubiner
O
h, how I love Facebook! OK, this sounds like the beginning of a Dr. Seuss book. But I really do like it, plus I love that art teachers are always willing to share their ideas, lessons and photos. I won’t lie, I got this project from a post I saw a few months ago and decided to try it. I USUALLY START the school year off with
drawing, move toward painting, printmaking, and end the year with 3D art. I myself am not an illustrator and drawing is not my strong point, but the more you do it, the better you get. So, I started one 32
of my own, showed the kids, and then tried to get buy-in from my seventh- and eighth-grade students. They were very excited to try this new self-portrait. First I had them pose against the wall holding a big eraser in one hand against their face. I asked them to pose in a few different ways: serious, funny, wacky and any other way they wished. They loved this part of the project. I printed out the photos in black and white on regular printer paper and they chose the one they were going to work with. I cut the photo in half and asked them to cut their hand and eraser out.
they create a value scale. They drew a 1" x 10" rectangle in their sketchbooks and divided it into 1-inch squares. They left the first square blank (white) and had to gradually make each square just a bit darker until they got to square 10, which was totally black. I had them make the value scales as they were going to have to match values in the drawing they would be doing. I was really surprised that the kids got so into this project. Last year I tried doing self-portraits with them and the students were very frustrated and gave up easily. This year, even though I have a few of the same students, they loved it. In their reflections of the project, one of my kiddos named Emma said, “It was much better than just looking in a mirror and just drawing ourselves, because we had a side reference. And we could choose the photo we wanted.” The students really took their time and instead of just drawing to get finished, they worked on each part of the portrait with real intent. They even helped each other, asked for advice, and had no problem reworking areas. One thing I noticed that they finally caught on to was starting a drawing by drawing lightly! They never used to do it. I actually had to tell students to add more dark values. Some found it difficult to match the values, but after much hard work, they succeeded. I was extremely proud of a handful of students who have progressed so much since last year. A few kids mentioned they really liked this project and that it was fun. Talia reflected that, “This project is better than just looking at yourself in the mirror because when it is on paper and in half I can see how big and wide my lips or head is. Also, since it was in black and white I could see all the highlights I needed to do and the shading.” THIS IS A GREAT PROJECT for all grade levels. Even the younger kids can start learning about value and self-portraits. After trying to teach traditional selfportraits with mirrors for many years, I found that the students did a better job
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES Middle school students will … • create a self-portrait. • use at least 10 values in their portrait. • use scale and proportion.
NATIONAL ART STANDARDS
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CREATING: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. • PRESENTING: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. • RESPONDING: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
MATERIALS
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Jenessa “getting her smile on.”
• Assortment of drawing pencils • Vinyl eraser • 9" x 12" white paper • Digital camera/printer • Glue
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Jenessa’s finished work.
Avy
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Elika
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by having that frame of reference—the other half of their face. “It was much easier because we didn’t have to keep looking in a mirror then drawing and going back and forth,” Jenessa said. I think now that they understand the values better and really looking and drawing what they see, not what they think they see, I feel more comfortable with teaching a second lesson on self-portraits the more traditional way. Another possibility is to have the students draw each other or bring in a photo of a family member. Pets next? Who knows?! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Glenda Lubiner (NBCT) teaches art at Franklin Academy Charter School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. www.ar tsandactivities.com
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THE ARTS CREATE JOBS. Each day, 4.8
million Americans go to work in Arts and Culture
industries. In fact, according to the US. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Arts contributed $730
billion to our GDP—which is larger than the
Construction, Transportation, and Travel & Tourism industries.
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS LEVERAGES MILLIONS OF AMERICAN JOBS. YOUR SUPPORT OF THE NEA MATTERS! Learn more at www.AmericansForTheArts.org
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Self-portrait. Graphite; 9" x 12".
I
“Stitch it Up!” Embroidery and acrylic paint on Aida cloth; 8.5" x 11".
create art with a variety of mediums, but my favorites are graphite and colored pencils. I am passionate about creating art, and I look within my own heart for inspiration. I use rainbow colors in many of my artworks. I feel these colors represent different people who make me feel many emotions—joy, melancholy, and even irritation. I pour all of that onto paper to express myself.
