Articles

Article

Retro Fun with Parody

Monday, September 11, 2023 | Michael Kerr

We start by discussing where we see satire and parody in pop culture. Students naturally wind up talking about “Weird Al” Yankovic or SNL (Saturday Night Live) Weekend Update—things ...

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Article

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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Article

Editor’s Letter: Groundwork

Thursday, August 3, 2023 | Nancy Walkup

What is the bedrock of your curriculum? Upon what foundations do you build your art program? No doubt these questions are on your mind with the start of a new school year. You may want to start with t ...

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Article

A Proven Winner

Thursday, August 3, 2023 | Linda Schober

My third-graders focus on the concept of organic and geometric shapes and the vocabulary associated with it throughout the year. Using a guessing game approach, we find the shapes in representational ...

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Article

Alter-Ego Books

Thursday, August 3, 2023 | Trish Klenow and Slater Mapp

What if there was a way to connect all of the beginning art exercises like perspective, value scale, and faces into a cohesive story? What if there was choice and depth from day one of your first art ...

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Article

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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Article

What Is Mindfulness?

Thursday, August 3, 2023 | Jane E. Dalton

Mindfulness is the state of being fully aware, receptive, and focused on the senses within the present moment. It is also a form of meditation that can be practiced anywhere, anytime. Students who int ...

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Article

Hold On to Your Hats

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | Leigh Drake

One of my goals is to educate students on the many art-related careers available today. I believe it’s important to start this conversation early to allow students to explore options that are th ...

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Article

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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Article

Contorted Portraits

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | Wendi Sparks

Using oil pastels, my Advanced Drawing students tackled portraits with vibrant color and expressive style. My strategy for helping them work with bright colors is to first research examples of differe ...

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Article

The Drop-In Art Studio

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | Cathy Simino

During the last period of the day at Dover-Sherborn Middle School, students in grades six through eight are fortunate to have several options on how to use their time. Their choices include an open mu ...

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Article

Editor’s Letter: Play

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | Nancy Walkup

To what degree does play find expression in your art room? I have always found it to be a benefit for both me and my students. For a variety of perspectives, I asked our contributing editors to share ...

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Article

Thinking Like Contemporary Artists

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | Megan Jell

At the start of the school year, after a year of hybrid, virtual, and dual modes of instruction, I noticed a strong resistance to risk-taking in the art room. I needed to retrain my students to take r ...

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Article

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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Article

Considering Contemporary Art-Making

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | Richard Kim

To access contemporary art-making, allow students to explore options within formal for traditional art-making ideas without giving specific stipulation as to what is “better or effective.” ...

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Article

Postmodern Portraits

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | Trish Klenow

When creating a great postmodern portrait, embrace the cellphone, the selfie, and TikTok. They are ever-present resources for this generation. We’ve come a long way since glamor shots at the mal ...

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