Blogs

Article

The Comedian

Thursday, March 4, 2021

When I came upon the 2019 artwork called The Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan, I knew I had to share it with my students. Essentially, The Comedian is a banana duct-taped to a gallery wall. On the surfac ...

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Article

The Mindful Studio: Drawing

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Drawing teaches students to observe their environment and learn to see what is right before them. Students are often fearful of drawing because they have preconceived notions of exceptional realism th ...

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Article

Yayoi Kusama & Notan Mashup

Thursday, March 4, 2021

The primary focus of my elementary art curriculum is contemporary art, but I still connect the present with concepts or artists from the past to reinforce how the latter informs the former. One exampl ...

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Curator’s Corner

A Great Art Teacher: Alice Tavani

Monday, March 1, 2021 | Karl Cole

The annual National Art Education Association (NAEA) convention is later this week—held virtually this year—and it's the start of Women's History Month, so I’m introducing you to a d ...

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Davis Desk

Understanding, Ideas, Information, Personal Learning Networks = Valuable Tools

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | Laura & Matt Grundler, The Creativity Department

This month we are excited to share a post from our partners The Creativity Department / K12ArtChat. You can also read this post directly from their website by using this link. In addition to the re ...

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Curator’s Corner

African American History Month 2021 III

Monday, February 15, 2021 | Karl Cole

For my ongoing celebration of African American History month, let’s honor the life and work of Hughie Lee-Smith. He was one of many artists who matured during the Harlem Renaissance (1918– ...

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Article

All in Pieces

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Passing by my art room, students and teachers couldn’t help but peer through the windows or peek inside the door. They were drawn by the sounds of electric jigsaws gnawing through plywood, the b ...

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Article

Charcoal Cardboard Self-Portraits

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

These portraits are scaled so the subject is not a figure in negative space; instead, it’s a person—an in-your-face expression of personality jutting out at us. Students are asked to fill ...

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Article

Supporting Creativity at Home

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

I noticed that many art educators were attempting to develop resources and support for adults at home. The following is a compilation of what I found during my research in terms of help, support, and ...

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Article

Sharing Environmental Stories

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

As an art educator, I wanted my students to explore the negative effects of plastic on our environment. My purpose was to help them understand not only what is happening to our environment, but also w ...

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Article

Editor’s Letter: Environment

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Have you noticed changes in your natural environment over time? When I was a child, we lived in the middle of the woods in Louisiana, and my siblings and I spent most of our time outdoors there. I was ...

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Curator’s Corner

African American History Month 2021 II

Monday, February 8, 2021 | Karl Cole

February 4th was artist Nick Cave’s birthday, so let’s celebrate his art for African American History Month. ...

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Curator’s Corner

African American History Month 2021 I

Monday, February 1, 2021 | Karl Cole

Let’s begin honoring African American History Month this year with the work of vernacular artist David Butler. His art reflects the long tradition of African-Caribbean influence in the art of ma ...

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Curator’s Corner

Gem of the Month: Guanyin

Monday, January 25, 2021 | Karl Cole

Seated in the “position of royal ease” (rajalilasana in Hindu), this portrayal of the bodhisattva Guanyin mirrors hundreds of other versions of the subject in Chinese art. The pose was inf ...

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Curator’s Corner

Art for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 | Karl Cole

In commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I am recognizing an African American artist who was as committed to equality—especially for African American women—as MLK and expressed it ...

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Curator’s Corner

A Pioneer Abstract Sculptor

Monday, January 11, 2021 | Karl Cole

January 10th was the birthday of one of the great pioneer abstract sculptors of the late 1900s, Barbara Hepworth. Her sculpture has always been a tribute to the materials in which she worked. She ...

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