Zentangled initial. Marker; 11" x 8.5". Kaleidoscope name design. Color pencil and marker; 12" x 12".
Creative color wheel. Acrylic paint, color pencil and graphite; 12" x 18". www.ar tsandactivities.com
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“Fairy.” Color pencil and ink; 18" x 12" .
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Ahnnah Newell, grade 8 Florence Middle School Florence, Mississippi Courtney Lipscomb, Art Teacher
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Introducing a heavily insulated Paragon glaze test kiln The Max-119 is heavily insulated so you can fire to 2300°F (1259°C) on 120 volts. The kiln is 11” wide x 9” deep. The walls are 4 ½” thick! The 2 ½” thick firebricks are backed with an extra 2” of block insulation. Optional colors at no charge If you don’t like the black shown here, order your kiln in turquoise, hot pink, purple, berry, navy, jade, or blue. Ideal for classes Buy a Max-119 for your classroom. Students can make gifts for special occasions without waiting until the school’s large kiln is fired. New teachers inherit bags of unlabeled clay. Many ceramic firings have been ruined because the clay was fired to the wrong temperature. With a small kiln, you can test unlabeled clay. Test glazes while you feel the momentum instead of waiting to fire them in your large kiln. A test kiln creates enthusiasm for a clay program. A glaze test kiln vastly increases students’ knowledge of glazes. 18” tall deluxe rolling stand The rolling stand raises the kiln to a convenient height. Should you need a vent, merely slide the Orton collection cup into a mounting bracket on the top of the stand. Join the Clayart pottery forum here: lists.clayartworld.com
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dry, I gave the students a demonstration on using chalk pastels and blending with fingers and/ or paper towels. Tables were completely covered with newspaper. Excess chalk was removed by gently tapping the paper on its side. Fingers need to be wiped off before changing colors. Avoid coloring the white lines. Students were mesmerized by the blending of the colors. Several expressed how pretty the effects were. Students were given a practice paper to experiment with blending. This was helpful for students who were not that experienced with working with chalk. This way they learned how to apply it without pressing too hard and making bold lines, which are difficult to blend. Also, it gave them the opportunity to see what colors blended together in a pleasing outcome. Once the chalk application is complete, if the white lines have become messy with chalk dust, students can carefully apply another coat of white paint. When dry, chalk is sealed. I use hairspray to do this instead of hazardous fixatives. I take the papers outdoors. Hold the can about 12 inches from the papers and lightly spray the entire surfaces. Allow the spray to dry. Touch the chalk to see if it is sealed. If not, repeat. I usually spray at least two coats.
CHALK
continued from page 17
STUDENTS THEN CAREFULLY CUT out
the reptiles. Then, in the final step, they glue small pre-cut rectangles and squares of corrugated cardboard to the backsides of their reptiles. This is done to create “pop-up” reptiles for a “relief” effect when placed on the abstract backgrounds. Allow the cardboard squares time to dry. Lastly, students put glue on the tops of the cardboard pieces, turn their reptiles over and place them onto the background paper. These colorful projects make a stunning exhibit. If you are looking for a chalk project that students will enjoy, give this a try! It is going to be one of those projects that students are going to say, “Can I bring it home?” n Suzanne Dionne teaches visual art at Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School in Waterbury, Connecticut. She is also the current past-president of the Connecticut Art Education Association.
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It can be an intimate experience that encourages close reading skills and active visual listening, as the follower attempts to process the dance leader’s marks and movements. I think the experience, due to its brevity, can be quite useful as an introductory or closure experience for any number of units that we include in our art education curriculum. So many of the drawings made through the activity are rich in mark making, color, layering, and approximate symmetry. I highly encourage you to give it a go with your students and, as David Gahanna from Depeche Mode sings, “enjoy the silence.” n
1.
continued from page 15
1. Apply Cray-Pas bright Cray-Pas colors 2. Cover them in black Cray-Pas or other 3. Scratch designs in the overlay-color wit
1. Apply Cray-Pas thickly around a stencil. 2. Lay this sheet across a second sheet, a color from the edge of the first sheet ont places.
