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The All About Me Design Challenge

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | Dr. Jane Montero

At the beginning of a new semester or school year, art teachers have an excellent opportunity to get to know our students through storytelling. National Geographic’s online education website sta ...

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Seeds of Change

Thursday, October 10, 2024 | Amanda Schaeffer

The Seeds of Change project challenged students to design a sustainable growing system for the Highland Youth Garden in Hilltop, Ohio. The system had to be functional for the garden’s needs whil ...

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Eco Punch Art

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 | Jessica Provow

Connecting our work to Eco Art gave students the chance to use their designs to tackle important topics that concern our environment, such as the conservation and preservation of our waterways. Plasti ...

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Inquiry-Based Self-Portraits

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 | Nikki Guerrini

No matter what grade you teach, you get a certain reaction when you tell students, “You are drawing faces today”—and typically, it’s not cheers of joy and excitement. Creating ...

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Form & Function

Friday, May 17, 2024 | Kate Gormley

This project allows students to think like problem-solvers and innovators. I encourage them to look around their world and see what small “problems” in their lives need solutions. For exam ...

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Tondo-Inspired Abstract Paintings

Monday, April 15, 2024 | Sunnylee Mowery

Anyone studying contemporary art will notice that many modern visual artists use adaptation in their work. Adaptation can be a difficult concept for young artists to grasp. It has become so ubiquitous ...

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Collaborative Learning through Design

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 | Janine Campbell

This collaboration was developed during the 2020–2021 school year, when the pandemic made working together a challenge. With the implementation of Google Docs and Google Drawings, the barriers t ...

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The Flower of Life

Monday, February 12, 2024 | Raine Dawn Valentine

The Flower of Life is a symbolic representation of life and the interconnectedness of all things. It is associated with the Sacred Geometry school of thought, an ancient science that studies the spiri ...

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Laser-Focused on Design

Thursday, December 14, 2023 | Janine Campbell

What happens when you combine digital creation with physical manufacturing? You get students who are engaged, ready to see themselves as designers, and excited to try something new! Getting a laser cu ...

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Sweet!

Thursday, November 9, 2023 | Debra Cline

Let’s be honest—donuts are delicious, and designing one is a fun way for students to express themselves artistically. There are many different approaches to creating donut designs, ranging ...

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Drafted Buildings

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 | Diane Hoff

After looking at different types of buildings—from religious and retail to commercial and residential—and discussing the characteristics of each, students were introduced to drafting and w ...

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3D-Printed Figures

Monday, September 11, 2023 | Annemarie Baldauf

The 3D printer is an exciting technology, adding to your art program possibilities of sculpture, jewelry design, pottery, and more. In recent years, these printers have become more affordable and user ...

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Finding One’s Strengths

Thursday, August 3, 2023 | Heather McCutcheon

The Strengths Assessment helps people become more self-aware, engaged, positive, and goal-focused. Studying my own strengths and having these discussions with students sparked an interest. After I ask ...

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Go Play with Your Toys!

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | Michael Sacco

In the Spring of 2020, we were all working remotely with our students. I ditched any hope of following my usual curriculum and focused on finding imaginative and exciting assignments that would help s ...

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Masked Identities

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | Aimee Fresia

I researched contemporary artists and discovered the work of African American painter Jeff Sonhouse (b. 1968, New York). Sonhouse creates large, realistic paintings using colorful patterns and burnt m ...

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Drawings in 3D

Thursday, March 9, 2023 | Annemarie Baldauf

If you want to engage students with an exciting hook, 3D printing will do the trick. They can create a two-dimensional drawing of an object and print it three-dimensionally. Today, companies use 3D pr ...

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Middle School

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The All About Me Design Challenge

Seeds of Change

Eco Punch Art

Inquiry-Based Self-Portraits

Form & Function

Tondo-Inspired Abstract Paintings

Collaborative Learning through Design

The Flower of Life

Laser-Focused on Design

Sweet!

Drafted Buildings

3D-Printed Figures

Finding One’s Strengths

Go Play with Your Toys!

Masked Identities

Drawings in 3D

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