Blogs

Curator's Corner

Autumn Color: Chung Hae-Cho

Monday, November 14, 2022 | Karl Cole

There have been some gorgeous arrays of color in Massachusetts foliage this autumn. I am particularly amazed at the palette of reds, especially when contrasted with any leaves that are still green. Th ...

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Article

Connecting with Chromesthesia

Thursday, November 10, 2022 | Janice Corsino and Nani Naish

Students in their music class tapped into their synesthetic minds by listening to two compositions containing very different musical elements such as dynamics, rhythm, form, and tonality. Students ske ...

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Article

Sustainable City Games

Thursday, November 10, 2022 | Melody Weintraub

Combinatory play was defined by Albert Einstein as “the act of opening up one mental channel by dabbling in another.” Considering the value of play in promoting productivity and creativity ...

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Article

Mindfulness Murals

Thursday, November 10, 2022 | Kristin Baxter

During the past two years, in collaboration with Northampton County Juvenile Justice Center (NCJJC) staff and residents, we completed six murals that now hang in the hallway near the residents’ ...

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Article

A Cozy Collaboration

Thursday, November 10, 2022 | Sue Liedke

Made from fabric or paper, sewn or glued, a class quilt is a simple and effective way to complete a collaborative project. Each student participates in the design process, and with careful preparation ...

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Article

Editor's Letter: Collaboration

Thursday, November 10, 2022 | Nancy Walkup

As an art teacher, you are in an excellent position to develop collaborative projects for your students. On a practical level, you can have students work in pairs or small groups, correlate lessons wi ...

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Curator's Corner

Native American Heritage Month: The Powhatan Confederacy

Monday, November 7, 2022 | Karl Cole

Indigenous peoples lived in every region of present-day United States when the first Europeans arrived in the 1500s. The Spanish came via Mexico during expeditions in 1539 to 1543, 1540 to 1542, and 1 ...

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Curator's Corner

Ghosts for Halloween

Monday, October 31, 2022 | Karl Cole

Ghosts, a big part of Halloween, are elements of mystery and curiosity in many cultures. There are great differences in the ways ghosts are perceived around the world, from abject terror to sympa ...

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Curator's Corner

Gems of the Month: Aizuri-e

Monday, October 24, 2022 | Karl Cole

This month, I’m celebrating aizuri-e, or “blue prints,” from Japan’s ukiyo-e style that flourished during the Edo Period (ca. 1615–1868). The color Prussian blue was intr ...

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Curator's Corner

LGBTQ+ History Month: Richmond Barthé

Monday, October 17, 2022 | Karl Cole

I think it is important to always keep in mind that LGBTQ pride did not “begin” with the Stonewall Riots of 1969—a series of protests by members of the gay community in response to a ...

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Curator's Corner

Hispanic Heritage Month 2022: Oscar de la Renta

Tuesday, October 11, 2022 | Karl Cole

Oscar de la Renta was an internationally renowned fashion designer who established a personal aesthetic that combined European couture elegance with practical ready-to-wear forms. He is best known for ...

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Article

Storyteller Drawings

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | Melanie Robinson

During midwinter, storyteller and retired art teacher Sue Hinkel visits our school and tells stories to the third-graders. She also shares her outstanding collection of Native American clay storytelle ...

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Article

Juxtaposition Watercolors

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | Zoey Graf

Ask students to brainstorm what specific manufactured items are part of their everyday lives (e.g., buses, cars, roads, paths, bridges, buildings, desks, windows, litter, phones, computers). Then ask ...

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Article

Manipulative Photomontage

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | Christina Pinton

I present the challenge of gathering imagery (royalty-free images and their own photographs) and manipulating them to produce an imagined landscape. Students’ landscapes may include figures, bui ...

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Honoring the Osage

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | Elizabeth Barker

Students watched and listened to Norman Akers as he discussed color theory and technique while he painted. He also told them personal stories and made connections to Osage culture and history. In late ...

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Article

Editor’s Letter: Story

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | Nancy Walkup

You can find stories wherever you look. This past March, I visited Canyon de Chelly National Monument near Chinle, Arizona, on Navajo tribal lands. The history of peoples in the canyon, Hopi and Navaj ...

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