Cray-Pas is an ideal material for art education. It bring out imaginative drawing in children.
It’s always interesting to read and/or hear about which activities students were more comfortable with and what aspects were most challenging for them. As these come up, as always, I encourage students to dig deeper and think about why they struggled and how they dealt with these challenges.
MIRROR
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Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Don Masse, is a K–5 visual arts teacher at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy in San Diego, California. At the 2018 NAEA national convention, Don was named the 2018 Pacific Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year. www.ar tsandactivities.com
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media reviews
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artsandactivities.com 38
100 DAYS OF DRAWING: Sketch, Paint, and Doodle Towards One Creative Goal, by Jennifer Orkin Lewis. Abrams Books, $16.99. The “one creative goal” of 100 Days is to provide the amateur with what to draw and with the challenge of completing the book. Abrams Noterie, the gift and stationery imprint here, produces (among other items) coloring books. In many ways, this activity book is similar to a fillin-the-blanks book in that often it asks for very simple sketches to enhance existing outlines or shapes. For example, artists who are quite young can add features to the vacant colored circles, or they can augment the empty shapes of buildings. Let’s expand on those last few sentences with this: Lewis provides empty pages as well, accompanied by prompts. Her book is an art journal/diary/sketchbook with many stimulating writing inducements, from one empowering word to a list or a complete description. Besides drawing with crayons, markers or pencils, recommendations include paintbrushes, ink and gel pens, and combinations of media. Lewis’ many illustrations are sweet and her drawing ideas can be adorable. Draw a face on a sofa-shape! Or on a painted turnip! With its reinforced cover pages and a dust jacket, we hesitate to label this guide the paperback that it is. It’s a lighthearted, playful book that will entertain children.–P.G. BRUSH PEN ILLUSTRATION: More Than 200 Ideas for Drawing with Brush Pens, by Sho Ito. Quarry Books, $16.99. Twenty years ago, they weren’t common on store shelves. Now they’re ubiquitous…art suppliers are rife with brush pens. If you’ve been wishing for a way to teach kids the proper use of them, your wish has been granted.
AUDIOVISUAL BOOK/PRINT Jerome J. Hausman • Paula Guhin
The Japanese-born author has written several books on painting with brushes, published in his homeland, and his native culture runs lightly through this one: a few Japanese foods, words, a fan, cherry blossoms, carp windsocks, and one or two sentences about traditional ink sticks. Brush Pen Illustration might be a lost opportunity to discuss more about Japan, Sumi-e and traditional Asian brush painting. Ito also covers extra-fine and hardtipped felt pens, segueing into flexible soft tips. While the author pushes one brand a bit, the truth is that there’s a multitude of brush markers and pens at all price ranges available from numerous merchants. And the colors, oh my! There are sets of different sizes and even BIG tips for large work. Quarry’s high-grade products are renowned, with lots of white space that makes color pop. Every how-to art book today seems to use steps, and here they are minimal as befits brush painting. The instructions are easy to follow, going so far as to number the sequence of strokes (mostly just three or four), but the book isn’t for the very young with their limited patience or restraint. Our suggestion is that it’s best for middle school and higher. The fairly durable soft cover and pages will likely withstand the wear and tear that kids can dish out. About 10 well-explained techniques are accompanied by many variations, and color-boxed advice is found here and there. The two-page Inspiration Gallery presents stationery, bookmarks, and a few other items similar to what scrap bookers make. Let’s be clear: The majority of pages are given to little drawings to be copied. Categories encompass foods, objects, flowers—everything from A (animals) to Z (Chinese zodiac signs). The “nature” section ignores trees, which can be beautifully drawn with brush pens. But per-
