Editor's Letter
Compared to most classroom teachers, I do think art teachers wield more power in what they teach and how they interact with their students. For the most part, we are able to create, plan, and present ...
Read More
Article
Article
Playing Around with Paper
Using oil pastels, students created a living creature, either real or imagined, on their papers. I encouraged them to use inventive textures to create interest in these beings and to manipulate the oi ...
Read More
Article
Have You Seen This Monster?
Throughout time and across cultures, humans have created stories about monsters and mythical creatures to help them cope with things they fear or can’t explain. This lesson focuses on the natura ...
Read More
Article
The Shape of Things
Have you woken up in the middle of the night, fretting over what you will teach on that last day of school? I am frequently awake from 2:00 to 5:00 a.m. with my restless, anxious mind performing its m ...
Read More
Article
Leaving Their Marks
The end of my art students’ four years is fast approaching and discussion turns to a reflection of their experiences in the building. I tell them, “This has been your building for several ...
Read More
Article
Editor's Letter
In my first elementary art position, I inherited wallpaper books, glass baby food jars, stacks of newspapers, cardboard egg cartons, and not much else. Like most art teachers, I became an expert on se ...
Read More
Article
Dismantled Robots
As art teachers, sometimes it doesn't take much to inspire us. In my case, it took our school’s tech team leaving behind my classroom’s dismantled wireless router in a trash bin. After dig ...
Read More
Article
Flash Fashion
I have always loved the concept of artistic competitions such as “Project Runway,” “Chopped,” or “Made.” The idea that you can just hand a topic over to a group of ...
Read More
Article
Through Their Eyes
In 2017, the Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery in Mississippi State University showcased photography by local children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a group art exhibition, Through Their Eyes. Co ...
Read More
Article
Soda Birds
If you are like me, you’re always in search of art ideas to inspire creativity within your classroom—ideas that will allow your students to experience something new, projects that can be m ...
Read More
Article
Editor's Letter
Do you find that your students are open to interpretation? Are they open to being art critics about their own and other works of art? When initially introduced to art criticism, some may associate neg ...
Read More
Article
Abstract Mark Making
I was first introduced to artist and dancer Heather Hansen by my former classmate and later by my student teacher. Both of these women are phenomenal art teachers and provide great examples of contemp ...
Read More
Article
Risk-Taking, Scaffolding & Team Building
We emphasize collaboration along with the eight Studio Habits of Mind right from the start. We encourage open dialogue and positive feedback for students to engage, persist, and reflect on their own p ...
Read More
Article
Amy Sherald: Blending Portraiture and Politics
Amy Sherald is a Baltimore based artist acclaimed for her striking portraits of contemporary African Americans. She is known for painting skin tones in gray scale as a way of countering the associatio ...
Read More
Article
Here We Make Our Home
Here We Make Our Home encouraged and challenged young adults to learn about who they are, research their cultural heritage, and share their views and beliefs in what it means to be of African American ...
Read More
Article
Reimagining Heather Hansen
When developing lessons based on artists I admire, I try my best to find different ways to approach their work and offer divergent outcomes for students. Instead of finding an artist and repeating the ...
Read More