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haps that’s an idea for Ito’s next book. Or maybe that future work can be devoted to the human figure, which also can be expressive and graceful when rendered with brush pens.–P.G. ANYWHERE, ANYTIME ART, COLORED PENCIL: An Artist’s Guide to Drawing with Colored Pencil on the Go!, by Cara Hanley. Walter Foster Publishing, $16.95. A neophyte adult unskilled in the medium might find this handy guide useful to improve his or her tactics. But we believe it’s best for the student in grades four, five, or six. Kids will appreciate the mostly childlike illustrations in the compact, 128-page paperback. The book is just one of the Anywhere, Anytime Art series … we haven’t seen the Crayon or Watercolor editions as of this writing, but they could be similar to this modest work. Essential methods and materials, a smattering on color, and numerous suggestions and short cuts fill the pages. One pointer recommends collecting drawn patterns and textures in a sketchbook for later use. A good hint amongst other handy hints. Still-life objects, interiors, animals and people comprise some of the exercises, and the author applauds travel and urban sketching. She advises drawing in museums, parks, coffee shops and more. Her website, carahanley. com, features her works with watercolor and gouache. While the step-outs encourage copying, several tasks seem made for elementary/intermediate art teachers: the tiles (perspective) and the eggplant (shade and light), to name just two. Examples of smooth, wavy, and choppy water show differences in texture, while the artichoke lesson displays the concept of overlapping. Even a very talented primary school artist might enjoy this manual.–P.G. www.ar tsandactivities.com
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Bring A&A into Your Artroom Today!
Arts & Activities magazine offers classroom-tested lesson plans. Experience this time-saving resource for yourself.
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GENERAL PENCIL Charcoal Pencil Drawing Kit No. 15, from General Pencil, would be a good choice for a beginning drawing class. This 13-piece kit includes one HB pencil; two 2B pencils; two 6B pencils; one Charcoal White pencil; one Carbon Sketch pencil; two soft sticks of compressed charcoal; a soft jumbo stick of compressed charcoal; a white charcoal stick, an artist’s pencil sharpener; and two kneaded erasers. The pencils are pre-sharpened and ready for use.
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SAKURA OF AMERICA Zentangle® Apprentice® Classroom Packs are an affordable and organized way to provide students with what the Zentangle method promotes and supports: mindfulness, creativity, problem solving, eye-hand coordination, and more. There are two different packs available; seen above is Classroom Pack #2, which includes an instructional DVD, 36 medium-point white Gelly Roll® Classic pens, 36 Zentangle charcoal white pencils and 140 Zentangle Apprentice Black Tiles.
DERWENT ACADEMY Blendable Soft Pastels from Derwent Academy will help students experiment with techniques, such as layering and texturing, without fear of patchy or uneven results. They feature a soft texture that’s easy to apply and blend on paper. Each pastel features a handy square shape for easier application. The pointed corners are great for defining and filling in fine details, while the flat sides let you quickly color larger sections of artwork.
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Schools & Summer
WORKSHOPS
Ideas for making the most of art programs this summer. When contacting those listed, tell them you found them in Arts & Activities! (Information subject to change without notice.)
FOR TEACHERS Arkansas The National Art Education Association (NAEA) has announced their School for Art Leaders at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Utilizing experiential, action-learning modules and in-depth conversations with expert leaders, the program provides participants with learning experiences and skills to successfully lead in any environment. Completed application for the 2019 NAEA School for Art Leaders Class must be received by Monday, April 1, 2019. Learn more at: www.arteducators.org/ events/school-for-art-leaders California Inspire the next generation of art students. Earn a degree online or in San Francisco. B.F.A. and M.F.A. in art ed; art teaching credential; continuing art-ed courses, and more. Academy of Art University, San Francisco, Calif., www.academyart.edu
Florida Ringling’s Continuing Studies program promotes visual arts by providing educational and professional development opportunities. Explore creative and cultural interests in art and design classes, workshops, lectures and certificate programs. Experiment with new methods or refresh existing skills. Enjoy the inspiration and camaraderie of these shared learning experiences while you develop your creativity and critical thinking. Information will be available this April. Ringling College of Art + Design, Sarasota, Fla., www.ringling.edu/ ContinuingStudies#TeacherInst
visual arts. Western Michigan University, www.wmich.edu/online/arteducation/
Michigan The online M.A. in Art Education from the Gwen Frostic School of Art at Western Michigan University provides new and established K–12 art educators with advanced professional preparation in curriculum development, pedagogy, action research, leadership, and advocacy in the
Pennsylvania Teachers Summer Institute: Annual Professional Retreat for Art Educators. Moore College’s 2019 Teachers Summer Institute is designed for high school art teachers to enhance the culture of teaching and empower learning in visual art. This professionally directed program of studio-based workshops offers art educators the opportunity to recharge batteries, deepen personal direction, hone skills, expand concept development, and discover new applications for educational practice. Sunday June 23 through Saturday June 29. Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, moore. edu/continuing-education/certificateprograms/teachers-summer-institute
LEARN, CREATE, BUILD, DISCOVER, EXPLORE AND GROW AT ARROWMONT TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TEACHERS! TEACHERS OF ANY SUB JECT OR GR ADE LEVEL, INCLUDING COLLEGE OR UNIVERSIT Y PROFESSORS, RECEIVE A 50% TUITION SCHOL ARSHIP FOR WORKSHOPS AT ARROWMONT. TO RECEIVE YOUR SCHOL ARSHIP, CONTACT TERI BILBREY AT TBILBREY@ARROWMONT.ORG OR CALL 865 - 436 -5860 Register online at arrowmont.org or call 865-436-5860
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North Carolina Penland School of Craft is an international center for craft education dedicated to helping people live creative lives. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Penland offers one-, two-, and eight-week workshops in books, paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, letterpress, textiles, and wood. The school also offers artists’ residencies, local programs, and a gallery and information center. Penland School of Craft, penland.org/
“Get Your Masters with the Masters: The MFA for Working Professionals.” A unique, low-residency program for an MFA in graphic design or illustration specifically designed for working art directors, designers, illustrators, new media artists and art educators who plan to pursue a degree while continuing with their full-time occupations. Receive personal, hands-on training from leaders in the design and illustration fields. Marywood University, Scranton, Pa., www.marywood.edu/mfa/index.html m a r c h 2 0 1 9 • 86 Y E A R S
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ing experience and age but with a common goal of working hard, learning new skills and being creative. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, www.arrowmont.org/
Studio-intensive program for K–12 art educators in your craft of choice at Wayne Art Center, Goggleworks in The University of the Arts, Professional Institute for Educators, Philadelphia, pie@uarts.edu, cs.uarts.edu/artsweek Tennessee Workshops at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts provide creative opportunities for people who want to learn new skills and be energized and inspired. Weekend, one-week and two-week sessions offer a concentrated experience of working in a professionally equipped studio with dedicated and talented instructors and other students. Students of varied experience levels, ages and backgrounds work side-by-side, exchanging ideas and techniques. Workshops are open to students 18 years old or older, at all skill levels (unless indicated otherwise in the course description). Instructors are national and international practicing studio artists and faculty at colleges and universities. Workshops are small, generally 10–12 students of vary-
Special note: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is offering 50-percent workshop tuition scholarships for teachers of any subject or grade level. For more information, email: tbilbrey@ arrowmont.org Washington D.C. Transform yourself personally and professionally within a museum setting in the National Art Education Association’s SummerVision DC program. Immerse yourself in the Museum Experience by spending four, art-filled days in Washington, D.C. exploring permanent collections, current exhibitions, and the museums themselves as works of art. July 16–19, 2019. www.arteducators.org/events/ articles/364-summervision-dc
ONLINE LEARNING Online continuing courses and accredited degrees in art education. Academy of Art University, San Francisco, www.academyart.edu An innovative higher-learning institution, The Art of Education University (AOEU) is the world’s first fully accredited graduate university exclusively serving K–12 art teachers. They now offer an online Master of Arts in Art Education degree to art teachers. Also offered are online conferences, online courses to help art teachers at every stage of their professional career who are looking to develop a new art curriculum, get help with classroom fundamentals, incorporate new technology into the classroom, or just brush up on your own fine art skills, and more. The Art of Education University, www.theartofeducation.edu Earn your master’s in art education online while you teach. Join like-minded continued on next page
SANTA FE SUMMER 2020 Join us!
“Uniting the world in and through art education.”
Sign up by
March 15, 2020.
GLOBAL ART EDUCATION COUNCIL
globalartedcouncil@gmail.com Twitter: @globalarted Facebook: Global Art Education Council
Limited space! JUNE 17-25, 2019 • $1750 + AIRFARE JOIN TRINA HARLOW AND RANDY ROBART NEEDLE FELTING, LACE, AND CULTURE IN
IRELAND
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educators who love teaching art. Empower yourself with advanced skills in research and practice. Take control of the important decisions that affect you, your students, and your career. Western Michigan University, www.wmich.edu/ online/arteducation/ TRAVEL Travel to Ireland with the Global Art Education Council LLC, whose goal is advancing art education with a global lens. Trina Harlow (KAEA and Art Ed Coordinator at Kansas State University) and Randy Robart (OAEA) will lead the trip, which will explore needle felting, lace, culture and more on the “Emerald Isle.” University graduate or undergraduate credit is available through Kansas State University. June 17–25. Email globalartedcouncil@gmail.com, or visit them on Twitter (@globalarted) and Facebook (Global Art Education Council). FOR YOUNG ARTISTS California Immerse yourself in a creative, dynamic environment with other students who are passionate about art and design.
This summer, build and develop your creative and artistic skills while exploring a specific medium or aspect of art and design. Intensive, four-week, precollege program is for individuals 15 and older who wish to study at one of the top art and design colleges in the country. Serious young artists seeking to strengthen and enhance their art and design skills, as well as students with limited art training, are invited to participate. July 1–26, 2019. Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, www.otis.edu/summer-art Florida Ringling College of Art + Design’s immersive PreCollege 2019 offers an art-college experience to students in grades 10–12. They will experience in-depth immersion in major areas of study, and hands-on studio instruction in core courses that provide fundamental skills and experiences similar to those in a first year curriculum. Through critiques with faculty, guest artists, teaching assistants and peers, students will learn how to analyze and discuss their work and the work of others in a supportive setting. Focused dialogue and evaluations will help them to assess
Share your Lesson Plans with other
Teachers! To learn how, visit artsandactivities.com/submit and select “Writer’s Guidelines”
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the strengths and weaknesses in their artistic practice, bringing them to the next challenge: turning their passion into their profession. June 23–July 20, 2019. Ringling College of Art + Design, Sarasota, Florida, www. ringling.edu/precollege Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design’s BFA Preview is a three-week residential studio for current high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Students live on the University of Michigan campus, make work in their own studio, and have access to state-of-the-art facilities. Under the guidance of Stamps faculty and staff, they’ll immerse themselves in studio work exploring both traditional and experimental media to produce a variety of projects. Students enhance what they are learning in the studio through field trips to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit, and the Detroit Institute of Art. July 7–27, 2019. BFA Preview, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, stamps.umich. edu/pre-college/detail/bfa_preview Ohio College preview for high school students, grades 10–12, considering a future in art and design. Programs include Animation. Comics & Narrative Practice. Fine Arts, Illustration and Fashion Design. Upon successful completion, students will earn three transferable college credits. July 7–27. College Preview, Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, Ohio, www.ccad.edu/college-preview Pennsylvania In Moore College of Art & Design’s Young Artists Workshop, students expand their creativity and connect with others who share the same interests. The program provides a strong grounding in the visual arts and encourages artistic, technical and personal growth through inventive self-expression. All classes are studio based and utilize Moore’s BFA classrooms and labs—modern facilities with state-of-the-art equipment. July 7–Aug. 9, 2019. Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, moore.edu/continuing-education/ young-artists-workshop n
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STUDY PRINT
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French; 1841–1919). A Girl with a Watering Can, 1876. Oil on canvas; 39.37" x 28.75". National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Chester Dale Collection. ©/ Public domain.
“I use color in terms of emotional quality, as a vehicle for feeling... feeling is everything I have experienced or thought.” — Adolph Gottlieb
W
e’ve been at it for a few months now and the highlight of this month is Youth Art Month. In our school, we team up with the music department, as it is Music in our Schools month as well. This is the month to showcase your kids, your program, and to advocate for the arts. This month is also Woman’s Histor y Month, a great time to spotlight those famous women artists that so many do not know about. This month we are focusing on drawing, color media and projects inspired by literature and music.
tip 1 #
MEDAL WORTHY. Lauren Greene from
Coastal Middle School in Savannah, Georgia, has her students do a project inspired by literature—this isn't exactly one book per se, just a project about illustration. She shows her students videos on character development and they create their own character for a children’s book. They sketch out their character from multiple different
cils from breaking when you sharpen them, put them one layer deep on a flat tray and microwave them for five seconds. Do not go over five seconds. This heats it up enough to re-fuse the wax core to the wood.
tip #3
TO BLEND OR NOT TO BLEND. Blending colors is an art, but when using colored pencils this can sometimes be difficult. Blending stumps are mainly used with graphite pencils, but they can also be used with colored pencils. Lately, I’ve started using watercolor pencils with my middle school students. Drawing and shading with colored pencils is hard, when you do it the right way. But, when you add water to this combination it makes it even harder. I started by teaching my students just how to use the watercolor pencils. We did small grids of color, using different pressure with the pencil and different amounts of water. I had them experiment with dry paper and wet paper. The final drawings were pretty good.
tip #4
AT LEAST 10 SHADES OF GRAY! When I teach drawing, my kids moan and groan. They hate it! I hear mumbles of
Feelings for Art points of view and then do two composition sketches of either the cover page or an inside page in the book. They talk about spacing and font, and they practice with materials (whatever materials they like). The end goal is that they create an illustration worthy of the Caldecott medal. (See p. 20 to read about Caldecott Medal winner, Matthew Cordell.)
tip #2
SHARING IS CARING. It is always nice
when someone posts a tip on Facebook and agrees to share it with Tried & True Tips. Sean Hunter from Kannapolis Middle School in Kannapolis, N.C., shared this tip that he received at a conference. To keep your colored pen46
“not another still life,” and “oh no, I’m so bad at this stuff!” So, I had to find a way to make it fun. I did make them draw a value scale. Students created a 1" x 10" rectangle, divided it into 1-inch squares and added their values. They then had to bring in something they wanted to draw that had to be three-dimensional and had to show at least 10 values in their drawings. I dimmed the lights in my room and hung my spotlights so that the stuATTENTION READERS If you would like to share some of your teaching tips, email them to: tipsforartteachers@yahoo.com
Glenda L
ubiner
dents could see different values. Most the drawings were superb. It really helps when they get to choose what they draw.
tip #5
INSPIRATIONS. Here are some great
ideas for using literacy and music in art. Have your students paint different textures on paper and then create an Eric Carle–inspired collage. A great book to use, especially for the primary grades, is Giraffes Can’t Dance, by Giles Andreae. I had my students draw giraffes and paint them, then glue them onto a crayon resist background of stars and a moon. I then had them make a very colorful frame that had a jungle feel to it. Older kids can be inspired to use Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to create their own wild thing in pen and ink. Camille SaintSaens’ musical suite, Carnival of the Animals, has 14 movements that explore a variety of animals using different instruments. As they listen, students can create the carnival using a variety of media. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Balthus (March 1,
1908), Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853), Michelangelo (March 6, 1475), Adolph Gottlieb (March 14, 1903), and Fra Bartolommeo (March 28, 2019). Thank you Lauren and Sean for your great tips! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Glenda Lubiner (NBCT) teaches art at Franklin Academy Charter School in Pembroke Pines, Fla. She is also an adjunct professor at Broward College.
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